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      The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and fights against any military use of nuclear materials. It was established in 1957 as an independent organization by the IAEA Statute, a dedicated international treaty. The IAEA reports to the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. The IAEA serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology worldwide.
      ITER originally stood for International Thermonuclear  Experimental Reactor. It is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject. The ITER Organization is coordinating the construction of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor at Cardarch in Southern France. This a huge international project dedicated to the construction of a five hundred megawatt tokamak fusion reactor which will require a fifty megawatt energy input to drive operation. It is being constructed to demonstrate the potential use of nuclear fusion as a large-scale and carbon free source of energy. The European Union is providing about half of the cost of construction. China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the USA are the other six members of ITER. They will be contributing equally to rest of the cost of construction. A revised schedule published in 2016 states that first plasma in the reactor will be initiated in 2025. Deuterium-tritium fusion experiments will start in 2035. Construction costs are estimated to be about twenty-two billion dollars. Different member nations are providing components for the construction.
       The IAEA and ITER have announced that they are enhancing their cooperation in nuclear fusion research and related activities. The new agreement expands on an agreement signed in 2008. Cornel Feruta is the IAEA Assistant Director General and Chief Coordinator. He signed the Practical Arrangements agreement at the IAEA HQ in Vienna a few days ago. The document was sent to Bernard Bigot who is the Director-General of the ITER Organization. He signed it yesterday at the ITER Council Session being held at ITER’s headquarters in France.
       The arrangement between the IAEA and ITER states that ITER will share its experience related to research in nuclear fusion safety and radiation protection with the one hundred and seventy-one Member States of the IAEA. This means that states that are not currently members of ITER will have access to ITER’s work. The ITER documents will assist in the development of IAEA safety standards related to nuclear fusion. The two organizations have pledged to implement educational initiatives in plasma physics and fusion engineering. There will be collaboration on coordinating activities in public outreach, knowledge management and human resources development.
       Yukiya Amano is the Director General of the IAEA. He said, “The challenge to achieve the goal of fusion power production can only be met through concerted international efforts. ITER's impressive work plays a central role in this field. We look forward to our intensified collaboration.” Bigot of ITER said, “The IAEA hosts a wide range of initiatives in fusion and is the key international organization in fostering global research in this area. Our Practical Arrangements deepen the long tradition of cooperation between our organizations.”