Staff Reporter:
Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam, MP, has reaffirmed Bangladesh’s firm commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear science, the highest safety standards and stronger in-ternational cooperation as he represented the country at the 70th General Conference of the Inter-national Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Delivering Bangladesh delegation’s statement on behalf of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Vi-enna yesterday, the minister greeted the 70th IAEA General Conference President and thanked IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi for his role in advancing peaceful nuclear technology and international cooperation.
Bangladesh has benefited for over five decades from the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme in sectors including health, agriculture, food, water management, industry and energy, he said.
Bangladesh recently signed the Country Program Framework (CPF) for 2026-2032, which will open new opportunities for technical cooperation in the coming years.
Describing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) as a historic milestone for Bangladesh’s ener-gy security, the minister said the country has made significant progress towards carbon-free elec-tricity generation through fuel loading at Unit-1, opening new possibilities for meeting growing electricity demand, ensuring energy security and addressing climate change.
Highlighting Bangladesh’s firm position on nuclear safety, he said its accession, as the first country in South Asia, to the Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management reflects its commitment to a safe and responsible nuclear pro-gramme.
Bangladesh remains committed to ensuring nuclear safety, security and responsible management in line with the highest international standards, he added.
Stressing the need to take the benefits of science and technology to the doorsteps of the people, the minister said the use of nuclear technology must not be confined to technological advancement alone but applied to improving people’s quality of life, enhancing climate resilience, raising food and agricultural productivity and expanding healthcare services.
He particularly emphasized stronger cooperation under the IAEA’s “Rays of Hope” initiative to ex-pand access to cancer treatment.
Creating new opportunities for young researchers and scientists, encouraging research and innova-tion, and building knowledge and technological capacity through international cooperation are pri-orities for Bangladesh, he said.
He added that the country is committed to using the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology as a tool for sustainable development, public welfare and building a safe and prosper-ous Bangladesh for future generations.
At the end of speech, the science and technology minister called for deeper international coopera-tion in expanding peaceful nuclear technology, strengthening nuclear safety and advancing sus-tainable development.
