further provides that States parties may agree on bilateral or multilateral arrangements, or a combinat_ion of these, for achieving this objective. It provides that States parties may request the Agency to use its best efforts to promote, facilitate and support co-operation between States parties (art. 1(2)). The Convention contains provisions setting out the rules that govern the provision of assistance (art. 2); direction and control of assistance (art. 3); requests to the Agency to collect, maintain, and· disseminate information relating to materials, equipment and.expertise available to deal with nuclear accidents and to assist States parties in preparing to meet such accidents or to obtain assistance when they occur (art. 5); reimbursement of the costs of providing such assistance, including a requirement for prompt reimbursement when assistance is provided, and a provision for transferring costs (art. 7); provision for privileges and immunities where assistance is provided in another State (art, 8); provision for claims and compensation resulting from the provision of assistance (art. 9); and dispute settlement (art. 10). BILATERAL AGREEMENTS A/AC.105/C~2/16/Add.8 page 11 Bilateral· international agreements may take different forms. Thus, in addition to formal State to State agreements that characterize multilateral agreements, many of the bilateral agreements that the United States enters into with other Governments regarding the exploration · or use of outer space take the form of a Memorandum of Understanding or an exchange of correspondence between a particular United States agency, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the interested agency of another country. Bilateral arrangements are by far the most common internati .onal agreement into which the United States enters. In the past 25 years the United States has entered into hundreds of such agreements covering virtually every area of space technology. Thus, since 1958, NASA alone has engaged in more than 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing international agreements related to nuclear accidents and assistance, which suggests a strong connection to science and technology. The provisions mentioned, such as the rules governing assistance, direction and control, and dispute settlement, also indicate a focus on technical and regulatory matters.

**Category**
Science and technology