The 66th annual IAEA General Conference has concluded with resolutions adopted on nuclear and radiation safety, nuclear security, strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of Agency safeguards, and the Agency’s work in the areas of nuclear science, technology and applications, as well as its technical cooperation activities.

Held annually in Vienna, the General Conference is the IAEA’s supreme decision-making body and consider matters related to the IAEA’s ongoing work, budget and priorities. This year, over 2500 participants attended the conference in person, including delegates from 153 of the IAEA’s 175 Member States, and from international organizations, non-governmental organization and the media.

In his opening statement on Monday, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the IAEA is helping countries address some of today’s biggest global challenges — that Member States are harnessing the benefits of nuclear science and technology to better prepare for the next zoonotic disease outbreak; to mitigate and adapt to climate change; to improve food and water security; to fight cancer; and to clean up the ocean.

Mr Grossi emphasized that nuclear safety and security in Ukraine are top priorities for the IAEA, and that shelling has put Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in peril and repeatedly interrupted its external power supplies. The Director General has proposed ensuring the physical integrity of the plant by establishing a nuclear safety and security protection zone as soon as possible. This proposal has garnered strong international support.

In his address, Mr Grossi highlighted the role of nuclear energy in helping countries to meet their energy needs and in addressing the ‘existential crisis’ of climate change. He said the climate crisis and the energy crisis have prompted more countries to look to nuclear power as part of the solution and the IAEA has revised up its annual projections of the potential growth of nuclear power capacity to 2050. In the coming two months, the IAEA together with the United States, will host the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century, in Washington D.C., and take part the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Mr Grossi also spoke on several IAEA initiatives, including Rays of Hope, to support countries in increasing access to cancer care; and NUTEC Plastics, to help countries recycle and trace plastic pollution. He highlighted developments with the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme and cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to address food security, as well as ongoing nuclear safeguards non-proliferation activities.

The General Conference approved the Agency’s Financial Statements for 2021 and Budget for 2023.

IAEA resolutions and decisions will guide the IAEA’s implementation of activities in the coming year. The resolutions and decisions will be posted here as they become available.

By the end of the 66th General Conference 87 Member States had pledged to the Technical Cooperation Fund for 2023. The total amount pledged against the Technical Cooperation Fund target for 2023 is 32,878 492.00 euros, representing 35.51 per cent of the target — the highest percentage and highest amount of pledge as of the end of any General Conference.

The General Conference elected 11 countries to serve on the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors for the period 2022-2023. The newly elected Board members are Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Denmark, Kenya, Namibia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Türkiye and Uruguay.