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).
Atoms for Philippine Progress: The Philippines at the 67th IAEA General Conference
Showcasing Filipino ingenuity, innovation and current developments towards nuclear research, regulations and public policy, the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) joined the Philippine delegation during the 67th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from September 25 to 29, 2023 in Vienna, Austria.
Ambassador Evangelina Lourdes Bernas, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the IAEA officially headed the Philippine Delegation, which also include officials from the Philippine Permanent Mission in Vienna, DOST, and PNRI, particularly PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla.
In her address to the plenary before thousands of delegates from around 177 IAEA Member states on September 27, Ambassador Bernas emphasized the country’s strong and steadfast partnership with the IAEA, which has proven instrumental in the sustained effort towards nuclear research, regulations, and public policy.
“As we work toward achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, we are fortunate to have nuclear technology as a tool with unlimited potential at our disposal,” said Ambassador Bernas.
“The Philippines will continue to work constructively with other member states to harness the potential of nuclear technology while ensuring its safe and secure use.”
The delegation also launched the country's exhibit at the Vienna International Center, with IAEA officials and delegates from other Member States in attendance.
Entitled “Atoms for Philippine Progress”, the national exhibit represents the Philippines’ commitment to nuclear science, technology and innovation in line with the IAEA’s thrust towards Atoms for Peace and Development. 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.
The visitors were welcomed by Ambassador Bernas and Director Arcilla with the members of the delegation, and the multinational crowd literally had a taste of Filipino hospitality as they were served with local food, delicacies and desserts.
During the exhibit, the delegation also took the opportunity to formally announce its hosting of the First International Nuclear Science Olympiad next year, taking the lead in fostering education in nuclear science and technology not only in the Philippines but across the globe.
Speaking of education, the Philippines also has a leading role in launching the 20th anniversary of the Asian Network for Education in Nuclear Technology (ANENT) during the conference. The launching was led by Ana Elena Conjares, the current ANENT chairperson and the Philippines’ National Liaison Officer for the implementation of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme.
ANENT is a regional partnership supported by IAEA which aims to assist member countries in capacity building and develop human and scientific infrastructure through cooperation in education, nuclear knowledge management and related research and training in nuclear technology in the Asia & Pacific region.
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 has been a Member State of the IAEA since 1958 and has since enjoyed a strong partnership with the Agency in spearheading the benefits of Atoms for Peace and Development in the country.
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.
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
