IAEA Begins 53rd Annual Meeting

The 53rd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency opened Monday in Vienna, Austria with high-ranking officials and delegates from the Agency’s 150 member states in attendance.

The week-long conference will discuss major issues facing the Agency, and approve its program and budget for the coming year.

Also issues including measures to reinvigorate international cooperation on nuclear energy, nuclear safety, measures to guard against nuclear terrorism, strengthening the joint technical activities of the Agency, consolidating the scientific, technical and functional activities of the IAEA, implementation of NPT security pact between IAEA and North Korea and etc will be studied during the meeting.

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi is also present at the gathering and is due to address the gathering.

Two months ago, the member states formally appointed Yukiya Amano of Japan as its new director general from December 1, succeeding Mohamed ElBaradei.

The 150 member states of the UN nuclear watchdog approved Amano – who has been Tokyo’s ambassador to the IAEA – by acclamation.

ElBaradei is stepping down at the end of November after 12 years in office.