Pre Conference Information
Registration
Registration is open as of 13 July for designated representatives from IAEA Member States and invited non-Member States and organizations.
Journalists must register through the IAEA Division of Public Information Press Office.
Advance Information for Delegations
Information about the General Conference, as well as other events organized in conjunction with the Conference´s Session is available here.
Documents
The Provisional Agenda and a list of documents for the General Conference are posted as they become available. More »
For past sessions, see the GC Archives.
Scientific Forum at the General Conference
A Scientific Forum will be convened in conjunction with the General Conference entitled Energy for Development at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) in Vienna, the site of the General Conference. More »
International Nuclear Safety Group (INSAG) Forum
The International Nuclear Safety Group (INSAG) will hold its annual forum Monday, 14 September, the opening day of the IAEA General Conference. More »
Live Video Streaming at the General Conference
Sessions at the Plenary Hall, including the opening statements of officials and delegates, will be streamed live during the whole week of the General Conference. Sessions of the Scientific Forum will also be live-streamed beginning on Tuesday, 15 September. Links to the video streaming service will be provided on opening day.
Conference Highlights: Monday, 14 September
53rd IAEA General Conference Opens in Vienna
Senior representatives of the 150 Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are meeting at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) on Monday, 14 September, for the five-day annual IAEA General Conference to discuss major topics on the organization's agenda.
In the run up to today's meeting, IAEA Deputy Director General for Management, David Waller, gives an insider look at what to expect this year.
Conference Elects Jennifer Macmillan of New Zealand as President
The
General Conference elected Ms. Jennifer Macmillan of New Zealand as
President of the 53rd IAEA General Conference. Ms. Macmillan is New
Zealand's Ambassador and Resident Representative to the IAEA. Ms.
Macmillan's Curriculum Vitae » :: Statement
to the General Conference » [pdf]
New Member States of the IAEA
The General Conference today approved the applications for IAEA membership of Cambodia and Rwanda. Membership takes effect once the required legal instruments are deposited with the Agency.
Director General ElBaradei Address to the General Conference
In
his address to the delegates of the 53rd IAEA General Conference,
Director General Mohamed ElBaradei reviewed the work of the Agency
in areas of nuclear safeguards, security, safety, and peaceful development,
seeing a tremendous future for the IAEA in the years ahead. Story»
:: Full Statement
» :: Video
On Demand | YouTube
»
General Conference Confirms Appointment of Yukiya Amano as IAEA Director General
The
IAEA General Conference today approved the appointment of Ambassador
Yukiya Amano of Japan to the post of Director General to succeed Dr.
Mohamed ElBaradei. Mr. Amano becomes the fifth Director General of
the IAEA in its 52-year history. Story
» :: Read
Acceptance Speech » [pdf] :: Video
on Demand | YouTube
INSAG Forum
An
increasingly globalised and multinational nuclear sector is presenting
an evolving set of safety and security challenges, said experts from
the International Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) at a Forum held today.
Background »
[pdf]
Conference Highlights: Tuesday, 15 September
Scientific Forum On Energy for Development
The
IAEA's Scientific Forum on Energy for Development opened
today in Vienna, Austria. The Forum is being held in conjunction with
the General Conference and will examine issues revolving around the
need to assure universal access to affordable energy services and
eliminate energy insecurity worldwide. Story
» :: More
»
Conference Adopts Agenda
At its second plenary session yesterday, the IAEA General Conference adopted its agenda, allocating items for discussion among Conference bodies. See Documents »
Russia and Serbia Sign Foreign Trade Contract
Delegates
from the Russian Federation and Serbia today signed a trade contract
laying down the groundwork for the final repatriation of spent nuclear
fuel from Vinca Institute in Serbia to the Russian Federation. The
Foreign Trade Contract (FTC) is a pre-condition for any spent fuel
repatriation project to Russia, setting provisions for the transport,
reprocessing, storage and subsequent disposal of the high-level waste
in Russia. Signing the FTC were Mr. Sergey Kazakov, Director of the
Russian Federal Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety and Mr. Radojica
Pesic, General Director of the Public Company Nuclear Facilities of
Serbia. Story »
:: Video »
:: More
pictures »
Prospects and Challenges for Uranium Production
Uranium
mining industry experts and government ministers met today during
the General Conference to discuss prospects and challenges for uranium
production, demand and supply. The IAEA projects that nuclear power
generating capacity in the medium term will increase to between 511
GW(e) and 807 GW(e) of generating capacity by 2030. And this will
create increased demand for uranium. Story
»
From the Floor of the General Conference
A page on the General Conference coverage dedicated to videos, photos and audio, inteneded to give a "being there" experience. Watch now »
Conference Highlights: Wednesday, 16 September
Scientific Forum Continues for a Second Day
"Without
energy there is no development, and development is life", Dr.
ElBaradei told participants at the opening session of this year's
Scientific Forum on nuclear energy for development. The Forum continues
on its second session today with sessions on energy supply and international
institutional implications. More
»
25 Years of Technical Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean
At the General Conference this year, the IAEA is celebrating 25 years of the Regional Agreement of Technical Cooperation for the Promotion of Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARCAL). The regional agreement aims to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy as well as its applications for sustainable development. Press Release »
Serbian Spent Nuclear Fuel to Move to Russia
This
week at the 53rd IAEA General Conference, delegates from the Russian
Federation and Serbia signed a trade contract, laying the groundwork
for the final repatriation of spent nuclear fuel from the Serbian
Institute for Nuclear Sciences at Vinca to the Russian Federation.
Story » ::
Video »
:: Pictures
»
Challenges of Licensing Geological Repositories
National nuclear regulators today focused on licensing and the safe
geological disposal of nuclear waste during the IAEA's General Conference.
Finland, France and Sweden are in the process of creating geological
repositories as long-term disposal for spent nuclear fuel and high
level waste. Nuclear regulators from these countries and the United
States shared their insights on legislating, siting and licensing
geological repositories. Story
» :: Podcast
»
Argentina's Balseiro Institute is IAEA's 1st Collaborating Centre in Latin America
Werner
Burkart, IAEA Deputy Director General for Nuclear Sciences and Applications
presents a plaque to Noermo Boero, President of the National Atomic
Energy Commission of Argentina commemorating the entrance of Argentina's
Balseiro Institute as the IAEA's 14th Collaborating Centre and its
first in Latin America. The presentation took place during the 53rd
IAEA General Conference in Vienna, Austria. Story
» :: More
photos »
Conference Highlights: Thursday, 17 September
New Members Elected to the IAEA Board of Governors
Eleven
countries have been newly elected to serve on the 35-member IAEA Board
of Governors for the period 2009-2011. The action was taken by Member
States meeting at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna this week.
The newly elected Board members are Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Denmark,
Kenya, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Ukraine
and Venezuela.
For the 2009-2010 period, the new composition of the 35-member IAEA Board is: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela. The Board meets Tuesday, 22 September, to elect its new chairman and officers.
Tighter Security Reduces Nuclear Smuggling
The security of nuclear and other radioactive materials and the detection
of nuclear and radiological smuggling activities is improving but
there are issues with the transportation, storage and disposal of
radioactive sources, experts from the IAEA reported. Speaking at a
press briefing on the latest statistics from the IAEA's Illicit Trafficking
Database (ITDB), Nuclear Security Officer Viacheslav Turkin said that
the numbers, although still at a high level, point to improvements
in nuclear security. Story
»
Taking Stock: The Fight Against Cancer
The IAEA's Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) took the
occasion of the 53rd IAEA General Conference to brief Member States
and donors on progress of its work to fight the growing cancer pandemic
in developing countries since 1997. More than fifty people attended
the PACT briefing, including official representatives from some of
PACT's partners, supporters and donors. Story
»
20 Years of African Development Celebrated
The African Regional Cooperative Agreement (AFRA) celebrated its twentieth
anniversary today in Vienna. It is an intergovernmental agreement
supported by the IAEA that helps foster nuclear science and technology
for African development. At a meeting held during the IAEA's General
Conference, Ana María Cetto, IAEA Deputy Director General of
Technical Cooperation, lauded AFRA's members for achieving notable
results in the areas of human health, food and agriculture, industrial
applications, information and communication technologies, as well
as radioactive waste safety and nuclear security. Story
»
IAEA Scientific Forum Links Energy and Development
At
the 2009 IAEA Scientific Forum, energy and development experts considered
the crucial role energy plays in delivering health care, providing
nutrition, enabling education, manufacturing goods and fuelling transportation
and other services. The two-day Forum underscored energy's central
role in advancing social and economic development. Story
» ::
Report »
Conference Highlights: Friday, 18 September
53rd IAEA General Conference Closes
The
IAEA's 53rd General Conference of Member States concluded today in
Vienna, with over 1 400 delegates from IAEA Member States attending
the week-long event. Following discussion, the General Conference
adopted resolutions on the following items: the Agency's Programme
and Budget for 2010-2011; measures to strengthen international cooperation
in nuclear, radiation,transportation and waste safety; nuclear security
- measures to protect against nuclear terrorism; strengthening of
the Agency's technical cooperation activities; strengthening the Agency´s
activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications;
strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the
safeguards system and application of the Model Additional Protocol;
implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement between the Agency
and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; application of IAEA
safeguards in the Middle East; and Israeli nuclear capabilities. The
item on the prohibition of armed attack or threat of attack against
nuclear installations, during operation or under construction was
included in a Presidential statement. The full
texts of adopted resolutions and the Presidential statement will
be posted on the IAEA website as they become available. Story
» :: DG
Statement to Conference »
Meet the Delegates of the 53rd IAEA General Conference
International Seismic Safety Centre Making Waves
A
screenshot of the new External Events Notification System used in
the IAEA's International Seismic Safety Centre (ISSC). The system
monitored an earthquake off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan on 13 September.
The Higashi Dori and Tomari nuclear power plants were near the quake's
epicentre. The ISSC is in the middle of its first exercise to simulate
the effects that strong earthquakes would have on nuclear power plants
around the world. Twenty-four institutions in Member States are participating
in the exercise which began in 2008 and is scheduled to end in 2010.
In 90 Seconds: Fast Track of the 53rd IAEA General Conference
INPRO: States Briefed on Sustainable Nuclear Future
Member States were briefed yesterday on an IAEA project called the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) that helps nations chart their way forward in choosing innovative technologies when developing sustainable nuclear energy. Story »