IAEA General Conference opens amid growing nuclear proliferation concerns

VIENNA - The 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opened in Vienna on Monday, with calls to strengthen multilateral cooperation and efforts to uphold the global nuclear non-proliferation regime amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

In a message delivered by Monica Juma, director-general of the United Nations Office at Vienna, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this conference comes at a time of profound global turbulence and uncertainty. Attacks on nuclear facilities are rising. The drivers of nuclear proliferation are accelerating while the guardrails against it are falling.

"The world is on the cusp of a revolution in nuclear power generation, a revolution that requires careful management and monitoring. More than ever, the world needs the IAEA's professionalism, impartiality and technical excellence," Guterres said in the message.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the conference that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime.

"At this time of heightened tensions and distrust, we must work to underpin this legal framework by supporting the IAEA and working towards its aims. A world with more nuclear weapons and more countries armed with nuclear weapons is not a safer world," Grossi said.

The 70th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference, running through Sept. 18, has drawn nearly 4000 senior officials and representatives from IAEA member states, and delegations of international organizations and non-governmental organizations.

Held annually since the IAEA was founded in 1957, the General Conference considers a wide range of issues related to the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, from energy production and cancer care to food security, water management, nuclear safety and security, and safeguards.