Over 200 national delegates attended four annual regional meetings on the margins of the IAEA's 68th General Conference, organized to coordinate the activities of the AFRA, ARASIA, ARCAL and RCA regional cooperative agreements. The conclusions emerging from these meetings will inform the design of new projects, the development of new initiatives, and the identification of regional priorities for the next year.
The technical cooperation (TC) programme acts as the main mechanism of the IAEA for facilitating the transfer of know-how and equipment to Member States. South-South Cooperation is also a cornerstone of the programme and is best exemplified by the activities channeled through the four regional cooperative agreements: AFRA for IAEA Member States in Africa, ARASIA for Arab States in Asia, ARCAL for Latin America and the Caribbean, and RCA for countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Through a combined portfolio of 150 ongoing regional projects, the States Parties to these four Agreements routinely transfer knowledge, share resources and organize training amongst themselves-with the IAEA acting as an interlocutor and providing expertise where necessary-to expand the contribution made by nuclear technology to regional development.
There were more than 1000 technical cooperation projects active by the time of the 68th General Conference, of which approximately 150 have been organized and are being implemented through regional cooperative agreements. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
Expanding opportunities in Africa for nuclear education
The 37 countries comprising AFRA's membership must redouble their efforts to expand and promote new opportunities in nuclear education in the region-this message received the unanimous support of the national representatives attending the 35th meeting of AFRA representatives, held on 18 September.
"Human resource development through education and training is necessary to sustain the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, and these elements have clearly remained a key priority for AFRA States. In 2023, participation in AFRA training courses, meetings, and workshops increased notably," highlighted Hua Liu, IAEA Deputy Director General (DDG) and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation.
More than 40 conferencegoers attended the AFRA meeting at the IAEA's Vienna headquarters, with an additional 30 virtual participants, who were joined by delegates of four donor countries-Brazil, China, Japan and Sweden-and by a representative of the European Union.
Furthermore, the AFRA meeting was held a day after a General Conference side event organized to consider strategies to enhance postgraduate training opportunities in Africa and for Africans, and hence, it benefitted from the attendance of educators, academic administrators and other relevant stakeholders in the region.
Prior to the launch of the annual meeting, on the opening day of the Conference, an exhibition showcasing the recent and ongoing work carried out through AFRA was opened by AFRA Committee Chairpersons James Kahindi, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Pwani University, and Dina Husseiny Salama of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, alongside IAEA Director Shaukat Abdulrazak. "Focusing on human resource development has been a priority for AFRA," said Professor Kahindi, reflecting on the exhibition's focus on IAEA support for training and education.
Scaling Up Nuclear Medicine in Arab Countries
On 17 September, delegates from the ARASIA agreement's ten member countries convened their annual meeting to discuss the achievements realized across more than 60 IAEA technical cooperation projects implemented over the last 20 years. Participants reviewed the successes since the agreement's adoption and planned future regional technical cooperation activities.
Nuclear medicine emerged as a focus of the annual meeting, with updates provided by counterparts working at ARASIA's Regional Resource Centres for nuclear medicine.
These discussions provided the appropriate context for the launch of a new ARASIA nuclear medicine reference document by IAEA Deputy Director General Hua Liu. The publication provides information on regional capabilities--both human and physical resources--in the area of nuclear medicine and identifies advanced centres in ARASIA countries capable of supporting capacity building in the field. The booklet highlights the current status of diagnostic and therapeutical procedures in the agreement's ten States-Parties.
Prior to the launch of the annual AFRA meeting, on the opening day of the IAEA General Conference, an exhibition showcasing the recent and ongoing work carried out through AFRA was launched by stakeholders to the African regional agreement. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
Leveraging special initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean
Close to 70 national representatives from ARCAL's 21 States Parties joined their IAEA counterparts at the 25th annual meeting of the agreement's Board of Representatives, on 17 September. The meeting provided an opportunity for the participating delegates to present the most noteworthy achievements realized through technical cooperation projects implemented under the ARCAL agreement.
As the annual event represents a vital space for the promotion of strategic cooperation, the bulk of the meeting was devoted to demonstrating how participation in the IAEA's special initiatives-namely Atoms4Food, NUTEC Plastics, Rays of Hope and ZODIAC-can multiply the impact of the Agency's targeted support.
Enhancing complementary between RCA and TC activities
Held on 13 September, in advance of the General Conference's launch, the 53rd annual RCA meeting brought together 44 national representatives of 21 countries with the common goals of reviewing the implementation of the 2024-2029 Regional Programme Framework, considering new challenges facing the region, and preparing for the implementation of the next technical cooperation cycle.
"It is essential for the RCA Government Parties to foster strong synergies between the national projects and RCA initiatives," explained IAEA Deputy Director General Hua Liu during his opening remarks to the meeting's participants, stressing the importance of complementarity between the TC programme and the Regional Cooperative Agreement.
"This integration will enhance the effectiveness and reach of our efforts, enabling us to leverage our resources for maximum benefit and sustainability."
