International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
1. In the past year, has the governing body of your organization taken any decisions to advance sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure that no one is left behind? If yes, please briefly mention these decisions taken by your governing body in 2024 and provide the respective symbols.
- The IAEA General Conference in its 2024 regular session adopted a resolution GC(68)/RES/10 “Strengthening of the Agency’s technical cooperation activities” stipulated “Recalling the UN General Assembly resolution 78/167, which inter alia reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation, including North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, and urged developed countries to continue providing support to developing countries to better harness science, technology and innovation towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the global South by 2030 and further stressing, in this regard, the relevance of IAEA’s assistance to its Member States in advancing the peaceful uses of atomic energy through the Agency’s TC Programme”.
- The IAEA Board of Governors approved the IAEA TC programme for the biennium 2024-2025 which indicates also “The Agency supports Member State efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through technical cooperation projects, where relevant and appropriate.” It reflects the evolving priorities of Member States including Food and Agriculture, Health and Nutrition and Safety and Security. Projects related to zoonotic disease, plastic pollution and the provision of radiotherapy services form part of the IAEA’s efforts to deliver services to Member States under the umbrella of the major initiatives Atoms4food, ZODIAC, NUTEC Plastics and Rays of Hope.
- Furthermore, in its 2024 regular session the General Conference adopted resolution GC(68)/RES/11 “Strengthening the Agency's activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications” and underscored the importance of further strengthening the activities of the Agency related to nuclear science, technology and applications that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. It also stressed that nuclear science, technology and applications address and contribute to a wide variety of basic socio-economic human development needs of Member States, in such areas as health, nutrition, food and agriculture, water resources, environment, industry, materials and energy, and noted that many Member States benefit from the application of nuclear techniques in these areas.
- The General Conference “acknowledged the long-term benefits of Coordinated Research Projects and their resulting publications in the development and practical application of nuclear technologies for peaceful uses and their possible positive impact on the technical cooperation programme”.
- In line with its mandate, the IAEA supports countries in their efforts to reach the 9 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
2. During 2024, what actions have your entities taken to improve coordination among UN system entities across policy and normative activities as well as with ECOSOC subsidiary bodies with a view to increase impact and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda? Please provide any relevant links.
- The IAEA continues to closely coordinate with relevant UN organization in activities planned to support Member States to address their development needs towards their efforts to achieve the SDGs. In 2024, the IAEA and United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation signed a letter of intent to explore mutual cooperation in knowledge sharing, capacity development and learning, joint events and advocacy, as well as advocacy and building strong partnerships (Statement of Intent).
3. In the past year, has your organization organized any intergovernmentally mandated conferences, forums or events that contributed to the achievement of the SDGs, or has been in the process of planning and organizing any such mandated events to be held next year?
| Event Name | Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Programme |
| Event Dates | 26–28 November 2024 |
| Event Location (City, Country) | IAEA Headquarters Vienna, Austria |
| Relevant SDGs | Zero hunger Good health and well-being Clean water and sanitation Affordable and clean energy Industry, innovation and infrastructure Climate action Life below water Life on land Partnerships for the goals |
| Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | The Ministerial Conference is to enable the participants to engage in high-level dialogue to facilitate the development and deployment of nuclear techniques for climate change, health and food safety and security as well as water resource management and radiation technology supporting these areas; strengthen and address the sustainability and growth of the IAEA’s support to Member States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including through partnerships with the private sector, development agencies, and regional and international development and financial institutions; raise awareness amongst strategic decision makers, private sector, the youth and other relevant stakeholders of the role of the IAEA’s research and development capabilities and its technical cooperation programme in the development and transfer of nuclear science, technology and applications to address developmental challenges; and encourage Member States to enhance nuclear science education. |
| Website (if applicable) | Home: Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Programme | IAEA |
| Event Name | International Conference on Nuclear Knowledge Management and Human Resources Development |
| Event Dates | 1-5 July 2024 |
| Event Location (City, Country) | Vienna, Austria |
| Relevant SDGs | SDG4, SDG5, SDG8, SDG10 |
| Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | The purpose of the conference was to review global developments related to nuclear knowledge management and human resources development; consider the current and future challenges and opportunities; provide participants with practical solutions that they can use at organizational, national and international level; and develop and maintain the human resources needed to support safe and sustainable nuclear power programmes. The conference was directed mainly at the staff of utilities, research and design organizations, regulatory bodies and manufacturing and service companies, universities and training centres, as well as government decision makers concerned with near, medium- and long-term nuclear energy needs. |
| Website (if applicable) | Home: International Conference on Nuclear Knowledge Management and Human Resources Development | IAEA |
| Event Name | International Conference on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and their applications |
| Event Dates | 21-25 October 2024 |
| Event Location (City, Country) | Vienna, Austria |
| Relevant SDGs | SDG7, SDG9, SDG13 |
| Description (max 150 words): please include a short summary of the event’s mandate and contributions to the SDGs, including its main outcome(s) | The purpose of this conference was to provide an international forum to take stock of the progress and discuss the opportunities, challenges and enabling conditions for the accelerated development and safe and secure deployment of SMRs. The primary objectives were to: •Discuss the latest designs and technologies of SMRs and microreactors and their associated fuel cycle approaches; •Address the safety, security, and safeguards approaches specific to SMRs; •Discuss legislative and regulatory frameworks and existing practices in regulation of SMR design, development, and deployment. •Consider ways to facilitate the near-term deployment of SMRs, including financing and contracting approaches; •Discuss the status of national nuclear energy programmes in the Member States and •Share information on recent Member State and IAEA initiatives relating to SMR development and deployment, including Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI), and foster international collaboration among all stakeholders. This conference helped enhance prospects of safe and secure SMR deployment that will offer options for achieving clean energy transition and energy supply security in both embarking and expanding countries. |
| Website (if applicable) | Home: International Conference on Small Modular Reactors and their applications | IAEA |
4. In the past year, has your organization published or planned to publish any analytical work, guidance or reference materials, or toolkits to guide and support the implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels? Please select up to three to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs.
| Resource Name | IAEA Country Programme Framework (CPF) Operational Guidelines |
| Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | Zero hunger Good health and well-being Clean water and sanitation Affordable and clean energy Industry, innovation and infrastructure Climate action Life below water Life on land Partnerships for the goals |
| Publishing entity/entities | IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation |
| Target audience | National CPF Coordinator (the designated government official, who is often but not necessarily the National liaison Officers or his/her nominee) in the Member State, and the Programme Management Officers and Technical Officers, as well as other relevant officers who are working on the IAEA TCP in the IAEA |
| Description (max 150 words) | This document provides guidance on the development of the Country Programme Framework (CPF) as related to the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme with a Member State, which aligns with the practical needs in achieving the SDGs. This guidance has the following purpose:
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| Language(s) | English |
| Website (if applicable) | Microsoft Word - Country Programme Framework Operational Guidelines ENGLISH-F-0515.docx |
| Resource Name | From Knowledge to Action: IAEA Toolkit for Sustainable Energy Planning |
| Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | SDG7, SDG8, SDG9, SDG11, SDG13 |
| Publishing entity/entities | IAEA |
| Target audience | Policy makers, energy planners, Ministries |
| Description (max 150 words) | This toolkit, produced for the G20 under Brazil's Presidency in 2024, is written to inform the Energy Transitions Working Group as well as the wider international energy and climate change community. This publication provides an overview of the important role the IAEA plays in enhancing national and regional capacities for energy system analysis and planning in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). This includes conducting capacity building activities with the transfer of energy planning tools and methodologies. These activities encompass distance and in-person training sessions, technical assistance, and addressing overarching energy strategies and transitions to low-carbon economies. The goal is to enhance knowledge and strengthen skills that many EMDEs currently lack, facilitating informed decision-making and policy development. The toolkit also showcases successful applications of its methodologies through case studies and collaborations with other international, regional, and national institutions, illustrating the positive impact of integrated energy planning on creating national policies and achieving sustainable development goals. |
| Language(s) | English |
| Website (if applicable) | https://www.iaea.org/publications/15667/from-knowledge-to-action-iaea-toolkit-for-sustainable-energy-planning |
| Resource Name | Climate Change and Nuclear Power: Financing Nuclear Energy in Low Carbon Transitions |
| Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | SDG7, SDG13 |
| Publishing entity/entities | IAEA |
| Target audience | Policy makers, financial community, industry |
| Description (max 150 words) | The 2024 edition of Climate Change and Nuclear Power delves into the dynamics of financing nuclear projects to unlock much needed nuclear energy capacity as ambitious climate targets draw nearer. We explore the imperative for robust financial frameworks to propel the adoption of nuclear energy as a cornerstone of global decarbonization efforts. This publication seeks to inform those at the intersection of sustainability and finance — climate negotiators, government officials, commercial and multilateral financiers, energy and climate policy makers, experts, non-governmental organizations and media representatives — about the potential of nuclear energy in mitigation and highlight challenges and best practices in financing nuclear projects. |
| Language(s) | English |
| Website (if applicable) | https://www.iaea.org/publications/15754/climate-change-and-nuclear-power-2024-financing-nuclear-energy-in-low-carbon-transitions |
| Resource Name | The Climate, Land, Energy and Water Framework |
| Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | SDG6, SDG7, SDG8, SDG11, SDG13, SDG14, SDG15 |
| Publishing entity/entities | IAEA |
| Target audience | Policy makers, energy planners, NGOs, IOs |
| Description (max 150 words) | To support Member States in elaborating integrated strategies to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the IAEA has developed the CLEW (climate, land, energy and water) framework, in cooperation with other UN organizations and scientific experts. The objective of this publication is to provide guidance on the application of the CLEW framework, which integrates quantitative tools for climate, land, energy and water modelling and facilitates collaboration between experts and policymakers in these domains. The publication is intended to serve as a reference for practitioners in Member States, international organizations, and NGOs seeking to apply integrated assessment approaches and methodologies to develop coherent sustainable and climate resilient energy, water and land use strategies. |
| Language(s) | English |
| Website (if applicable) | https://www.iaea.org/publications/15686/the-climate-land-energy-and-water-framework |
5. The United Nations has defined six key transitions, or transformative entry points, that can have catalytic and multiplier effects across the SDGs and which have been guiding the UN development system work since the 2023 SDG Summit. In the past year, how has your organization contributed to these transformative actions and how various actors are being rallied behind them to mobilize further leadership and investment to bring progress to scale? Please provide any relevant links.
The IAEA has mapped its activities in support of Member States in the area of development with the SDGs and has identified 9 SDGs to which the IAEA work in the area of development can contribute to. Please refer to the link below:
https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/22/08/iaea_and_the_sdgs.pdf
1) Food systems:
Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture | IAEA
Game-Changing Technological Achievements | IAEA
Nuclear technologies for food and agriculture | IAEA
2) Energy access and affordability
Strategic energy planning guidance for IAEA Member States | IAEA
Funding and financing nuclear power plants and facilities | IAEA
Nuclear energy, safe use of nuclear power | IAEA
4) Education
IAEA Lise Meitner Library | IAEA
6) Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution
Studying climate change with nuclear and isotopic techniques | IAEA
Oceans and climate change | IAEA
Climate change and the water cycle | IAEA
6. Please provide strategies (policies, guidance, plan) and/or collective actions taken to implement the 2024 Ministerial Declaration of the Economic and Social Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Council. Please note any challenges foreseen and provide any relevant links.
The IAEA General Conference in its 2024 regular session adopted a resolution GC(68)/RES/10 “Strengthening of the Agency’s technical cooperation activities” stipulated for example:
- “Recalling the United Nations General Assembly resolution 78/167, which inter alia reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation, including North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, and urged developed countries to continue providing support to developing countries to better harness science, technology and innovation towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the global South by 2030 and further stressing, in this regard, the relevance of IAEA’s assistance to its Member States in advancing the peaceful uses of atomic energy through the Agency’s TC Programme”,
- Encourages the Secretariat to strengthen TC activities in Member States with the aim to promote the peaceful use of atomic energy to accelerate achievement of the SDGs.
- “Further recognizing the growing contribution of the TC programme to the achievement of the SDGs, (e) Looking forward to the Agency’s continued support to Member States, in particular through the TC programme, in realizing the SDGs in line with the principle of national ownership”
- “Requests the Director General to make every effort to ensure, where relevant, that the Agency’s TC programme, taking into account specific needs of each Member State, particularly developing countries and LDCs, as well as the Agency’s adoption of the ‘technical cooperation among developing countries’ (TCDC) modality in assisting LDCs, contributes to the implementation of the DPoA as adopted at the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in 2022 and to the attainment of the internationally agreed development goals, including the SDGs, and further requests the Director General to keep Member States informed of the Agency’s activities in this regard”.
In its 2024 regular session the General Conference adopted resolution GC(68)/RES/11 “Strengthening the Agency's activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications” noted that the statutory functions of the Agency as outlined in Article III of the Statute, paragraphs A.1 to A.4, include encouraging research and development (R&D) and fostering the exchange of scientific and technical information and the training of scientists and experts in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy, with due consideration for the increasing needs of developing countries, and requested the Agency to continue to deliver on its integral work related to health, food and agriculture, environment, water resource management, and industrial applications – a more detailed overview of resolutions can be found here: Strengthening the Agency's activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications
7. What collective efforts is your entity undertaking to support countries in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the areas of Goal 3 (Good health and well-being), Goal 5 (Gender equality), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), Goal 14 (Life below water) and Goal 17 (Partnerships), which will go under in-depth review at the HLPF in 2025? Please note any achievements, challenges and gaps and provide any relevant links.
| Initiative/Partnership Name | AEA Flagship Initiative | IAEA RAYS OF HOPE |
| Partners (please list all partners) | World Health Organization |
| Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | Goal 3 (Good health and well-being) and Goal 17 (Partnerships) |
| Member States benefiting from it | 88 IAEA Member States have requested to join the initiative. |
| Description (max 150 words) | The projects included in Rays of Hope, based on sustainability, build or strengthen radiation safety legislation and infrastructure and provide quality control, guidance, training and equipment. Rays of Hope combines several elements into a set of interventions that build on and complement each other in order to maximize impact. Through a sharp focus on countries without radiotherapy or with inequitable access, Rays of Hope focuses on prioritizing a limited number of high-impact, cost-effective and sustainable interventions in line with national needs and commitment. Rays of Hope contributes to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), Indicator 3.4 to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one third. |
| Website | Rays of Hope | IAEA |
| Initiative/Partnership Name | IAEA Flagship Initiative | IAEA NUTEC Plastics |
| Partners (please list all partners) | The IAEA intends to strengthen its collaboration with sister organizations within the UN system who are working on complementary aspects of the global plastics challenge. These include, IOC-UNESCO, FAO, UNDP, UNEP, and UNIDO who are also involved in the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, of which the IAEA is also an official partner. The IAEA is already partnering with many of these organisations who are working directly or indirectly on global plastic waste and its various impacts on land, the oceans and the atmosphere. |
| Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | Goal 14 (Life below water) and Goal 17 (Partnerships) |
| Member States benefiting from it | 94 countries in total are participating in NUTEC Plastics, 86 in microplastic monitoring and 39 in developing recycling technology, and 31 laboratories have expressed interest in being part of the global NUTEC marine monitoring network. |
| Description (max 150 words) | NUTEC Plastics is the IAEA’s flagship initiative to address the global challenge of plastic pollution. It brings together countries and partners from around the world to fight plastic pollution on two fronts: at point of source, by introducing new technologies to improve plastic recycling; and in the ocean, where the bulk of plastic waste ends up. Nuclear science and technology can play a key role on both fronts. Irradiation can be used to treat existing plastics and to render them fit for reuse – extending current recycling potential and enabling a wider and higher-value reuse – and nuclear science is used to identify, trace and monitor plastics in the ocean, particularly microplastics. |
| Website | NUTEC Plastics | IAEA |
| Initiative/Partnership Name | IAEA Flagship Initiative |For More Women in Nuclear: IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship and Lise Meitner Programmes |
| Partners (please list all partners) | Together for More Women in Nuclear: Donors and Partners | IAEA (countries and other donors) |
| Relevant SDGs (list all relevant goals) | Goal 5 (Gender equality) and Goal 17 (Partnerships) |
| Member States benefiting from it | All IAEA Member States |
| Description (max 150 words) | The IAEA works to address the underrepresentation of women in the nuclear field through the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) and the Lise Meitner Programme (LMP). By enabling more women to enter and pursue careers in the nuclear field, the programmes help build the future nuclear workforce. The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) aims to help increase the number of women in the nuclear field, supporting an inclusive workforce of both men and women who contribute to and drive global scientific and technological innovation. The IAEA Lise Meitner Programme (LMP) provides early- and mid‑career women professionals with opportunities to participate in a multiweek visiting professional programme and advance their technical and soft skills. |
| Website | For Women in Nuclear: IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship and Lise Meitner Programmes | IAEA |