International organizations must strive to overcome bureaucratic barriers and forge partnerships that maximise synergies in effectively addressing global development challenges, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.
Participating in a virtual panel discussion on ‘Partnership for the Goals’ at the World Health Summit (WHS) in Berlin, Mr Grossi said there is a clear need for United Nations agencies, research organizations and civil society groups to organize more closely around common issues to take collective action toward achieving the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Partnerships are both a moral imperative, but also a practical necessity,” Mr Grossi said. “We have to do better in the forging and shaping of partnerships. We have to be more adaptive to partnerships that will look different,” he added. “It is about bringing all possible forces to the table and offering products or vehicles that will do the job.”
The panel brought together leaders representing Gavi - the Vaccine Alliance, Save the Children, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the IAEA, in a discussion that focused on ways of enhancing international cooperation toward the SDGs.
The IAEA contributes significantly to the achievement of the SDGs, by promoting the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to improve the well-being and prosperity of the people in its 172 Member States. This includes using nuclear and nuclear derived techniques to help improve child nutrition, boost food production and manage water supplies, enhance the safety of food and water, mitigate climate change by producing clean and affordable energy, and improve access to radiation medicine and comprehensive cancer care. To effectively carry out this mandate, the Agency works with international partners through its technical cooperation programme.