PH Promotes Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology During NPT Prepcom 2023 Side Event

Deputy Chief of Mission Ivan Frank M. Olea and Third Secretary Dan Erwin C. Bagaporo (center) of the Philippine Mission in Vienna led discussions on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy with IAEA officers Denis Subbonitskiy, Lin Yang, and Bridget Carter, and Philippine nuclear science expert Bin Jeremiah Barba (L-R). (photo from Vienna PE)

VIENNA 18 August 2023 – The Philippines made a strong case for harnessing and upscaling peaceful uses of nuclear technology through the transformation of atoms and ideas into practical and groundbreaking solutions for the most pressing economic, social, and environmental challenges during the side event organized by the Philippine delegation on the sidelines of the First Session of the Preparatory Committee (Prep Com) for the 2026 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on 9 August 2023.

Titled, “Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology and their Socio-economic Impact,” the event explored a pillar of the NPT often deemed ancillary, but equally important, to the more urgent security goals of disarmament and non-proliferation. Deputy Chief of Mission Ivan Frank M. Olea, in his opening remarks, stressed that “The Philippines

believes that breakthroughs in science and technology cannot attain their potential benefit unless they are put into practical use and scaled up to achieve the intended multiplier effect,” echoing the Philippines’ statement delivered during the NPT Prep Com plenary meeting on 8 August.

In close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Philippines tailored the side event to focus on how practical applications of nuclear science and technology (NST) begin with innovations in the laboratory and endure rigorous testing in the field before being applied on a commercial and industrial scale. To explore this “multiplier effect” in practice, project managers from the IAEA presented various IAEA projects covering plastics recycling (Mr. Denis Subbotnitskiy), agriculture, food safety, plant breeding, animal production, disease and water management (Ms. Lin Yang), and nuclear science education (Ms. Bridget Carter). The Philippines, through Philippine Nuclear Research Institute Scientist, Ms. Bin Jeremiah Barba, also presented its own NST-based projects in agricultural development, water treatment, industrialization, and environmental protection.

Through the event, the Philippines hope to jumpstart the conversation on best practices in upscaling nuclear application projects from the innovation phase to community, country, and regional programs that produce tangible social and economic benefits. END

The expert panel explored how various nuclear science and technology innovations can transcend the laboratory and support development goals through diverse practical applications. (photo from Vienna PE)

For more information, visit https://www.viennape.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.at  or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustria/ ,  https://www.twitter.com/PHLinAustria  or https://www.instagram.com/phinaustria/