National Counterparts Describe Technical Cooperation Achievements at GC65 Side Event

Since 2019, the IAEA has coordinated development efforts in Viet Nam, Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to build capacities in all three countries in plant mutation breeding, industrial applications and radiation technology. Through an IAEA-supported arrangement, Viet Nam helped Laotian counterparts to build a centre for industrial non-destructive testing (NDT) and supported radiation training in Cambodia.

“South-South cooperation is a two-way street,” explained Tran Bich Ngọc, who underscored the continuous and persisting benefits originating from the 2019 signing of Practical Arrangements (PAs) between Viet Nam, Cambodia and Lao PDR, which was supported and instituted with IAEA guidance.

“We held a number of consultative meetings with Lao PDR and with Cambodia to clearly identify their needs, keeping in mind the technical capacities of Viet Nam, to ensure the complementarity of proposed activities,” explained Ngoc, Executive Deputy Director-General of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Agency (VAEA).

“By 2020, Viet Nam has provided more than 39 machines for measuring moisture density, delivered training in non-destructive testing and X-ray fluorescence techniques, and organized scientific visits in both Lao PDR and Cambodia to support laboratory accreditation,” she said. “This is now considered a model for triangular cooperation in the region.”

In the Pacific region, the need to coordinate efforts around common challenges facing small island developing states (SIDS) is acute. SIDS include low-lying coastal countries which share a common vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, from ocean acidification and rising sea levels to reduced crop productivity.

“The Pacific Islands face many shared challenges: They are proportionally more vulnerable to climate change, they suffer a higher incidence of natural disasters, face longer travel and higher transportation costs, to name a few,” said IAEA Project Management Officer Javier Romero.

The IAEA has long been working to assist countries in the region to achieve both their national development priorities, and to meet the targets of the Sustainable Development Agenda, through the application of nuclear science and technology. Across myriad fields of activities—from health and nutrition, to agricultural and industrial production, to energy assessments and environmental monitoring—the programme has helped recipient countries to safely and sustainable harness the benefits of nuclear science to address persisting and emerging social challenges.

“The Sub-regional Approach to the Pacific Islands is being prepared as part of a new approach of the TC Programme through a set of sub regional projects, which will serve as an important complementary mechanism for greater effectiveness of their national programmes and build Pacific Islands’ resilience,” he said.

Pacific island countries will work in close cooperation with the IAEA and each other in the implementation of this new project.

“Close cooperation and collaboration with regional partners is critical to ensuring the successful implementation of any programme, and the technical cooperation programme is no exception,” said Andrea Muller, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations. “And with the new Sub-regional Approach to Pacific Islands, we hope to work with our closest neighbours to address common challenges across the region.”

The Journeys to Success book is available as a digital publication via the IAEA website.