The Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), LI Yong, and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, today signed an agreement to renew cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear technology for inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
The agreement, formally called Practical Arrangements, provides a framework for increased cooperation in areas of complementary expertise. Together, UNIDO and the IAEA will support common Member States in the use of nuclear energy for food and agriculture, water and environment, industrial applications, trade-related capacity-building, and mitigating the impacts of climate change, among other areas.
“We have a lot of potential to combine our expertise, resources and networks to support our common Member States”, said Li. “This further strengthens the partnership between our two entities as we seek to deliver on our commitments towards the 2030 Agenda. Going forward, we will also leverage partnerships with the business sector and international financial institutions to upscale our collaboration”.
As part of the agreement, UNIDO and the IAEA will build awareness on the linkages between nuclear technologies and the fourth industrial revolution, share relevant data and methodologies through publications, tools and databases, and trainings and events. The two will also collaborate on outreach activities within the framework of the United Nations UN-Energy, and the Vienna Energy Club.
“The IAEA and UNIDO are natural partners. By working together and making use of our complementarities in areas such as food security, plastics and technology applications for the industrial sector, we can really add value to our common Member States”, said Grossi.
The signing ceremony took place at the Vienna International Centre and builds on a prior Relationship Agreement signed between UNIDO and the IAEA.