ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signed a new five-year cooperation plan on Wednesday to scale up the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in agriculture, health care, clean energy and environmental protection, reported the state-owned media.
The 2026–31 Country Programme Framework (CPF), signed on the sidelines of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, is designed to use nuclear science to support Pakistan’s development agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Covering three IAEA technical cooperation cycles, the framework identifies priorities from boosting crop yields and food safety to expanding cancer treatment and strengthening nuclear safety and climate resilience.
“The signing of this Country Programme Framework reaffirms Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology,” said Dr. Raja Ali Raza Anwar, chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency.
“With the support of the IAEA, Pakistan will continue to harness these tools to address food security, improve health care, strengthen energy security and safeguard our environment,” he added.
Under the plan, Pakistan will apply nuclear techniques such as isotope hydrology to monitor water resources and counter climate change, while advancing nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceuticals to meet rising cancer and chronic disease needs.
The country will also work on plant life management and safe decommissioning of nuclear power facilities, building on six operating plants and one under construction that already supply over 18 percent of its electricity.
The CPF also underscores gender equality and commits to training more women in nuclear sciences.
APP reported an IAEA deputy director general, Hua Liu, hailed the agreement as a “shared vision for sustainable development through peaceful nuclear cooperation.”
