At a ceremony in Germany this month, the IAEA was awarded the Berlin Peace Clock Prize in honour of the Agency´s contributions to global peace and security. IAEA Deputy Director General Werner Burkart accepted the award 8 November on the IAEA´s behalf, describing it as a "great tribute" to the IAEA as the world´s Atoms for Peace organization.
The prize was awarded by the Berlin Committee for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Dr. Klaus Hüfner, the Committee´s Chairman, presented the award to Dr. Burkart in Berlin on the eve of an historic day in Germany that marks the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989. The Berlin Peace Clock was created by Berlin jeweler Jens Lorenz and first set in motion the day the wall fell.
"The Berlin Peace Clock is a powerful symbol of the hopes and aspirations of people everywhere," said Dr. Burkart, who heads the IAEA´s Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. "The IAEA, as an international organization and part of the United Nations family, shares those hopes and will endeavour to repay that trust in the years to come working for a peaceful world."