Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
Finding the tools and avenues to communicate and engage with the public is crucial to advocate for the use of atoms for peace and development, President Akufo-Addo said. Since Ghana gained its independence in 1957, the population has increased from 6 million to over 32 million people today. The country must find a carbon-free, reliable and cheap source of energy to provide electricity for such a fast-growing population, and nuclear presents all these advantages, President Akufo-Addo explained. Advocacy is crucial for this process, as well as engaging the population to discuss this, especially the young generation, he added.
Ms Eisenhower and Secretary Granholm agreed on the importance of communication and youth engagement. “Advocacy must be brought to the right level. People on top have to endorse it, while also people from small villages should be involved in decision making, especially looking at the discussion around decarbonization,” Ms Eisenhower said.
Furthermore, “we should be giving voice to the young generation and using their voices on social media to promote the use of nuclear and its role in combating climate change,” Secretary Granholm said. Earlier this month, the IAEA launched an essay competition for young adults. The competition is designed to commemorate Eisenhower’s speech and to posit ways the IAEA and the international community can address today’s biggest challenges within the IAEA mission of “Atoms for Peace and Development.”
Since the 1953 speech and establishment of the Agency, the IAEA, which has 177 Member States, has helped people around the world benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
“Personally, having worked in the field of national security and arms control, and now nuclear energy, I admire the work of the IAEA,” Ms Eisenhower said. “I think Dwight Eisenhower would be so gratified to see how this Agency has managed some of the most important issues facing our globe. Not only has it provided the safeguards around illegal development of nuclear weapons, but the IAEA is also at the cutting edge of solutions for the future. This is exactly what my grandfather hoped for in that speech in 1953.”