The IAEA has just concluded a series of six webinars, held from 21 May to 30 July, to train nearly 70 recently-assigned and experienced National Liaison Officers (NLOs), National Liaison Assistants (NLAs), as well as National Coordinators under the ARCAL Agreement (NCAs), and to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to execute their role as interlocutors between their national governments and the IAEA Secretariat.
“In their roles, NLOs, NLAs, and NCAs, as well as the members of the Permanent Missions to the IAEA, all provide essential guidance and coordination which leads to the successful planning and implementation of the Agency's technical cooperation programme,” said Luis Carlos Longoria Gandara, Director of the TCLAC Division, during a round-table discussion held as part of the final webinar session.
NLO training is usually delivered in a single, week-long event at the IAEA’s Vienna headquarters, but this year’s NLO training event was held remotely across a period of two months. The course included an overview of the guiding principles and the objectives of both the technical cooperation programme and the ARCAL Regional Agreement, highlighting the contribution of nuclear science and technology to socio-economic development. Subsequent webinars explored how projects are financed, monitored and evaluated to ensure their quality and impact. Finally, participating NLOs received hands-on training in the use of the digital tools and systems used to manage and implement the programme.
