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Friday, January 23, 2015

Atoms for Peace: Nuclear Technology in the 21st Century

Atoms for Peace: Nuclear Technology in the 21st Century

Putrajaya International Convention Centre

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am very pleased to be with you today.
Malaysia has been a Member State of the IAEA since 1969 and is an important partner in many areas of our activities.
Those activities are a great deal broader than many people realise. In fact, the Agency is much more than the "world's nuclear watchdog" which the media like to write about.
Preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is, of course, a core Agency activity. But, through the IAEA Technical Cooperation programme, we also make nuclear technology available to developing countries for peaceful purposes.
For me, this is just as important a part of our mandate as our non-proliferation work. For many developing countries, it is the most important part.
Today, I would like to tell you about some of the areas in which the IAEA promotes development through the use of nuclear technology. I will start with a few examples in your own country.
In Malaysia, recent projects include improving human resources in hybrid imaging. This involves the use of new diagnostic tools in hospitals that make it easier for doctors to study patients' internal organs for evidence of cancer or other serious diseases.
Malaysia is also taking part in an IAEA project to study possible radioactive contamination of the seas of the Asia-Pacific region after the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
With IAEA assistance, Malaysian specialists are looking into the use of nuclear techniques to develop new varieties of rice, and to improve soil and water management.
The use of food irradiation to control damaging pests is growing in importance. This will make it easier for Malaysian producers to export pineapples, papayas and other fruits to important markets such as the United States.
The traffic in terms of technical assistance is very much two-way. For example, Malaysia invites bright students from across this region to conduct scientific experiments at the Puspati research reactor.
In nuclear security, Malaysia has well developed systems for ensuring that nuclear and other radioactive materials are properly protected against theft or misuse. It shares its expertise with other countries in the region.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Having given you a "taster" of some of the work which the IAEA does in your country, let me take a step back and tell you a little about our global role.
The IAEA was established in 1957, with its headquarters in Vienna. Its objective under the IAEA Statute is "to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world."
In essence, that means working to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and helping to make nuclear technology available to developing countries for peaceful purposes.
Our mandate has been summarised as "Atoms for Peace," which was the title of a famous speech by President Eisenhower in 1953 in which he proposed the creation of the IAEA.
I believe we could now expand that to "Atoms for Peace and Development."
The Agency has 162 Member States. We are an independent organization within the UN family. I was appointed Director General in 2009 by the IAEA Board of Governors, which is made up of 35 Member States. Malaysia is presently a Board member.
I also report once a year to the UN General Assembly in New York.
When I last spoke to the General Assembly a few months ago, I asked Member States to help ensure that the importance of science and technology is explicitly recognised as a central part of the post-2015 development agenda.
The IAEA has an important role to play in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and of the post-2015 development agenda.
I would like to see the IAEA recognised as a unique stakeholder which promotes development through the use of nuclear technology.
I believe that nuclear science and technology have much to contribute to sustainable development in many areas, including some which I have already mentioned – human health, agriculture, water management and industrial applications, as well as in energy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Since I became IAEA Director General, I have paid special attention to the problem of cancer in developing countries.
Cancer is reaching epidemic proportions in developing countries, but many lack the resources to deal with it. Several dozen African nations have absolutely no radiotherapy facilities.
This means that many thousands of people die of cancers which could be managed effectively, or even cured, if they lived in countries with the right facilities. This is a great tragedy.
By 2020, it is estimated that over 10 million people will die of cancer around the world each year.
The IAEA, together with partners such as the World Health Organization, helps to make radiotherapy and related services available to developing countries. We provide training for medical and technical specialists and help them to gain access to modern technology.
We have been working to deploy radiotherapy and nuclear medicine programmes in around 130 low- and middle-income countries.  In the last eight years alone, we sent specialist teams to assess cancer control capacity in over 65 countries.
Strengthening the Agency's cancer control activities will remain a top priority for me. Our work in this field literally saves lives.
In addition to our work on cancer, the IAEA has recently helped a number of African countries to deal with the EBOLA virus by making special rapid diagnosis kits available. I am proud of the way in which Agency's engineers and scientists can respond quickly to urgent needs of this sort.
Another fascinating use of nuclear technology is to suppress insects which carry diseases – for example, tsetse flies.
These infest vast areas of Africa. They transmit a parasitic disease which devastates livestock herds and spreads "sleeping sickness" among human beings.
The IAEA deploys what is known as the sterile insect technique, which is essentially a form of contraception for tsetse flies. Male flies are sterilised using radiation. They are then released into affected areas, where they mate with females in the wild. These do not produce offspring.
This technique can eventually eradicate entire populations of tsetse flies, as happened in Zanzibar in 1999.
Malaysia is one of a number of countries which have been working with the IAEA to use the sterile insect technique against mosquitoes, which can carry malaria and dengue fever.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In 2012, we established an Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre at the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the world's oceans is rising steadily. This could, over time, cause serious damage to tropical coral reefs and undermine populations of fish and shellfish. The result could be very negative for tourism, fisheries and food security for coastal residents.
The Ocean Acidification Centre brings together leading experts to monitor marine pollution and help governments and scientists devise a systematic response to the threat.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A key element of the IAEA's special contribution to development is our unique cluster of nuclear applications laboratories near Vienna.
They play an important educational role, offering training in nuclear applications to scientists in Member States.
They support research in human health, food and other areas. And they provide analytical services to national laboratories.
We have embarked on an extensive renovation of these laboratories which, when completed in 2017, will equip them to meet Member State needs for decades to come.  I have asked all IAEA countries, including Malaysia, to provide financial support to this very important project.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The best known application of nuclear technology is nuclear power. Malaysia is one of a number of countries which are considering nuclear power as a possible option for the future.
It is up to each country to decide whether or not to use nuclear power.
If countries decide to proceed, the Agency's job is to help them to do it safely, securely and efficiently.
For what we call "newcomer" countries, the IAEA offers extensive support at every stage of the process. We advise on energy planning generally and on selecting appropriate sites for possible nuclear power plants. We can provide support on construction, safe operation and the eventual decommissioning of plants.
We stress the importance of having a robust and effective regulatory regime. And, above all, we underline the importance of nuclear safety.
The Fukushima Daiichi accident, nearly four years ago, was a painful reminder that a terrible accident can happen anywhere, even in a developed industrial country. The Agency is preparing a detailed report on the accident which will be presented to our Member States this year.
Public confidence in the safety of nuclear power was badly shaken by the Fukushima Daiichi accident. I believe confidence can be restored, provided governments, plant operators and nuclear regulators demonstrate total and visible commitment to the principle of "safety first." Complacency in the area of nuclear safety must be avoided at all costs.
I am impressed by the high importance which the Malaysian authorities are attaching to safety in all uses of nuclear technology as your country considers its options for the future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
You will sense that I am proud of the way in which the IAEA delivers concrete results that make a real difference to the lives of the people of the world.
We have a solid record of achievement, but it is essential to maintain the momentum in meeting the changing needs of our Member States in the coming years.
I have mentioned just a sample of our activities which I thought might interest you. I could say much more about the work of this fascinating organization. But I will stop here and will be happy to take your questions.
Thank you.

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