Category: News Story

Ochirbat Dagvadorj, then State Secretary of the Ministry of Health of Mongolia, underlined the significance of the joint assessment: “Making quality cancer services and care freely accessible is a priority for our Government,” he said. “The financial burden associated with cancer care has an enormous impact on government spending,” he added. “That is why we need to focus more on the prevention and early detection of cancer, so that the quality of life of patients is improved and at the same time, health spending on cancer care is lessened from a health system perspective.”

In 2022, the WHO-IARC Global Cancer Observatory reported an estimated 6699 new cancer cases in the country. In the same year, close to 5000 people are estimated to have died from the disease. For both men and women, the most common type of cancer is liver cancer. Awareness raising, screening and early detection are key to prevent mortality rates from rising even further.

“The imPACT assessment is a concrete step for the government of Mongolia to progress cancer control in the country, complementing the many efforts that are already undertaken on the ground,” said Socorro Escalante, WHO Representative to Mongolia. “The evidence-based assessment of health system capacities will shape the future of cancer control where it matters most: skilled and competent human resources, early access to quality diagnosis and treatment, optimization of scientific innovation and advanced technologies and improvement of the overall quality of life for individuals and families dealing with cancer,” she added.

The Government of Mongolia is committed to expanding its skilled workforce thanks to international partnerships. In September 2023, Mongolia signed a triangular cooperation agreement with the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS) and the IAEA to strengthen Mongolia’s nuclear medicine and radiation oncology capacity. Under the agreement, existing radiation medicine facilities will be reinforced and expanded, and medical assistance for radiation emergencies in Mongolia will be established. The agreement also defines ambitious areas on which to collaborate through the Rays of Hope initiative – the IAEA’s flagship initiative to expand access to cancer care for all. Radiation medicine experts from KIRAMS joined the imPACT Review mission to Mongolia – a tangible result of the trilateral agreement.

KIRAMS President Jin Kyung LEE announced: “Since partnering with the IAEA in 2011, KIRAMS has been dedicated to advancing radiation medicine, including nuclear medicine and radiation oncology, in developing countries. We are particularly pleased to have successfully transferred nuclear medicine technology to Mongolia, significantly enhancing their cancer treatment capabilities. With the recent three-party cooperation agreement, we aim to continue our impactful projects. We seek ongoing support from the IAEA and related organizations to ensure these initiatives flourish and deliver meaningful outcomes in radiation medicine for Mongolia.”

Mongolia is also a member of the Global Medicine Platform, an initiative by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to provide free medicines for children with cancer, and  the WHO’s Cervical  Cancer Elimination Initiative, an initiative which helps governments fight cervical cancer by providing tools for earlier screening, awareness raising and vaccination policies.

The IAEA’s Programme Management Officer for Mongolia, Denis Subbotnitskiy, acknowledged the progress already made to improve cancer control in Mongolia and was confident that the additional data collected during the imPACT Review would help deliver more change for patients with cancer. “It was an honour to witness firsthand the many steps taken already to improve cancer control in Mongolia,” said Subbotnitskiy. “Armed with this additional information, under IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, we look forward to tailoring our projects even more to expand access to early cancer diagnosis and care for the citizens of Mongolia. This review will help shape the implementation of projects supported through the IAEA technical cooperation programme, ensuring they deliver maximum impact. By aligning our efforts to the specific needs identified, we aim to strengthen local capacities, enhance radiation therapy services, and ultimately help deliver tangible, life-saving changes for patients battling cancer across the country,” he added.

A new publication to support competent authorities that have a role in designing, implementing and sustaining nuclear security systems and measures.

A new IAEA publication titled Detection in a State’s Interior of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control offers law enforcement agencies and frontline officers detailed guidance to support them in combatting criminal acts involving nuclear or other radioactive material that has fallen out of regulatory control.   

“The new publication is added to a variety of tools offered to countries by the IAEA to help them fulfil their national responsibilities for nuclear security,” said Itimad Soufi, Head of the IAEA’s Nuclear Security of Materials Outside of Regulatory Control Section.  

The comprehensive guidance in the publication will assist countries in planning and implementing appropriate nuclear material detection operations to mitigate the current threats and risks they face within their territory. This includes in-depth information on integrating systems and measures to detect criminal or other unauthorized acts involving nuclear and other radioactive material into existing security measures.  

The publication also outlines operational steps and provides examples for conducting detection operations, both with and without the use of radiation detection equipment. In addition, a template for developing a joint detection operation plan, guidance on how to manage information alerts and details about radiation detection equipment are among the practical tools included in the publication.  

The publication will also serve as a reference manual for frontline organizations and officers to guide human resources development and the selection of detection equipment. This will benefit authorities responsible for managing nuclear security systems within a country, in particular law enforcement agencies, ministries, national security organizations, emergency services, national regulators and medical and health professionals.  

This publication is jointly sponsored by the IAEA together with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), the International Criminal Police Organization-INTERPOL (ICPO-INTERPOL), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

“The publication offers detailed guidance with a focus on better supporting different roles in nuclear security. It is part of the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Series, which provides international consensus guidance on all aspects of nuclear security to support countries as they work to fulfil their responsibility for nuclear security,” Soufi said.  

The new publication is available free of charge here. Further information on the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Series, including resources in six languages, can be found here. 

For example, farmers in Pakistan’s Punjab and Sind provinces were trained to employ climate-smart agriculture technologies based on this research to optimize productivity, such as the perfect mix of combining chemical and organic fertilizer for local soils and crops – known as the IAEA/FAO Integrated Option.  

This led to their basmati rice yield increasing by 188 per cent, while long-grain rice increased by 176 per cent in field trials conducted in six regions of Khyber Pakhunkhwa, Punjab and Sind provinces. By increasing rice production, farmers enhance food supply and security in their region while promoting sustainable farming practices that can be replicated by other countries. 

“The IAEA recommended the use of these innovative practices which increases farm productivity, providing me with extra income,” said Babul Hossain, a farmer in Bangladesh. “The practice has become popular and encouraging to other local farming communities.” 

The joint IAEA/FAO approach to climate-smart agriculture also reduced ammonia emissions by around 36 per cent in rice, according to Mohammad Jahangir, a professor at the Bangladesh Agricultural University who has been carrying out climate-smart agriculture trials in farmers’ fields across the country. “Under the climate-smart agriculture approaches, the soil became fertile and resilient against climate stress,” he added. Reducing ammonia emissions decreases air pollution, protects human health and helps prevent harm to the ecosystem. 

“The increase in productivity following the IAEA Integrated Option exemplifies how combining chemical and organic fertilizers can lead to higher yields and better soil health, paving the way for a future where food security and environmental sustainability co-exist harmoniously” said Javed Shah, a scientist at Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA), Tandojam, Pakistan. 

“Nuclear science and technology play a key role in developing climate-smart agriculture. The result of the climate smart rice production towards sustainability and regional food security through nuclear and modern technology demonstrates the potential of climate-smart agriculture practices in increasing rice productivity and promoting sustainable farming, which can be replicated worldwide,” said Mohammad Zaman,  Head of the Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Section at the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. 

Energy requirements reflect what an individual needs to maintain all bodily functions, including growth and development, depending on life stage as well as activity for long-term health, and are essential for evaluating how well food supplies can meet the nutritional demands of a population. These requirements vary in relation to a person’s age, gender, physiological status (e.g., pregnancy), level of physical activity, basal metabolic rate (BMR) (the amount of energy needed for basic life functions such as breathing and keeping the body temperature) and environment, to name a few factors. For certain groups, they encompass additional energy costs such as optimal growth in the case of children; tissue development in pregnant women; and milk production in lactating mothers. Estimating accurate energy requirements can consequently entail complex calculations and challenges – especially when attempting to do so for specific sub-populations around the globe. 

As early as the 1950s, the FAO and WHO collaborated with global nutrition specialists to assess energy requirements and, in turn, derive these estimates. Their most recent exercise in October 2001 notably developed key recommendations for specific groups.  It also maintained the use of international calculations first developed in 1985 (Schofield’s equations) to estimate BMR based on a person’s gender, age, weight and physical activity level. However, in the decades that have since elapsed, the field has seen a growing body of scientific evidence which challenges the adequacy and accuracy of some aspects of those equations for universal use.  

Discussing FAO’s seminal 2004 report on the topic, the meeting’s 15 nutrition and energy metabolism experts noted a number of developments affecting BMR: the dramatic increase in global obesity; documented variations in metabolically active tissues across different populations; and trends — specifically declines — in the amount of energy needed for essential bodily functions. They also identified several key data gaps, especially those concerning energy requirements of underrepresented populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); people over 90; and pregnant and lactating women. Experts formulated a roadmap which outlined next steps to update estimates of energy requirement while suggesting areas for future research. 

“A correct estimate of energy needs at different ages is needed to plan for actions to prevent and manage different forms of malnutrition. The update may help us reconsider the design of population programmes in LMICs,” said Francesco Branca, Director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety. 

The imPACT Review Team assessed capacities and needs for cancer early detection at Primary Health Care Centre Primeiro Maio in Maputo, Mozambique.

The sub-Saharan African country of Mozambique is currently experiencing a high burden of infectious disease coupled with a growing burden of non-communicable diseases including cancer. To address this challenge, the IAEA, the World Health Organization (WHO), MD Anderson Cancer Center and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) sent a team of experts to the country in May to carry out a comprehensive imPACT Review of the country’s existing National Cancer Control Programme, at the request of Mozambique’s government. Cancers affecting women and children were high on the agenda of the review.

“The rising numbers of cancer cases in Mozambique is of great concern and the Government is taking action to expand access to diagnosis and treatment, as well as further integration of cancer services within the primary health system,” said Armindo Tiago, Mozambique’s Minister of Health.

According to IARC’s GLOBOCAN  estimates, more than 26 000 cancer cases are diagnosed annually in Mozambique, with cervical cancer accounting for a third of all cancers among women. The number of Mozambicans with cancer is expected to more than double from current levels by 2045.

The Government of Mozambique set up a ten-year National Cancer Control Programme in 2019 following a previous imPACT review in 2014. It is also in the process of developing a cancer investment plan with support from WHO.

Severin von Xylander from Mozambique’s WHO Country Office said: “We are working closely with the National Cancer Control Programme in Mozambique to prioritize the prevention and early detection of cancers affecting women and children in line with the respective global cancer control initiatives.”

The IAEA publications Nuclear Power Reactors in the World (RDS-2) and Operating Experience with Nuclear Power Stations in Member States (OPEX). (Image: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA)

Newly released nuclear power data for 2023 collected by the IAEA, paint a picture of a clean energy technology at a crossroads amid the emergence of a new global consensus to accelerate its deployment.

Electricity production from nuclear power rose by 2.6 per cent last year compared to 2022, according to the operating data provided by IAEA Member States to the Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) — the IAEA’s comprehensive and publicly available database on nuclear power. Nuclear power continued to generate almost 10 percent of the world’s electricity and a quarter of all low carbon electricity last year, according to the data, which are featured in two newly released annual IAEA publications: Nuclear Power Reactors in the World (RDS-2) and Operating Experience with Nuclear Power Stations in Member States (OPEX).

The USA remained the world’s top producer of nuclear electricity, followed by China and France. China continued to lead in newbuilds, beginning construction on five reactors. Newcomer Egypt started building its second reactor, according to the data, which showed the global fleet operating at nearly full strength with a median capacity factor of 88 per cent. While new grid connections were made at nuclear power plants in Belarus, China, Republic of Korea, Slovakia and the United States of America, reactors were shut down in Belgium, China and Germany.

The 2023 data come against the backdrop of growing global ambitions for nuclear technology amid an aging reactor fleet. More than two-thirds of reactors are at least 30 years old. In December 2023, in the historic first Global Stocktake at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the 198 signatory countries to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change called for accelerating the deployment of low-emission energy technologies including nuclear power for deep and rapid decarbonization, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as industry. In addition, more than 20 countries at COP28 pledged to work towards tripling global nuclear power capacity to reach net zero by 2050.

“IAEA data shows the global fleet of nuclear reactors continues to be a large and indispensable source of low-carbon electricity,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “But it’s also clear that we will need to extend the lives of existing reactors, replace retiring facilities with new ones, and add a lot of new capacity so that global climate change and energy security goals can be reached.”

The first International Nuclear Science Olympiad (INSO) was held form 1-6 August 2024 in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines and welcomed 55 contenders, 27 team leaders and 14 observers from 20 Asian countries. (Photo: Mark Miranda Studios)

The first ever International Nuclear Science Olympiad has been held in the Philippines in the run up to today’s International Youth Day, with the support of the IAEA. 

The world’s most talented science students have been competing at these international competitions since the first International Mathematical Olympiad was held in Romania in 1959.  

Since then, Olympiads have been launched in a further 11 subjects, including physics, chemistry, biology and astrophysics.  

Nuclear science is the latest addition to the list and this inaugural event involved 55 high school students from 14 Asian countries, with more countries around the world expected to join as the competition grows. The next International Nuclear Science Olympiad will be held in 2025 in Malaysia. 

“This International Nuclear Science Olympiad is more than just a test of knowledge; it is a platform for exchanging ideas, forging friendships and inspiring the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers,” said Renato Solidum Jr., Secretary of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, during the opening ceremony. 

Students from Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates travelled to Clark, Pampanga in the Philippines in August to participate. Each participating country was represented by up to four students, pre-selected through national competitions and other competitive processes. Prior to joining the international Olympiad, the students attended local training camps in their home countries to hone their technical skills. Representatives from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and the Syrian Arab Republic attended as observers. 

The competition was organized under the umbrella of an ongoing IAEA education project for which the Philippines is the lead country. The project is designed to promote interest in the nuclear field among secondary school students in Asia and the Pacific. It is one of the many IAEA initiatives aimed at attracting the next generation of young scientists and engineers to the nuclear field, in Asia and beyond.  

“The International Nuclear Science Olympiad is a testament to the importance of investing in the next generation of scientists, engineers and thinkers. It is a platform for students to showcase their talents, exchange ideas and inspire one another. It is also a reminder of the collaborative spirit that is essential to scientific progress,” said Marina Mishar, Section Head of the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Division for Asia and the Pacific. 

In addition to theoretical and experimental competitions, the students also visited two nuclear facilities in the Philippines. These included the non-operational Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, completed but put on hold in the 1980s. The students also visited the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute which houses a research reactor for training, education and research. 

The Olympiad concluded with an awards ceremony, where eight gold, thirteen silver and sixteen bronze medals were presented.  

Gold medal awardee Neil Kyle Olaer Maniquis said: “Despite the long and tiring preparations, my experience was amazing because I was exposed to the beauty of nuclear science and its contributions to agriculture, medicine and more. Most people are unaware of the benefits of nuclear science. With my experience at the International Nuclear Science Olympiad, I’m eager to share with everyone just how incredible nuclear science is.” 

Caleb Chia, another gold medal awardee agreed: “INSO 2024 reaffirmed my interest in physics and ignited my curiosity in nuclear. It was not a topic that was usually learned at my age, but it was great to be aware of what’s possible in nuclear science.” 

A new version of the IAEA publication ‘Milestones in the Development of a National Infrastructure for Nuclear Power’ is now published and has been revised to address issues related to small modular reactors.

The updated document, the IAEA’s foundational guidance on how to prepare to introduce a nuclear power programme or expand an existing nuclear power programme, includes an annex outlining aspects specific to the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and highlights the recent experience of several countries which have completed or made major progress in all three phases with other reactor types as defined by the IAEA’s Milestones Approach.

The release of this second revision is timely as nuclear power has momentum and is increasingly acknowledged as a necessary element of the net zero transition. A major increase in nuclear power deployments is needed for the world to hit net zero carbon goals by 2050, meaning  it must both scale up in existing markets and expand to new ones.

This new edition of the milestones publication, originally produced in 2007 and revised in 2015, is provided within the context of the IAEA’s other guidance and materials relevant to nuclear power development in areas including nuclear safety, security and safeguards. This publication also incorporates lessons learned from recent Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) missions to countries introducing or expanding nuclear power programmes.

While most new capacity is still expected to come in the form of large water cooled reactors in the coming years, there is a growing opportunity for SMRs to play an important role in reducing emissions and supporting sustainable prosperity. Designed to produce typically no more 300 MW(e), SMRs could be ideal for deployment in remote areas as well as regions with smaller electric grids. SMRs will feature modular designs, enabling systems and components to be factory-assembled and. This could help reduce the time required for construction. And with new end users such as data centres considering nuclear power to meet their growing electricity needs and a range of industrial applications requiring decarbonization, there is no shortage of potential applications. SMRs may be able to be deployed faster and play a larger role depending on how quickly they are licensed and achieve commercial readiness.

“As the nuclear power landscape continues to evolve, so too must the assistance we provide. This latest update of the IAEA milestones guidance comes at a pivotal moment when an increasing number of countries are considering nuclear power for their energy mix to achieve their net zero pledges,” said Aline des Cloizeaux, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Power. “It is clear that SMRs will be a vital component of the clean energy transition, and we must ensure that countries interested in this technology have a solid understanding of what is needed to successfully implement SMR projects.”

SMRs are in many ways very similar to their larger counterparts. They comprise many of the same systems and operate according to the same principles that have driven nuclear power reactors for decades. The needs for SMRs are also mostly the same as for traditional reactors, such as strong legal and regulatory frameworks, proactive stakeholder engagement and environmental protection considerations. But due to their unique features, including lower power output and simplified designs, a few of the specific infrastructure requirements may vary.

Some SMRs, particularly those using coolants other than water, may generate new forms of radioactive waste, and so countries planning to deploy SMRs must plan to manage these new waste types. If new fuel types are employed, it will be important to establish a supply chain to secure the consistent availability of fuel. And new safeguards approaches may need to be developed to address certain novel design features of SMRs, ensuring that robust nuclear material accountancy and control measures are not hindered.

There are currently around 30 newcomer countries either considering nuclear power or moving forward with plans to construct their first nuclear power plant. Bangladesh, Egypt and Türkiye are constructing their first nuclear power plants and several more countries are expected to build their first plants over the next decade or so.

Argentina, China and Russia have SMRs under construction, with the latter two countries having deployed their first SMRs in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Several newcomer countries, including Estonia, Jordan and Poland, have identified SMRs as part of their future clean energy systems. An INIR mission focused on SMRs was conducted in Estonia last October, and Jordan is examining how SMRs could be used to address its seawater desalination needs after meeting with IAEA experts last August.

The IAEA will host the first International Conference on Small Modular Reactors and their Applications from 21 to 25 October in Vienna. The conference will provide an international forum to take stock of progress and discuss opportunities, challenges and enabling conditions for the accelerated development and deployment of SMRs. All persons wishing to participate in the event must either be designated by an IAEA Member State or should be a member of an organization that has been invited to attend.

About the IAEA Milestones Approach