The 69th annual IAEA General Conference is coming to a close, with final discussions around possible resolutions likely to last into the evening.
Resolutions and decisions adopted at the conference will guide the IAEA’s activities in the coming year. They will be posted here as they become available.
This year, more than 3000 participants registered for the conference, including 2755 representatives from 153 of the180 IAEA Member States. High-ranking officials in attendance included 57 ministers and 37 vice-ministers. In addition, 348 representatives from international organizations and non-governmental organizations took part. The number of participants from non-governmental organizations has more than doubled since 2021, showing how the IAEA has been growing its engagement around the world.
In his opening statement to the General Conference on Monday, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi outlined how the Agency has been responding through its unique mandate to what he described as “extremely challenging times”.
“[The IAEA’s mandate] spans all the way from reducing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation — and ultimately therefore also the risk of nuclear war — to using nuclear science and technology to help feed families, light cities and care for children with cancer,” he said.
The General Conference elected 11 countries to serve on the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors for the 2025-2026 period. The newly elected Board members are the following: Belgium, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania, Niger, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Togo.
The General Conference and Board of Governors are the two IAEA policy making bodies. The Board examines and provides recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA’s financial statements, programme and budget.
Scientific Forum and Side Events
The Scientific Forum on Atoms for Water highlighted how nuclear sciences and isotope hydrology are advancing solutions to global water challenges.
The flagship side event at the 69th IAEA General Conference attracted 350 participants, including ministers and leading water experts from around the world.
Globally, water resources are under stress from climate change, growing populations and pollution. In his opening remarks to the Forum, Mr Grossi outlined the central role of nuclear science in meeting this urgent challenge. “Water is one of our most vital shared resources. Through nuclear techniques, we can better understand, manage and protect it, and mobilize the partnerships and resources needed to turn science into solutions,” he said.
Watch the recording of the Scientific Forum, read about how nuclear solutions can bring water sustainability, and take a look at the latest IAEA Bulletin: Atoms for Water.
IAEA Visitor Centre Inaugurated in Seibersdorf
A highlight of the General Conference was the inauguration of a new IAEA visitor centre. With 33 interactive exhibits, the centre will provide an immersive and interactive experience that showcases the Agency’s scientific and technical mandate, exploring the application of nuclear for health, food and agriculture, water, ocean protection, cultural heritage, energy and industry as well as its work for nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation. The new Visitor Centre is located just outside Vienna in Seibersdorf, Lower Austria and aims to receive students, researcher, diplomates, journalist and potential partners. “Today is more than the inauguration of a facility — it is the beginning of a new chapter in science outreach and education,” said Director General Grossi.
Watch a video of the new Visitor Centre here and follow its new Instagram account here.
Coverage of the Conference
In addition to the annually accredited journalists at the Vienna International Centre, over 40 reporters from 26 media outlets attended this week’s General Conference. Global media monitoring in the six languages found more than 2700 articles mentioning the General Conference published in different media outlets.
For the second year, the IAEA also ran a live conference blog, covering major updates, key facts and figures and side event news. News articles and press releases were also published throughout the week, including coverage of the IAEA’s new visitor centre, Scientific Forum, Global Water Analysis Laboratory (GloWAL) Network and IAEA nuclear power projections.
See all articles from the 69th General Conference here.
IAEA events were also widely covered on the Agency’s social media accounts. Follow us on Facebook (English, Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish), X (Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads and YouTube to see the posts.
Photographs from the week are available on our Flickr account.
Read more on Northern Ireland News
