The Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses (SDPU) hosted a side event titled “NPT in Action: Showcasing Progress on Expanding Peaceful Uses” to showcase its latest achievements at the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting on July 25, 2024, at the United Nations Palais in Geneva, Switzerland. The SDPU is an initiative funded by the US and UK governments and operated by CRDF Global that aims to reduce barriers to accessing nuclear science and technology for international development. The side event aimed to provide delegations at PrepCom with an overview of SDPU activities to date in five countries: Ghana, Nepal, Nigeria, Paraguay, and Thailand. It also sought to empower attendees to contribute to future SDPU activities, emphasizing the importance of improving access to the peaceful use of nuclear technology in food, health, and water.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Surbhi Grover from the University of Pennsylvania's Oncology department, who highlighted the SDPU’s complimentary role to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in expanding access to and awareness of peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
As a panel delegate from Nepal, Dr. Jaya K Gurung from the Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI) presented the progress on the SDPU study of ionizing radiation technology for food security and other applications.
At the event, Christine R. Martin from the United States Department of State acknowledged the enthusiasm of all key stakeholders in the Nepal project, including various government ministries (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and Ministry of Health and Population), during the pre-feasibility consultative meetings held from January 29 to February 2, 2024, in Nepal.
Similarly, David Riley OBE, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament at the UK Mission in Geneva, expressed the need for collaboration among different stakeholders (government, private sector, subject matter experts, academia) and the sharing of international experiences regarding the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
Dr. Shota Kamishima, Senior Coordination Officer in the Director General’s Office at the IAEA, expressed interest in collaborating on Nepal’s initiative for the feasibility study and capacity development to achieve a synergistic impact.
The sharing of experiences from other countries has further motivated Nepal's initiative, which is now looking forward to conducting a feasibility study on ionization technology, particularly in food irradiation in Nepal.
NDRI, along with CRDF Global, in close coordination with the U.S. Department of State, the Energy Security Office of the UK Government, and key stakeholders from Nepal, is preparing for the feasibility study, aiming for commissioning by the middle of 2025.
Nepal Government’s Encouragement, Expressed by H.E. Mr. Ram Prasad Subedi
H.E. Mr. Ram Prasad Subedi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative, invited the team working in Nepal on the SDPU to the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva on July 24, 2024.
The team included Ms. Christine R. Martin and Dr. Samuel R. Meehan from the United States Department of State, Mr. Taylor Grove from CRDF Global, Ms. Holly Haines from the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Dr. Jaya K. Gurung from NDRI. Mr. Ronal Rai, Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, also attended the meeting.
H.E. Mr. Ram Prasad Subedi welcomed the team and suggested presenting Nepal SDPU’s initiative.
Dr. Gurung briefed him on NDRI and its linkage with SDPU. Ms. Martin elaborated on Nepal’s pre-feasibility study held in Kathmandu. Ms. Haines complemented the synergy of the SDPU alliance and Nepal’s initiative. Dr. Meehan highlighted the reflections from the Nepal workshop, especially with technical personnel. And Mr. Grove provided a brief account of CRDF Global and the way forward for the SDPU initiative.
H.E. Mr. Ram Prasad Subedi acknowledged the SDPU initiative of Nepal. H.E. Subedi expressed his enthusiasm for the peaceful use of Nuclear Science and Technology (NST) in various sectors in Nepal, including agriculture, health, research institutes, university research, and the environment. He suggested starting with one sector and creating a successful case story in Nepal. H.E. Subedi thanked the team working on the SDPU initiative in Nepal and for their consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Government of Nepal. He also expressed the Nepal Government’s commitment to supporting and facilitating the SDPU initiative in Nepal.
Dr. Gurung briefed H.E. Mr. Amrit Bahadur Rai, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, and Mr. Prakash Kumar Suvedi, Executive Director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) in Kathmandu, Nepal, about the SDPU initiative before leaving for Geneva.
