IAEA launches report on South-South cooperation
ISLAMABAD: The director-general of International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano, has launched a publication highlighting the role of Pakistan to strengthen South-South Cooperation through the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
The report titled, “Pakistan: Partnering with IAEA for Strengthening South-South Cooperation” was launched on Wednesday at an event on the sidelines of the annual general conference of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) being held in Vienna.
The publication covers the ongoing partnership of Pakistan with the IAEA under its Technical Cooperation Department for promotion and transfer of nuclear technology for socioeconomic progress in developing countries.
The launch of Pakistan report was in accordance with the practical arrangements signed in 2021 with the IAEA that provide a framework for cooperation for peaceful uses of nuclear technologies in the form of collaboration with relevant national institutions through the PAEC; exchange and dissemination of information and sharing of experiences; provision of PAEC experts and lecturers to support technical cooperation activities; hosting of IAEA activities; and support for laboratory analysis in PAEC-affiliated laboratories.
In his opening remarks, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Raja Ali Raza Anwar, highlighted the importance Pakistan accorded to the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme due to which significant contributions to developmental gains in diverse fields have been achieved in Pakistan.
These included food and agriculture, human health, nuclear power, water resource management, industry and education, he said.
He pointed out that the objective of organising the launch was to highlight the expertise and facilities which Pakistan has developed in cooperation with the IAEA and it remains willing to share with other interested developing countries.
He also spoke about the ongoing collaboration between Pakistan and Ghana in the area of nuclear regulatory frameworks.
Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2023