Over 400 international experts in the fields of agriculture, entomology, genetics and public health are meeting at the IAEA's headquarters in Vienna, Austria to review current approaches, trends and challenges for the area-wide management of insect pests. A key topic of discussion will be the use of the Sterile Insect Technique, which involves the sterilisation of male insects using radiation. At the opening of the one-week event, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano made these remarks.