Announcements

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, warned today that the global COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting key health services to diagnose and treat chronic conditions such as cancer and heart disease, potentially putting many lives at risk, particularly in unprepared and underequipped low-income countries.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Director General Grossi said an IAEA survey on the impact of the pandemic on nuclear medicine services showed worrisome trends. “Diagnostic procedures fell on average by more than half in the 72 countries surveyed,” he said.

Held virtually on Sept. 23 2020 at the sidelines of the 64th IAEA General Conference, the first ever IAEA meeting discussing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for nuclear applications showcased the ways in which AI-based approaches in nuclear science can benefit human health, water resource management and nuclear fusion research. Open to the public, the event launched a global dialogue on the potential of AI for nuclear science and the related implications of its use, including ethics and transparency.
AI refers to a collection of technologies that combine numerical data, process algorithms and continuously increasing computing power to develop systems capable of tracking complex problems in ways similar to human logic and reasoning. AI technologies can analyse large amounts of data to “learn” how to complete a particular task, a technique called machine learning.

The virtual meeting of National Liaison Officers with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for Europe region was held yesterday in Vienna.
In his introductory address, the Head of The IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation (TC) and Deputy Director General, Mr Dazhu Yang, introduced the new Director of Technical Cooperation Department for Europe (TCEU), Ms Eve-Külli Kala who was appointed on this position almost a month ago. By reminding on the pandemic aftermath that struck almost the entire modern world, powering beyond the health care systems capacities, Mr Yang underlined the importance of the efforts to focus nuclear science and technology towards sustainable development. He continued by pointing out that the IAEA supported 120 IAEA Member States in procuring COVID-19 testing kits, 23 of which were in the region of Europe.

23 September, 2020 – On the margins of the 64th General Conference, the IAEA marked 20 years of the IAEA International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO). Director Genreal of the State Coorporation Rosatom Tech took the opportunity to award distinctions for a significant personal contribution to the INPRO development, and the active global promotion of nuclear technologies. These, which are seen as the ROSATOM’s recognition for the international promotion of nuclear technologies, were awarded to Mr Zoran Drace as the first Head the INPRO Section in the Department of Nuclear Energy at the IAEA, and to two of his colleagues from Germany and the USA.

The delegation of the Republic of Serbia today gave its statement to the IAEA 64th General Conference.
On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, the Deputy Head of Serbian delegation Milan Gojković congratulated the President of 64 the General Conference on his election and welcomed the applications of the Republic of Guinea nad the Independent State of Samoa to the Agency.
The Deputy Head expressed his gratitude on the assistance Serbia had received from the IAEA during the outbreak and rapid spread of COVID-19 virus. He pointed out that 227,286.400 euros worth of equipment for three specialized RT-PCR units significantly upgraded our capacities in the early detection of the infection carriers.

On the sidelines of the IAEA General Conference, the Government of Japan organized a meeting yesterday to overview the decommissioning activities at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant reactors, and the activities of remediating and rehabilitating decontaminated areas.

The presentations and video material shown clearly demonstrated comprehensive progress in all segments. The removal of spent nuclear fuel from all reactor pools is underway, while the other activities on the removal of melted nuclear fuel from the reactors are being prepared. There are also apparent steps forward in the treatment and storage of liquid and solid radioactive waste, as well as the activity of keeping groundwater from the soil beneath the nuclear reactors and its subsequent leakage into the ocean. The working conditions have been significantly improved, while the area requiring the use of protective gear has been drastically decreased.

Today, as one of the side events of the 64th Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference, a video on the tenth anniversary since the establishment of the Nuclear Law Institute (NLI) was shown.
For past ten years, more than 600 participants from the Member States have taken part in the Institute’s training courses.
Due respect was paid to the contribution of the Nuclear Law Institute in past decade to the Member States in their development of national capacities in law-making process, and establishing and strengthening appropriate nuclear law framework. The Republic of Serbia is one of the Member States having actively participated in this programme through the training of its four representatives, and the activities regarding the assistance in preparing and reviewing legislation.

As a part of Plenary meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference, the attending delegates were addressed by the IAEA’s Director General Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi. He first pointed out the extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances of the 64th regular session of the General Conference caused by global pandemic, and continued by stating that the conference is attended by 172 Member State delegations and representatives of a number of international organizations.
Mr Grossi stated that the Agency has sent more than 1000 assistance consignments to more than 120 countries around the world, and, thus, responded to its Member States seeking help. He also pointed out that the Agency is to continue to send such assistance in future as pandemic is far from being definitely defeated. He added that the IAEA has learned a lot from this experience and, in the light of it, has initiated a new IAEA Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action project, known as ZODIAC in order to connect the Agency’s scientific and technical capacities and provide support for all countries coping with zoonotic diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, fungi or viruses that can be transferred to people. ZODIAC project is expected to reinforce the readiness and capacities of Member States to rapidly detect and timely respond to the outbreak of such diseases, and to coordinate the Agency’s joint efforts with other international organizations.

The delegation of the Republic of Serbia is taking part in the 64th Annual Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, being held from 21 to 25 September 2020 in Vienna.
This year, the Conference will have a modified organization with a limited number of participants and the observance of Austrian health and safety requirements due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The delegates representing 171 Member States are expected to take part in this year’s Conference, and the Republic of Guinea and Independent State Of Samoa submitted application for the membership of the Agency.

Throughout the state of emergency, Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate (SRBATOM) was particularly active. The greatest direct contribution in support of combating COVID-19 pandemic was in the Directorate management’s tenacious initiative to obtain donations of full equipment packages for the national COVID-19 centres. So far, a donation worth more than 140,000 euros has been provided.

This donation is seen as a significant reinforcement of Serbian resources in containing the current pandemic, as already confirmed by a letter of gratitude sent to SRBATOM by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia.

As early as March, SRBATOM management initiated a donation of full real time RT-PCR test kits from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Once the initiative received positive reactions from the IAEA, the Directorate extended this request on 08 April to yet another kit. The first shipment, whose value exceeds 60,000 euros has already arrived in Serbia and is to be installed in the Torlak Institute of Immunology and Virology. The next shipment kit, worth around 84,000 euros is expected and intended for the Scientific Veterinary Institute Novi Sad.