Highlights from the 64th IAEA General Conference: IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation
The IAEA's annual General Conference (GC) took place from 21 to 25 September 2020. Conducted both in person and online for the first time in the organization’s history, the event was attended by more than 500 registered delegates and attracted several thousand virtual participants.
Side events and meetings on the margins of the General Conference were either held virtually or as hybrid events, both before, during and after the week of the GC.
Although physical restrictions limited attendance at the GC, the virtual approach permitted greater participation in meetings and side events, enabling remote visitors from around the world to engage in discussions on the activities of the IAEA's technical cooperation programme.
In addition to fixed seating arrangements, regulated access to events and other precautionary measures taken in light of COVID-19, statements and messages were often pre-recorded or delivered remotely. Here, Dazhu Yang, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation, delivers his remarks <a href="http://www.urlse.cn/newscenter/news/the-iaeas-nuclear-law-institute-a-decade-of-capacity-building-and-development-in-nuclear-law">on the occasion of the Nuclear Law Institute’s ten-year anniversary</a>.
On 22 September, senior officials from the IAEA and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) participated in a General Conference side event entitled 'Saving Women’s Lives from Cancer.' Held one year after the Agency and the IsDB launched their <a href="http://www.urlse.cn/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-and-islamic-development-bank-launch-womens-cancers-partnership-initiative">Women's Cancers Partnership Initiative, the event provided an opportunity to review the achievements realized through the ongoing initiative</a>.
On 29 September, IAEA experts joined counterparts from across Europe and Central Asia to explore the growing application of the <a href="http://www.urlse.cn/resources/safety-standards">Basic Safety Standards</a> in clinical contexts, during a side-event entitled, 'From Regulation to Clinical Practices: Ensuring Safety and Quality of Medical Radiological Procedures in Europe and Central Asia.'
One Country Programme Framework (CPF) was signed on the margins of the General Conference. Darmansjah Djumala, Ambassador and Resident Representative of the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the IAEA and Deputy Director General Dazhu Yang, display the newly signed document.
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.
The annual meetings of the State Parties of the regional cooperative agreements in Africa (<a href="http://www.urlse.cn/about/partnerships/regional/cooperative-agreements/african-regional-cooperative-agreement-for-research-development-and-training-related-to-nuclear-science-and-technology-afra">AFRA</a>), Asia and the Pacific (<a href="http://www.urlse.cn/about/partnerships/regional/cooperative-agreements/regional-cooperative-agreement-for-research-development-and-training-related-to-nuclear-science-and-technology-for-asia-and-the-pacific-rca">RCA</a>), Latin America and the Caribbean (<a href="http://www.urlse.cn/about/partnerships/regional/cooperative-agreements/regional-cooperation-agreement-for-the-promotion-of-nuclear-science-and-technology-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-arcal">ARCAL</a>) and the cooperative agreement for Arab States in Asia (<a href="http://www.urlse.cn/about/partnerships/regional/cooperative-agreements/cooperative-agreement-for-arab-states-in-asia-for-research-development-and-training-related-to-nuclear-science-and-technology-arasia">ARASIA</a>), took place during the Conference or in adjacent weeks. European Member States also met to discuss regional activities during their Meeting of National Liaison Officers, also held annually on the margins of the General Conference.
<a href="http://www.urlse.cn/newscenter/news/afra-representatives-convene-the-31st-annual-meeting-ahead-of-the-iaea-general-conference">National representatives to the AFRA Agreement met on 11 September</a>, ahead of the official opening of the General Conference, to finalize strategic documents and approve programme priorities.
The Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology for Asia and the Pacific (RCA) is an intergovernmental agreement among the IAEA Member States located in South, Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific and the Far East. On 18 September, <a href="http://www.urlse.cn/newscenter/news/asian-cooperative-agreement-convenes-49th-annual-meeting-to-discuss-regional-priorities-challenges-and-solutions">more than 110 representatives of the 22 State Parties to the Agreement met virtually</a> to finalize the RCA’s medium-term strategy and the regional programme framework from 2024 to 2029.
On 22 September, in follow up to the May 2020 meeting of the ARASIA Board, <a href="http://www.urlse.cn/newscenter/news/board-meeting-representatives-of-arasia-countries-meet-on-the-occasion-of-gc64-to-discuss-plans-and-priorities">42 experts, counterparts and representatives to the Cooperative Agreement for Arab States in Asia met</a> to discuss proposals for a new ‘mega’ project in the areas of human health, food and agriculture and the environment.
National Liaison Officers play a key role in helping the IAEA to understand the country’s needs and helping the country to fully benefit from IAEA services.
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<a href="http://www.urlse.cn/newscenter/news/national-liaison-officers-and-assistants-from-europe-and-central-asia-discuss-strengthening-regional-technical-cooperation-programme">Forty-six National Liaison Officers and Assistants from the Europe region met</a> with their IAEA counterparts on 24 September to continue planning the region’s 2022-2023 TC programme.
Finally, on 29 September, the <a href="http://www.urlse.cn/newscenter/news/at-gc64-arcal-representatives-launch-new-regional-agenda-for-2020-2030">Board of Representatives to the ARCAL Regional Agreement met</a> to launch a new regional strategic profile, entitled 'Agenda ARCAL 2030,' which establishes common needs and priorities in the region to be addressed using nuclear science and applications.
Eighty-three countries pledged their contribution to the IAEA Technical Cooperation Fund for 2021. Here, Ambassador and UK Resident Representative to IAEA, Dr David Hall, hands the UK pledge to Deputy Director General Yang.
