South-South cooperation is a key mechanism for the delivery of the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme, and from now until September, visitors will be able to learn more about this at the IAEA’s virtual booth at the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo. Launched on 25 July, the online IAEA exhibition draws international attention to the Agency’s role in facilitating triangular cooperation through regional technical cooperation (TC) programmes, regional cooperative agreements and other key programmes. Through these and other mechanisms, the IAEA helps countries to share access to data, transfer equipment and experience, and build human capital by supporting cooperation between less developed countries and their more advanced neighbours. The exhibition booth also provides a launch pad for the IAEA side event at the GSSD Expo’s in-person conference, scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, on 12 September, UN South-South Cooperation Day.
First launched in 2008 by the United Nations Office of South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the GSSD Expo has become a regular fixture for countries and organizations engaged in south-south and triangular cooperation. The event offers an opportunity for decision makers, donors and experts to explore new ways to leverage, share and effectively utilize the growing capacities available in developing countries to support each other. Held this year for the first time in Asia and the Pacific, the 2022 Expo focuses on food security and public health, environmental sustainability, increase participation of women and youth, among other key topics.
To visit the IAEA booth, visitors must register online. Once registered for the GSSD Expo, participants are free to explore the virtual main hall of the EXPO and visit the virtual booths of close to 30 partner institutions. At the IAEA booth, participants have access to resources and content developed specifically for the Expo, including video interviews, animations and a newly-launched webpage outlining the Agency’s support for new and ongoing south-south and triangular activities, frameworks and agreements.
In a video interview organized in support of the Agency’s Expo booth, Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the IAEA Division for Africa, described the impact of the IAEA Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VETLAB) Network, which brings together national diagnostic laboratories in Africa and Asia and the Pacific with the aim of sharing data related to transboundary animal disease. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the IAEA was able to leverage the VETLABs to assist our Member States—almost 129 countries—by delivering the critical equipment necessary to detect and diagnose COVID-19,” Abdulrazak said. The VETLAB Network also supports the sharing of training resources and the organization of capacity building events to improve monitoring and diagnostic capacities in both regions, and there are plans to expand the network to Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Jane Gerardo-Abaya, Director of the IAEA Division for Asia and the Pacific, highlighted the role of south-south cooperation in science education in her booth video statement. “The IAEA has worked with the education and nuclear sectors in 22 countries in Asia and the Pacific, and has trained over 8500 teachers and curriculum developers,” she said, citing an ongoing regional project designed to enhance the engagement of young students with nuclear science through south-south cooperation.
On 12 September, the IAEA will host a side event entitled ‘Harnessing the Power of the Atom to Support COVID-19 Recovery and Address Global Challenges’ as part of the official Global South-South Development Expo programme. The panel discussion will bring into focus the role played by nuclear science in addressing a number of key global challenges, ranging from addressing food security, to the promotion of sustainable health systems, the COVID-19 recovery and ocean monitoring.
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency