The 56th annual session of the IAEA General Conference concluded today in Vienna. More than 3 000 delegates from 155 IAEA Member States, international organizations, NGO's and the media attended the event held at the Austria Center, Vienna from 17-22 September 2012.
At its concluding sessions, General Conference delegates adopted resolutions aimed at strengthening the IAEA's work in the areas of nuclear science and technology, safety, security, safeguards and technical cooperation. The adopted resolutions will be made available on the Resolutions page of the GC56 Website as they become available.
Also at the General Conference, a two-day Scientific Forum focusing on ways in which nuclear applications can alleviate global food production and supply challenges was held, alongside a number of side events on the Agency's work in areas such as nuclear energy, safety and security, nuclear sciences and applications and technical cooperation.
Following are selected highlights from the week-long event:
The General Conference approved the applications of the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Republic of San Marino for membership in the IAEA. Membership will take effect once the appropriate legal instruments are deposited with the Agency. It also elected Mr. Carlos Barros Oreiro of Uruguay as President of the 56th IAEA General Conference.
The 2012 IAEA Scientific Forum on Food for the Future: Meeting the Challenges with Nuclear Applications which began 18 September and concluded on Wednesday, 19 September, featured presentations and discussions from scientists and experts from around the world. They emphasized the IAEA's unique mission of making nuclear technology available to developing countries to help them grow more food, fight animal and plant pests and diseases and ensure the safety of food products.
On 20 September, the General Conference also elected 11 new IAEA Board Members to serve for two years. These are: Algeria, Argentina, Costa Rica, Greece, Libya, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Thailand and Uruguay.
The 57th IAEA General Conference is due to be held from 16-20 September 2013 at the Agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria.