25 September 2015: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) highlighted the value of nuclear technology in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by UN Member States in September, emphasizing the potential of the technology to improve human health and food security, as well as to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

At an event on the sidelines of the IAEA’s 59th General Conference, IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said the the IAEA is prepared to support the SDGs through its Technical Cooperation Programme. He said the SDGs overlap closely with the work of the IAEA, and that nuclear science and technology can help provide affordable and clean energy, and ensure clean water, among other sustainable development aims. The 59th Assembly convened on 14-18 September 2015, in Vienna, Austria.

In an analysis of areas where the IAEA can contribute to achievement of the SDGs, the agency reports that a mutant rice variety produced with IAEA support matures faster and provides higher yields than conventional rice varieties, allowing for growing of other crops in the interim period between seasonal rice cultivation, and contributing to a 26% increase in rice production since 2003. On human health, the IAEA cites its support for developing countries to have access to radiation and nuclear medicine technologies for diagnosis and monitoring of health conditions. On water, the agency notes that it supports the use of isotope hydrology to assess the condition of aquifers, and the use of radiation technology to treat industrial wastewater.

The IAEA was set up in 1957 for international cooperation to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies, and has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. It works closely with several UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). [IAEA Article] [Director-General Statement] [59th General Conference]