General Conference Events: IAEA Flagship Initiatives Building Momentum

13 Sep 2024

Maria Podkopaeva, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

From enhancing health and promoting gender equality to tackling climate change and plastic pollution, the IAEA is working to address the world's most pressing challenges. (Image: A.Barber Huescar/ IAEA)

The IAEA highlighted its flagship initiatives —addressing challenges like climate change, energy sustainability and public health — at its 68th General Conference, providing a platform to review progress, seek input from member countries and outline the way forward.

The Agency supports countries with scientific advice, education, training and technical resources, providing key nuclear data and supporting the diverse applications of nuclear technologies. In recent years, the IAEA has launched a number of flagship initiatives that connect public and private partners to address some of most serious global challenges.

“Nuclear science and technology offer solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. And the IAEA is at the forefront of nuclear science and technology, equipping countries with the tools and expertise to tackle these critical challenges,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “Our flagship initiatives are already driving significant progress thanks to the support of our many partners and donors in these key areas.”

A range of side events were held during the General Conference to share this progress and discuss next steps. These were open to all attendees of the conference.

For more information on the IAEA’s other flagship initiatives please see Key Programmes.

This page will be updated throughout the week of 16–20 September.  

NUTEC Plastics: Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution

Established in 2020, this IAEA flagship initiative brings together public and private partners across the globe to address the challenge of plastic pollution on two fronts: at the source - by introducing new technologies to improve plastic recycling; and in the ocean, where the bulk of plastic waste ultimately ends up.

The side event NUTEC Plastics Outlook and Antarctic Mission introduced a new NUTEC Plastics Portal, showcased results from this years’ mission to Antarctica, and featured experiences and insights from different countries.

Date: Monday, 16 September, from 1.30 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor.

https://x.com/iaeaorg/status/1835706263558099166

Atoms4Food: Growing Food Security

Launched in October 2023, Atoms4Food is an IAEA-FAO initiative aimed at improving food security through nuclear science and technology. It helps farmers and policy-makers enhance agriculture, reduce food waste, ensure safety, and adapt to climate challenges.

The 2024 Scientific Forum, entitled Atoms4Food – Better Agriculture for Better Life, focused on innovations in sustainable farming, and highlighted nuclear technology's role in transforming agrifood systems, addressing food insecurity and many more, showcasing how cooperation and partnerships are key to scaling up the results.

In his opening remarks, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi outlined the Agency’s science-based contributions to solving the global food crisis. "The issue of food security has reappeared with particular intensity … countries do not need more speeches or policy papers to be convinced of these problems. What they need is solutions,” Mr Grossi said, emphasizing the tangible impact and practical approach of the Atoms4Food initiative.

The two-day event emphasized the tangible impact and practical approach of the Atoms4Food initiative, which was launched last year by the IAEA and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

You can catch up on the video recording of the Scientific Forum here, and read the latest IAEA Bulletin on Atoms4Food to find out more.

Date: Tuesday-Wednesday, 17-18 September, IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, Austria.

Atoms4NetZero: Building a Path to Clean Energy

Atoms4NetZero, launched by the Director General at COP27 in 2022, helps countries plan their path to net zero carbon emissions, by building capacity in energy planning. It supports Member States, industry and international partners use nuclear energy to decarbonize electricity production as well as hard-to-abate sectors like industry and transport.

The Powering the Future through Atoms4NetZero event spotlit national energy modelling studies that are paving the way for clean energy transitions, showcasing how Atoms4NetZero can help countries meet their net zero goals with the power of nuclear energy. Experts shared insights and highlighted how cross-regional collaboration created a cleaner, more resilient energy future for all.

Date: Wednesday, 18 September, from 11.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.

Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All

Launched in 2022, Rays of Hope aims to help widen access to cancer care in low- and middle-income countries by improving the availability of radiotherapy services, medical imaging and nuclear medicine. A network of regional Anchor Centres has been established to provide targeted support and expertise to neighbouring countries, focusing on education, training, research, and quality assurance.

Proud to witness the growth from 5 to 10 #RaysOfHope Anchor Centres centres since our last #IAEAGC.
Today, we welcomed 🇹🇭 @IR_Ramathibodi & I look forward to seeing how our efforts in training, innovation, and quality management will continue to strengthen cancer care 🌎. pic.twitter.com/i8To6DmIp6
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) September 18, 2024

A new Anchor Centre at the Faculty of Medicine in Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand was formally established at Realizing Hope for All: Rays of Hope Anchor Centres – One Year On event. This brings the total number of Anchor Centres around the world to ten. Anchor Centres are central to the IAEA Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All initiative and provide targeted support to neighbouring countries in key areas such as education, training, research, innovation and quality assurance. The event marked one year since the signing of the first five Anchor Centres at last year’s General Conference.

The event also focused on the progress achieved and ongoing efforts, and showcased cutting-edge innovations like e-learning, virtual reality tools and advanced databases.

Date: Wednesday, 18 September, from 2.00 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR4, C Building, seventh floor.

Together for More Women in Nuclear: Closing the Gender Gap

To address the under-representation of women in the nuclear field, the IAEA launched the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, which awards scholarships and internships to women master’s level students in the nuclear field, and the Lise Meitner Programme, which partners and donors support, provides early and mid-career women professionals with opportunities to advance their technical and leadership skills.

The event, Creating the Future Global Nuclear Workforce through Exchange and Practice: Lise Meitner Programme and Beyond showcased the programmes contributing to the development of the future nuclear workforce and the success stories of these initiatives.

Date: Wednesday, 18 September, from 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.

ZODIAC: Combating Zoonotic Diseases through Nuclear Technology

Zoonotic diseases can spread from animals to humans and present a significant threat to global health. Drawing on the IAEA’s experience from the COVID-19 pandemic, the ZODIAC initiative was launched in June 2020 to establish a network of national laboratories. This initiative aims to strengthen countries’ capabilities to rapidly detect and respond to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases.

The first ZODIAC side event, Combating AMR and Zoonotic Diseases: A One Health Approach, spotlighted the joint efforts of the FAO/IAEA Joint Centre in addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and zoonotic diseases. Leveraging Technology and Innovation to Foster Information Exchange will highlight how the IAEA is using cutting-edge technology to support key global initiatives by advancing digital collaboration.

Date: Monday, 16 September from 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor and Wednesday, 18 September, from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. at ESPACE M0E, M Building, ground floor.