National Liaison Officers and National Liaison Assistants from 32 countries came together on the sidelines of the IAEA's 66th General Conference to endorse a new 'Regional Profile for Europe and Central Asia (2022-2027)', focusing on key regional priorities and mapping out a blueprint for future activities.
The new Regional Profile will guide the direction of activities in Europe and Central Asia for 2022-2027. "The updated Profile will serve Member States and the Secretariat alike as an important thematic reference for the formulation of regional projects and new IAEA initiatives for the next five years. The Profile is based on the highest standards of professionalism in dealing with nuclear science, technology and applications, and follows the core values of responsiveness, shared responsibility, collaboration and solidarity," said Eve-Külli Kala, Director of the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Division for Europe.
The development of the document was conducted through a series of virtual Working Group meetings over the course of several months. Chair of the Working Group, Valentine Veleff, commended the diligence of all working group members and detailed the new Regional Profile's four priority thematic areas - nuclear and radiation safety, nuclear energy, human health and isotope and radiation technologies.
Attendees also discussed the IAEA's flagship initiatives, including NUTEC Plastics and Rays of Hope. IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation Hua Liu expressed his appreciation for Member States' enthusiasm in participating in IAEA initiatives. "We are greatly encouraged by the support that Member States are demonstrating for IAEA work in the areas of pandemic preparedness, plastic pollution, access to cancer care, and clean energy," he said. "I encourage Member States to participate actively in these initiatives, either as donors or recipients, and to share their knowledge and experience to enable us to address these critical global challenges."
In 2022, 145 national and 39 regional technical cooperation projects were carried out in the Europe and Central Asia region. Continuous training opportunities were provided throughout the year, including roughly 100 regional training courses. Seventy-nine national and 13 new regional projects are currently being considered for the next project cycle.
National Liaison Officers are the primary contact people liaising between the IAEA and their home countries on technical cooperation and related matters. They manage coordination between the country and liaise with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and local representatives of bilateral and multilateral partners.
Hua Liu, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation, and Eve-Kulli Kala, IAEA Director of the Division for Europe, address the meeting of National Liaison Officers and Assistants from Europe and Central Asia (Photo: J. O'Brien/IAEA)
