Philippine Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the IAEA Evangelina Lourdes A. Bernas speaking at the plenary during the IAEA 67th General Conference, addressing thousands of delegates representing around 177 Member States in the largest gathering of government and institutional leaders in the nuclear field.
Ambassador Bernas leads Philippine Delegation to 67th IAEA General Conference
Representing the country’s recent strides towards Atoms for Peace and Development, Philippine Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the IAEA Evangelina Lourdes A. Bernas officially heads the Philippine Delegation during the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 67th General Conference being held in Vienna, Austria.
Officials from the Philippine Permanent Mission in Vienna, Department of Science and Technology, and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), particularly PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla, are also part of the Philippine delegation.
The Philippines also launched its exhibit at the General Conference with the theme, “Atoms for Philippine Progress” with the showcase of innovations demonstrating the country’s commitment in line with the IAEA’s thrust towards Atoms for Peace and Development.
The exhibit was formally opened on September 26 to an international audience including representatives from various countries and top officials from the IAEA, particularly Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Deputy Director General for Technical Cooperation Hua Liu.
Among the featured innovations and developments in the exhibit are the radiation-processed Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter which increases the yield of rice and other food crops, the Post-radiation Reactive Extrusion (PREx) research initiative, which will harness radiation to recycle plastics and modify them to new products, the Food Authentication Program using isotope-based analytical techniques, the re-establishment of the Philippine Research Reactor – 1 as a Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education and Research (PRR-1 SATER), the country’s first and only operating nuclear reactor training facility, the expansion of nuclear education programs in the country and the recent developments in the Philippines’ re-engagement in a nuclear power program.
Established in 1957 as an autonomous international organization under the United Nations system, the IAEA spearheads global cooperation in promoting the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. The Philippines became a Member State of the IAEA in 1958.
The annual IAEA General Conference hosts thousands of delegates from around 177 IAEA Member States to further its programs and projects and to showcase the latest developments in the nuclear field across the globe, both in its research and development applications and in issues involving nuclear safety, security and safeguards.
The 67th General Conference will run from September 25 to 29, 2023 in Vienna, Austria.
Ambassador Evangelina Lourdes A. Bernas (3rd from left) with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (center) as he visits the Philippines' exhibit at the IAEA General Conference. They are joined by former Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the IAEA Maria Cleofe Natividad (2nd from right), DOST-PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla (3rd from right) and IAEA TC National Liaison Officer Ana Elena Conjares (2nd from left) with members of the Philippine Delegation (Photo from IAEA and official Twitter account of IAEA DG Grossi).
Ambassador Evangelina Lourdes A. Bernas (center) with DOST-PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla (left) and IAEA TC National Liaison Officer Ana Elena Conjares (right).
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visits the Philippines' exhibit at the IAEA General Conference (Left photo from IAEA and official Twitter account of IAEA DG Grossi)
Ambassador Evangelina Lourdes A. Bernas (2nd from left) with IAEA Deputy Director General Hua Liu (center) as he visits the Philippines' exhibit at the IAEA General Conference. They are joined by IAEA Director of the Technical Cooperation Division for Asia and the Pacific Jane Gerardo Abaya (extreme left), DOST-PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla (2nd from right) and IAEA TC National Liaison Officer Ana Elena Conjares (extreme right).
IAEA Deputy Director General Hua Liu visits the Philippines' exhibit at the IAEA General Conference
Members of the Philippine Delegation to the 67th IAEA General Conference
