The Week Ahead: IAEA Hosts 69th General Conference

Around 100 side events will take place? on the margins of the Conference, with the full programme available here:?Events and Organized Visits: 69th IAEA General Conference | IAEA. The IAEA will host around 40?side events and organized visits, while Member States will host more than 70?side events, some of which will be livestreamed and open to the public.??

IAEA side events include the unveiling of a new transportable e-beam system which will help countries? tackle environmental issues such as wastewater, sludge, chemicals and greenhouse gases treatment, as well as improve industrial processes such as plastic upcycling and vaccine production; and the inauguration of our new, state of the art Visitor Centre in Seibersdorf, which features 33 interactive exhibits on nuclear science, energy and technology. Other IAEA side events will showcase how the? Atoms4Food initiative is helping countries boost food security, and how the IAEA’s Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Fellowship and Lise Meitner programmes are fostering diversity in the nuclear? workforce. The role of the IAEA Anchor Centre network in uniting regional institutions in advancing cancer care will be also explored in an event that showcases the IAEA’s? Rays of Hope: Cancer care for all flagship initiative.?

Participants can? learn about the progress of the IAEA’s Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) initiative, both in terms of upcycling and marine monitoring. Another event presents studies made under the IAEA’s Atoms4NetZero initiative, on how nuclear power can generate both heat and electricity to support countries’ net zero objectives.

There will be lunchtime guided visits for delegates and the media to the IAEA’s?Incident and Emergency Centre?and?several?IAEA Archives tours, taking in the Reading Room and archives, which include important historical artefacts. A full list of tours and visits is available?here. Several?exhibitions?are planned for the conference. Self-guided?virtual tours?of the IAEA’s laboratories are also available on the IAEA website.?

Alongside the General Conference, the IAEA will host its annual Scientific Forum from 16–17 September. The forum will explore how nuclear science and technology innovations can support effective and sustainable management of the world’s water systems.?

Water is fundamental to human life, economic development, food security and environmental sustainability. Demand for freshwater is increasing, but water supply is globally uneven. Urgent and targeted action is needed to ensure that the world’s population has equitable and sustainable access to water in the coming decades.?

The two-day forum will inform participants on how? global water sustainability can be advanced through IAEA data networks and how nuclear and radiation based technologies can tackle a global decline in water quality due to pollutants such as microplastics and pathogens. Attendees can learn more about how the IAEA is building capacity and delivering technical expertise to help Member States address growing water challenges, through initiatives such as NUTEC Plastics and the Global Water Analysis Laboratory (GlowAL) Network, as well as coordinated research projects and technical cooperation.?

The closing session will feature a high-level panel that will address global water crises, their impact and the IAEA’s role in tackling these issues.?

The forum will be livestreamed?here.??

Follow the IAEA on?Facebook,?X,?Instagram,?Threads,?YouTube?and?LinkedIn?for updates throughout the week: using #IAEAGC and #ScientificForum.??