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More than 50,000 delegates gathered this year for the latest session of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP. Held in Baku, Azerbaijan, COP29 was held from 11 to 22 November.
At this year's UN Climate Change Conference, the IAEA raised awareness about the climate adaptation and mitigation activities supported through its technical cooperation programme.
The IAEA has a renewed focus on South-South cooperation, following the signing of a new agreement with UNOSSC in July 2024, and this was reflected in its COP29 activities.
At the High-level Forum on South-South Cooperation on Climate Change, IAEA Deputy Director General Hua Liu emphasized that South-South cooperation is key to delivering capacity building to help countries mitigate, adapt to and monitor climate change.
The IAEA announced a new joint publication on SDG 13 (Climate Action) with UNOSSC at a side event hosted by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development.
A selection of case studies that will be featured in the publication are already available on UNOSSC’s newly revamped ‘South-South Galaxy’ platform.
“We believe that our experience in institutionalizing mechanisms to support South-South and triangular cooperation offers valuable examples that can be replicated by other international organizations and in other settings,” said Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation, Hua Liu.
The publication will showcase the full spectrum of climate action activities delivered by the IAEA technical cooperation programme, from plant breeding and groundwater mapping to soil management and the analysis of greenhouse gas emissions.
Atoms4Food is a new IAEA-FAO initiative designed to tackle food insecurity and hunger through nuclear techniques. Through the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, the two organizations have been working together for more than 60 years to provide countries with targeted support to their pressing food challenges.
The IAEA also highlighted the benefits of collaborative approaches to climate-smart agriculture, at a series of side events hosted by CGIAR.
On 20 November, representatives from the African Union, Italy (in its role as co-chair of the ‘Group of Friends of Food Security’ in Vienna), Pakistan and the IAEA discussed the key role of nuclear science and technology in developing more climate-resilient crops, including through the FAO/IAEA Atoms4Food initiative.
(Photo: CGIAR)
“We can imagine a collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy and the IAEA on the Atoms4Food initiative, because the IAEA has the specific know-how in this crucial subject. We need international cooperation to protect humankind against climate change using all the technology that we have,” said Italian Special Envoy for Climate Change, Francesco Corvaro.
At the side event, participants heard how the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) in Pakistan is now training scientists from around the world to use nuclear techniques to combat soil salinization.
The IAEA has provided support to NIAB so that the Institute can apply nuclear techniques to plant breeding to develop salt-tolerant crops, in combination with better soil management, to ensure adequate harvests despite harsh climate conditions – an example of the comprehensive support now available under Atoms4Food.
The IAEA also highlighted its support to countries interested in developing national infrastructure for nuclear power programmes at two technical events hosted by Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China.
Embarking on nuclear power as a low-carbon energy option requires extensive preparations. Through its technical cooperation programme, the IAEA supports countries in building capacity and the necessary infrastructure to ensure the safe and secure use of nuclear power.
Young nuclear professionals from civil society organizations voiced their opinions on current challenges in the nuclear field and exchanged ideas with senior IAEA staff.
The IAEA has a variety of professional development programmes for women, including the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship and Lise Meitner Programme, as well as fellowship opportunities through the IAEA technical cooperation programme.
More information on the participation of the IAEA at COP29 can be found on the IAEA website:
<a href="https://www.iaea.org/topics/climate-change/the-iaea-and-cop/cop29">H… IAEA @COP29: Events and Event Participation</a>.