Pakistan elected to International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors for two years

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been elected to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board of governors for two years, the Pakistani foreign office said on Friday, as the South Asian nation reiterated its commitment to sharing expertise for peaceful use of nuclear technology.
The IAEA is an international organization that promotes peaceful use of atomic energy, monitors nuclear programs and verifies compliance with international nuclear agreements.
Being a founding member of the IAEA, Pakistan has enjoyed a longstanding and mutually beneficial collaboration with the agency and this is the country’s 21st term on the IAEA’s board.
“Pakistan was elected by consensus at the 68th Session of the IAEA’s General Conference in Vienna, from the Middle East and South Asia region, for the term beginning this month,” the foreign office said on Friday.
Pakistan hosts a cancer care center under the “Rays of Hope” initiative of the IAEA and four other collaboration centers in food and agriculture, nuclear safety and security, water resource management and innovative nuclear technology applications, according to the foreign office.
The South Asian country has six nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 3,530 megawatts of clean energy, while another 1,200MW plant is currently under construction.
The foreign office said Pakistan’s election to the IAEA board was a recognition of its long-standing commitment to the agency’s aims of promoting peaceful use of nuclear energy apart from contributing to IAEA policies.
“Pakistan is committed to sharing its experience and expertise in peaceful uses of nuclear technology with IAEA Member States through the Agency’s Technical cooperation program and collaborating frameworks,” it added.
Earlier this month, Pakistan was also elected as president for the Tenth Review meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety.