IAEA chief to visit Sri Lanka tomorrow

The Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on Wednesday (14) for a one day official visit on an invitation extended by Government of Sri Lanka.

During his stay in Sri Lanka, Director General Amano will visit National Center for Non Destructive Testing (NCNDT) and Sri Lanka Gamma Center of Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board which are two scientific centers established with collaboration of IAEA. 

He will also visit the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Regulatory Council, a statement said.

IAEA is an independent intergovernmental, science and technology based organization established in 1957 in the United Nations family that serves as the global focal point for nuclear cooperation and assists its Member States, in the context of social and economic goals, in planning for and using nuclear science and technology for various peaceful purposes, including the generation of electricity, and facilitates the transfer of such technology and knowledge in a sustainable manner to developing Member States.
 
Sri Lanka is a founding Member State of IAEA since 1957 and it receives technical assistance through the IAEA Technical Cooperation programme in order to develop nuclear science and technology in the country.

The Technical Cooperation (TC) programme is the IAEA’s major mechanism for transferring nuclear technology to Member States. This programme builds capacities to support the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, helping Member States to address key development priorities in areas such as human health and nutrition, food and agriculture, water Resource Management and the environment, industrial applications etc.

Sri Lanka utilizes peaceful applications of nuclear technology only in non-power areas and the country was able to obtain considerable amount of technical assistance from IAEA during past. Establishment of several nationally important scientific institutes such as Sri Lanka Gamma Center, National Centre for Non Destructive Testing, Nuclear Medicine Unit at University of Peradeniya etc. and provision of many training opportunities for Sri Lankan scientists, medical doctors, engineers, medical physicists etc. who are involved in nuclear field were done through the assistance received from the IAEA. 

Very unique equipments and instruments used in nuclear field which cannot be purchased in local market were provided to various institutes in Sri Lanka through IAEA technical cooperation porgramme. Sri Lanka also expects to obtain such technical assistance from IAEA in future too in order to launch planned programmes which are to be implemented utilizing nuclear technology in the country.