VIENNA, Sept 20 (KUNA) -- The 69th annual IAEA General Conference came to a close on Saturday with the inauguration of IAEA Visitor Center in Seibersdorf outside Vienna, Lower Austria, being one of the highlights of the five-day event.
With 33 interactive exhibits, the center will provide an immersive and interactive experience that showcases the Agency's scientific and technical mandate, exploring the application of nuclear for health, food and agriculture, water, ocean protection, cultural heritage, energy and industry as well as its work for nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation. The center aims to receive students, researcher, diplomats, journalist and potential partners, according to a press release from the IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication.
"Today is more than the inauguration of a facility - it is the beginning of a new chapter in science outreach and education," said Director-General of the UN nuclear watchdog Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The General Conference adopted resolutions that will guide the IAEA's activities in the coming year in such areas as applications of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East; implementation of the NPT safeguards agreement between the Agency and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; extending the technical cooperation program for the State of Palestine to the Gaza Strip; and nuclear security.
In his opening statement to the Conference on Monday, Grossi outlined how the Agency has been responding through its unique mandate to what he described as "extremely challenging times." "The IAEA's mandate] spans all the way from reducing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation - and ultimately therefore also the risk of nuclear war - to using nuclear science and technology to help feed families, light cities and care for children with cancer," he said.
The General Conference elected 11 countries to serve on the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors for the 2025-2026 period. The newly elected Board members are the following; Belgium, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania, Niger, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Togo.
The General Conference and Board of Governors are the two IAEA policy making bodies.
The conference gathered more than 3000 participants, including 2755 representatives from 153 of the180 IAEA Member States. High-ranking officials in attendance included 57 ministers and 37 vice-ministers. In addition, 348 representatives from international organizations and non-governmental organizations took part. The number of participants from non-governmental organizations has more than doubled since 2021, showing how the IAEA has been growing its engagement around the world.
The State of Kuwait was represented at the conference by its Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN and international organizations in Vienna Talal Al-Fassam and Director General of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) Dr. Faisal Al-Humaidan. (end) amg.gb