Representatives, including at ministerial level and above, from the IAEA’s Member States will convene at the 61st IAEA General Conference on Monday, 18 September to deliberate on key elements of the Agency’s priorities and work towards the peaceful use of nuclear technologies.
At the week-long annual conference, which takes place at the IAEA’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, conference delegates will discuss a range of topics from growing the international cooperation in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety, to strengthening the IAEA’s activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications, and its technical cooperation programme.
The discussions will also focus on nuclear security and strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the Agency’s safeguards.
At the opening of the conference, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano will report on the Agency’s work and achievements in the last year.
Throughout the week conference delegates will discuss the IAEA Annual Report for 2016 and its Programme and Budget for 2018-2019. Other finance-related matters on the agenda include the Agency’s Financial Statements for 2016 and contributions to the Technical Cooperation Fund for 2018. The 61st General Conference will also approve the appointment of the Director General for a four-year term commencing in December 2017.
Reports prepared by the IAEA and approved by the Board of Governors for discussion include the Nuclear Safety Review 2017, the Nuclear Security Report 2017 and the Nuclear Technology Review 2017. The complete list of documents provided to delegates is available here.
Scientific Forum and other events
During the General Conference, over 50 events will showcase different aspects of the IAEA's work, including a two-day Scientific Forum on Nuclear Techniques in Human Health: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment taking place on 19-20 September. The Forum brings together leading experts, government representatives and academics from 26 countries to discuss how nuclear science can play a vital role in the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of major diseases, and improve health and well-being.
Other side events and exhibitions will highlight activities and special programmes by Departments of the IAEA, as well as several Member States. These include events such as the unveiling of a wall recognizing the donors towards the renovation of eight IAEA Nuclear Applications Laboratories (ReNuAL) and the 20th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management; and informative events such as an overview of safeguards implementation, the use of molecular imaging in Alzheimer’s disease and nuclear energy innovation as part of the global response to climate change.
More information on the side events and other conference-related information — including the provisional agenda — is available on the General Conference website.
Delegates can use the IAEA Conferences and Meetings App as a one-stop access to information on the General Conference and its side events. The app also allows users to put together their own personalized schedule of events and activities related to the General Conference. Power point presentations that have been approved for public release can also be viewed through the app. It is available for both IOS and Android devices.
Follow the IAEA and #IAEAGC for the General Conference or #Health for the Scientific Forum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for updates throughout the week.
