Pillars of peace: The evolution of nuclear technical cooperation

The twentieth century witnessed unprecedented scientific and technological progress, unfortunately paralleled by the development of weapons of mass destruction. And with this progress came an incredible amount of responsibility for scientists and governments. The creation of the IAEA and its technical cooperation programme brought together scientists and governments to use nuclear technology for the 'peaceful pursuits of mankind'. The programme supports application of nuclear techniques to solve socio-economic and human development problems in areas as diverse as agriculture, health, natural resource management, and radiation protection. Fifty years after President Eisenhower's famous 'Atoms for Peace' speech, the IAEA technical cooperation programme provides more than $70 million worth of experts, training, and procurement services each year to approximately 75% of its 137 Member States. But as development budgets shrink, the programme is seeking to make more meaningful use of resources at hand (national capacities, regional resources, development partners and the voluntary Technical Cooperation Fund), targeting specific problems of Member States and partnering with other sustainable development organizations. At the same time, efforts continue to overcome the past legacy that necessitated the 'Atoms for Peace' proposal in the first place. Even as development challenges are addressed, the IAEA, its partners and governments face other challenges along the way, including public opinion for a technology that had a devastating global introduction