Highlights from the 66th IAEA General Conference: The Department of Technical Cooperation
In 2022, the IAEA’s annual General Conference (GC) was held from 26 to 30 September. It was attended by more than 2 500 <a href="#">participants</a> from 153 countries. Delegates also attended additional in-person and hybrid side events and exhibitions, which took place in advance of, and during, the week of the General Conference.
At the IAEA exhibition, the Department of Technical Cooperation booth offered conference-goers and interested visitors an opportunity to learn more about the technical cooperation programme and its impact. At lunch time, IAEA staff held ‘Ask an Expert’ sessions, taking questions on IAEA support for cancer care, procurement, STEM education, food security and more.
Stakeholders to the AFRA Agreement set up an exhibition to showcase the impact of AFRA projects realized through the technical cooperation programme in the last 30 years. The Regional Office (RCARO) of the Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology for Asia and the Pacific (RCA) organized a booth to celebrate the Agreement’s 50th anniversary.
At a side event titled Revealing Secrets Using Nuclear Techniques, held on 26 September, IAEA and international experts demonstrated how nuclear and isotopic techniques are being leveraged in Europe to verify the provenance of cultural artefacts, authenticate medicines and expose food fraud.
At the side event Diagnostic Radiology Medical Physicists: Who Are We?, a panel of nuclear diagnostic experts from Europe and Central Asia explored why medical physicists are often not well integrated into diagnostic radiology departments, despite the crucial role they play in sustaining safety in this field.
ARASIA celebrated its 20th anniversary alongside this year’s IAEA General Conference. To mark the occasion, its Board of Representatives unveiled a new website for the agreement and launched a publication, entitled Breaking through to Progress, highlighting the impact of ARASIA’s technical cooperation with the IAEA over the last two decades.
In the 50 years since the establishment of the RCA Agreement, more than 170 RCA projects have helped to train more than 10,000 national experts through over 650 regional training courses and workshops. To mark its 50th anniversary, the first-ever RCA Ministerial Conference was organized on the margins of GC66 to reflect on these and other milestone accomplishments.
Since its launch in 2005, the Programme Cycle Management Framework (PCMF) has provided the main point-of-entry for Member State counterparts implementing technical cooperation projects. Following 17 years of use, the platform is now in need of an overhaul. On 28 September, the Plans for PCMF Upgrade event presented the update project, its aims and requirements, to Member States, highlighting the need for extrabudgetary support.
On 29 September, at the side event Enhancing Capacities of Member States in Africa to Achieve Food Security Through the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Techniques, IAEA experts and food and agriculture specialists from Africa engaged in a panel discussion to investigate how nuclear technology is being leveraged in the ongoing fight against both climate change and food insecurity in the region.
Also on 29 September, IAEA and invited speakers presented the results of their analysis of the implementation of the International Basic Safety Standards in Europe and Central Asia. Speakers highlighted the persistent challenges facing regulators and nuclear safety experts in the region, and proposed corresponding solutions.
The 66th IAEA General Conference also provided the occasion for new partnerships, agreements and plans to be established. During the week-long conference, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signed an Action Plan for cooperation in nuclear science and sustainable development with the Community of Latin American & Caribbean States (CELAC). IAEA Deputy Director General Hua Liu renewed a tripartite arrangement to support South-South Cooperation between Cambodia, Laos PDR and Viet Nam.
Throughout GC66, speakers and guests agreed on the need to tap into diverse funding sources to extend the reach and impact of IAEA activities. During the General Conference, the IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) received new donations from Belgium, the Principality of Monaco, and from members of the Korean public, whose contributions were presented by the Nuclear International Cooperation Fund (KONICOF).
The annual meetings of the State Parties of the regional cooperative agreements in Africa (AFRA), Asia and the Pacific (RCA), Latin America and the Caribbean (ARCAL) and the cooperative agreement for Arab States in Asia (ARASIA) also took place during the Conference. European Member States met to discuss regional activities during their Meeting of National Liaison Officers, also held on the margins of the General Conference. Staff from the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation also attended a special event on NUTEC Plastics.
Nine Country Programme Frameworks (CPF) were signed on the margins of the General Conference, including with Belarus, Botswana, Estonia, Jordan, Malaysia, Montenegro, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
A CPF is the frame of reference for medium-term planning of technical cooperation between a Member State and the IAEA. It identifies the priority areas where nuclear technology can be used to address national development goals.
