As head of the world’s central nuclear authority, Dr. ElBaradei has initiated and led efforts to strengthen the three main pillars of the IAEA’s work — nuclear safety, verification, and technology — and to realign and streamline its structure to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its results-based programmes. He was first appointed to the post of Director General in 1997, and the reappointment takes effect on 1 December 2001.

In commending the reappointment, Finland’s Ambassador Tom Gr?nberg, President of the IAEA General Conference, expressed the conviction that "all delegates share the view that Dr. ElBaradei’s able and skillful leadership over the past four years gives confidence that a further term will be equally successful".

In his brief remarks of acceptance, Dr. ElBaradei said he was humbled and grateful for the support and confidence that States have placed in him to meet the challenges the Agency faces. "I trust that through our work, we can move forward together to make our world a safer and more humane place," he said.

He previously served the Agency and international community in various capacities as a senior member of the IAEA Secretariat since 1984, holding a number of high-level policy positions. He was the Legal Adviser before heading the Division of External Relations and becoming Assistant Director General for External Relations in 1993. His international service includes serving as Ambassador in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva.

Dr. ElBaradei, married and the father of two children, was born in Egypt in 1942. He gained his Bachelor degree in Law in the 1960s at the University of Cairo, and subsequently his Doctorate in International Law at the New York University School of Law in1974.