60th General Conference: A Week in Pictures with the Department of Technical Cooperation
The IAEA held its 60th General Conference in September. It was an occasion for delegates not only to consider and approve the IAEA's programme and budget, and other issues, but also to discuss, learn and network with representatives from the IAEA's 168 Member States.
The Departments of the IAEA presented their work and activities through exhibitions.
<br /><br />
The Department of Technical Cooperation presented new outreach material, and staff were on hand to answer delegate questions.
This year, the Department of Technical Cooperation organized 6 side events, four jointly with the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications.
<br /><br />
At the side event "Introducing Nuclear Science and Technology in Secondary Schools" partners, students and teachers talked about their experiences in using The Compendium of Resources and Activities on Nuclear Science and Technology for Secondary School Teachers and Students. This new educational resource package has been developed by the IAEA in partnership with education and communication experts in the Asia and the Pacific region.
The side event "Nuclear Techniques to Assess Breastfeeding Practices" brought together over 80 participants to hear about and discuss the benefits of breastfeeding, national interventions to encourage breastfeeding, and the contribution of nuclear techniques. Speakers included experts from the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, as well as experts and former national counterparts from Thailand and South Africa, and IAEA staff.
The IAEA Curricula for Nuclear Medicine Professionals (ICNMP), which was developed to address the training needs of nuclear medicine professionals, was also presented at a side event. The event showcased the IAEA's initiative to enhance the value of learning activities through the ICNMP, and presented the ICNMP Framework for Human Resource Development, which is designed to tackle the serious shortage of qualified nuclear medicine professionals.
A new mobile app designed to help doctors to evaluate the extent of cancer in female reproductive organs more quickly and accurately and to select the appropriate treatment was presented on the second day of the conference, at the side event "Improving the Management of Gynaecological Cancer". Speakers from the IAEA and the partners involved in the project talked about the challenges faced by physicians, and how the new app can assist in staging cancer and planning treatment.
A Panel Discussion on the Deliverables and Effectiveness of the Technical Cooperation Programme in Africa was also held during the week. Speakers from across Africa discussed the results achieved over the past 10 years through the technical cooperation programme, and presented challenges and opportunities in areas such as human health, water resource management, industrial applications and human resource development in Africa.
Mr Yukiya Amano, IAEA Director General, opened the final side event of the week "Assisting Low and Middle Income Countries to Optimize Investments in Radiation Medicine", which was organized by the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy. Speakers from the London School of Economics, Oxfam and the National Institute for Neoplasm in Peru concluded that a radical increase in spending on cancer control is essential if the world is to meet the United Nations sustainable development target of reducing cancer-related deaths by a third in 15 years.
To commemorate the IAEA's 60th anniversary, the Director General launched an exhibition of photographs that traced the growth of the Agency and its work over the past six decades.
Member States and non-governmental organizations highlighted their activities and research with many interesting exhibitions. Delegates were able to visit a wide range of exhibition booths and displays, and to learn about the various ways countries are utilizing nuclear technology to address national needs.
The exhibition of the Regional Co-operative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (RCA) provided viewers with an opportunity to examine some of the products created using nuclear technology, such as improved rice varieties, hydrogels, building materials and silicon wafers.
Six Country Programme Frameworks (CPFs) were signed on the margins of the General Conference. A CPF is the frame of reference for medium-term planning of technical cooperation between a Member State and the IAEA. It identifies the priority areas where nuclear technology can be used to address priority national development goals. Here, HE Mr Ibrahim Yacoubou, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Nigeriens Abroad, shakes hands with Mr Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the Division for Africa, Department of Technical Cooperation, after signing the CPF for Niger.
Mr Meelis Münt, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment, and Mr Dazhu Yang, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation, signed Estonia's Country Programme Framework (CPF) for the period 2016 – 2021 on 27 September 2016.
HE Mr. Badr Mohamed Zaher Al Hinai, Resident Representative, Permanent Mission of Oman to the IAEA, and Mr Yang signed Oman's Country Programme Framework (CPF) for the period 2018 – 2023 on 28 September 2016.
During a courtesy visit with IAEA Director General Mr Amano, Mr Lixin Shen, Deputy Director General, Department of System Engineering, China Atomic Energy Authority, and Mr Yang signed China's Country Programme Framework (CPF) for the period 2016 – 2021 on 26 September 2016.
Dr. Kwaku Aning, Governor of Ghana, IAEA Board of Governors and Mr Yang signed Ghana's CPF for the period 2017-2021 on 28 September 2016.
Ms Carolina Vásquez Soto, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, and Mr Yang signed Costa Rica's CPF for the period 2017-2023 on 29 September 2016.
<br /><br />
Photos: Julia Krickl, Sonja Manna-Andre, Hazel Pattison, IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation
<br /><br />
? 2016 IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation
