The five-day 68th Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference kicked off in the Vienna International Center (VIC), Austria on September 16.
High-ranking officials and representatives of IAEA member states are discussing a range of issues, including nuclear security in Ukraine, the implementation of guarantees under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in North Korea, as well as the IAEA’s guarantees in the Middle East.
Members of the Tajik delegation participating in the event reportedly include Ilhom Mirsaidzoda, Director of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Safety and Security Agency of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, and Idibek Qalandar, Head of Tajikistan Permanent Mission to IAEA
There is usual a Scientific Forum in parallel, on September 17-18, which has focused on Atoms4Food: Better Agriculture for Better Life. Its participants are reportedly discussing the use of nuclear technologies in agriculture.
The General Conference consisting of representatives of the IAEA Member States meets in a regular annual session, usually in September, to consider and approve the IAEA's budget and to decide on other issues raised by the Board of Governors, the Director General and Member States.
Representatives of IAEA Member States and invited non-Member States and organizations may register for the General Conference in accordance with such rules as the General Conference has approved.
The General Conference elects a President and members of the General Committee at the beginning of each annual session. They hold office for the duration of the session.
In conjunction with the General Conference, the IAEA regularly organizes a Scientific Forum on topics related to nuclear technology and science. It takes place at the Vienna International Center (VIC) in Vienna, the site of the General Conference.