On 17 September 2026, the Kingdom of Tonga signed an Additional Protocol agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during the 70th IAEA General Conference at the Agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Kingdom of Tonga by the HE Hon. Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano, High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga, and on behalf of the IAEA by its Director General, Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The signing took place during a bilateral meeting between the Tongan delegation and the IAEA Director General and represents an important further step in Tonga’s engagement with the international nuclear safeguards system and its commitment to international cooperation, transparency, nuclear non-proliferation and global security.
The Tongan delegation comprised HE Hon. Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano and Mr John Fatuimoana Kautoke, Legal Adviser to the High Commission of the Kingdom of Tonga.
Director General Grossi was joined on the IAEA side by Diego Candano Laris, Senior Adviser to the Director General; Ruzanna Harman, IAEA Chief of Protocol; and Shota Kamishima, Senior Co-ordination Officer.
The Additional Protocol strengthens the IAEA safeguards system by providing the Agency with broader access to information and locations relevant to its verification activities. It complements existing safeguards agreements and helps strengthen international confidence that nuclear material and activities are devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes.
Tonga has a longstanding relationship with the international nuclear non-proliferation framework. Its safeguards agreement with the IAEA in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on 18 November 1993. Tonga subsequently became a Member State of the IAEA on 2 March 2022.
The signing of the Additional Protocol further demonstrates Tonga’s support for multilateral cooperation and the rules-based international system, while strengthening the Kingdom’s relationship with one of the principal international organisations responsible for nuclear safeguards, safety, security and the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
Cooperation with the IAEA also has wider relevance for Small Island Developing States and the Pacific region. Peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology can contribute to areas including human health, food security, agriculture, water-resource management, environmental monitoring and efforts to understand and respond to the effects of climate change.
The Kingdom of Tonga looks forward to continuing to deepen its cooperation with the IAEA and its international partners and to supporting the peaceful and responsible application of nuclear science and technology for the benefit of the people of Tonga and the wider Pacific region.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
IAEA Office of Legal Affairs – Kingdom of Tonga:
https://ola.iaea.org/Applications/FactSheets/Country/Detail?code=TO
His Majesty’s Diplomatic Services in Tonga:
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