VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi called for the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes during the virtual meeting of the 65th General Conference of the World Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Monday (20/9).

It is undeniable, according to Minister Retno Marsudi, nuclear weapons can indeed be a terrible weapon. Currently, the world is still not completely free from the threat of nuclear weapons and the nuclear arms race is still going on. But at the same time, nuclear can also be used for purposes that benefit human beings. Thereby, three important aspects must be ensured. They are safety, security, and nuclear safeguards.

Minister Retno Marsudi called for all parties to continue to encourage the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. One of its applications is the use of nuclear technology to develop superior rice varieties. Since 2013, Indonesia, represented by the Food Crop Breeding Research Group (PAIR) in collaboration with the IAEA and the World Food Agency (FAO) has developed 23 new rice varieties. Indonesia's achievements have been appreciated by the international community and won the FAO/IAEA Outstanding Achievement Award twice in 2014 and 2021.

Minister Retno was honored to receive the FAO/IAEA Outstanding Achievement Award. This award is a form of acknowledgment of the socio-economic impact of the collaboration and evidence of nuclear contributions to sustainable development. In addition, nuclear technology can also play a major role in efforts to overcome pandemics, namely to detect new virus variants and prevent future pandemics.

Indonesia is committed to continuing to support the IAEA in increasing the capacity of developing countries' nuclear science and technology, through inclusive technical cooperation, including through South-South Cooperation.

The IAEA's 65th General Conference (GC) takes place from September 20 to 24. The GC is an annual conference at the UN Headquarters in Vienna since 1956, which has been held for IAEA member countries to determine the direction of the IAEA's policy in ensuring the use of nuclear energy and technology solely for peaceful purposes.