September 20, 2019, Vienna – The 63rd Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference was held in Vienna.
The Conference brought together high-ranking delegates from more than 170 IAEA Member States to discuss the most relevant issues and set priority directions for developing cooperation in the global nuclear industry.
Director General of ROSATOM Alexey Likhachev headed the official delegation. In his speech at the plenary session, he emphasized that the most important objective is to maximize the potential of nuclear technologies in order to implement the decisions of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and achieve sustainable development goals. Likhachev also highlighted the importance of applying diversified nuclear energy solutions: “Another promising area is the introduction of small and medium capacity reactors. This opens up new opportunities to develop hard-to-reach regions where safe and affordable energy is needed”.
Also, a number of documents of strategic importance were signed on the sidelines of the Conference. On September 17, Governments of the Russian Federation and of the Republic of Uganda signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. On the same day, ROSATOM and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of the Dominican Republic signed a Memorandum of cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy, which became the first document signed by the two countries in this area. Further, ROSATOM and the IAEA signed agreements to foster cooperation in the economic evaluation methodology in the nuclear power industry.
As part of the Conference’s business agenda, several events were held with the participation of ROSATOM representatives. Alexander Merten, President of Rusatom – International Network, spoke at the session on the large-capacity NPP project in Uzbekistan. He underscored the significance of increasing public acceptance at each stage of the national nuclear program. ROSATOM Corporate Academy organized the session “Professional communities and cooperation development” featuring discussion of personnel development strategies for the energy sector.
At this year’s General Conference, ROSATOM traditionally presented its exposition demonstrating cutting-edge Russian nuclear technologies, as well as their contribution to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.
For reference:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an organization within the United Nations family. It is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field. The Agency collects scientific and technical information, promotes its exchange, elaborates the standards of nuclear and radiation safety, using the existing staff of international inspectors for the regular check on the peaceful nuclear activities of different states (over 900 sites around the world). Russia, as one of the IAEA founding countries and one of the world nuclear industry leaders plays a significant role in the activities of the organization and enjoys considerable authority among its member states.
The IAEA governing bodies are the General Conference and the Board of Governors. Sessions of the General Conference attended by delegates of all Member States are held annually in September to review and approve the annual report to be submitted to the UN and the Agency’s budget, elect and appoint members of the Board of Governors and discuss any other issues related to the organization’s activities.
