The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, paid an official visit to Lombardy on 21 and 22 May, during which the first Memorandum of Understanding between the IAEA and a regional institution, Regione Lombardia, was signed. As reaffirmed during the meeting – held during the visit – between Director General Grossi and Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Giorgio Silli, Italy looks with growing interest to the role of civil nuclear applications as instruments of sustainable development and is ready to strenghten the cooperation with the IAEA, both on a technical-scientific level and in promoting disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
After an institutional meeting with the President of the Region, Attilio Fontana, which offered the opportunity to highlight the dynamic nature of the local industry and academia, Grossi took part in an initiative aimed at presenting the IAEA’s activities, with the title “Nuclear Technologies and Applications for a Sustainable Future”, which was held at Palazzo Lombardia. The event was opened by President Fontana, Undersecretary Silli and Grossi himself, who delivered a keynote speech on the IAEA’s role in promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy and techniques for global security and prosperity. A strategic dialogue on energy security, global scenarios and sustainability followed, with the participation of the main Italian stakeholders – Enel, Eni, Edison, Ansaldo Energia – as well as of the University Politecnico di Milano, the JRC of Ispra and students and young professionals from the nuclear sector. The event’s rich programme was rounded up by technical panel discussions on the use of nuclear technologies and applications in the fields of human health (cancer treatment), agriculture and environment (food quality, safety and security) and international cooperation.
Grossi also held a lectio magistralis at the University of Pavia on the topic “Atoms for Peace and Development”, underlining the importance of nuclear energy in the framework of the transition towards a sustainable future, and visited the prestigious National Centre of Oncology Adrotherapy (CNAO) in Pavia, and the National Cancer Institute in Milan.
Accompanied also on this occasion by Amb. Debora Lepre, the Director General finally participated in an academic dialogue on the topics of nuclear non-proliferatione with the students of SDA Bocconi School of Management and explored with Dean Stefano Caselli the academic dimension of innovative partnerships in the areas of energy, sustainbility and management, which are essential for the implementation of the IAEA’s programmes.
(Photos: Regione Lombardia and IAEA)
