Ambassador Debora Lepre, Permanent Representative to International Organisations in Vienna, is representing Italy this week at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IEAA), of which the country is currently a member.
Ambassador Lepre spoke on the main political and security issues on the agenda of the current session: ukraine, where protracted hostilities and attacks against energy infrastructure are further jeopardising the safety of nuclear power plants, starting with the one in Zaporizhzhya; the high proliferation risks associated with Iran's nuclear activities and the need for Tehran to re-establish effective cooperation with the IAEA without delay; the new phase that has opened in Syria and the Agency's role, as part of international efforts, in key regional and global security areas; and the rhetoric and nuclear programmes of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Also in the spotlight was the development of nuclear research and activities, in particular the prospects for small modular reactors and fusion energy, as well as civil applications of nuclear science, in the framework of the flagship initiatives launched by IAEA Director General Grossi. "Italy supports the IEA's commitment to the exclusively peaceful use of nuclear energy and recognises the relevant role of nuclear energy and technology," Lepre emphasised, highlighting the numerous collaborations between the Agency and Sistema Italia, in the fields of training, research and development, food safety, medicine and capacity building for developing countries.
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