Nuclear Science and Global Security Take Center Stage at IAEA Conference

Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director General, delivers his remarks at the opening of the 1816th Board of Governors meeting held at the Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria. 7 September 2026 (Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA)

The five-day conference, scheduled for Sept. 14 through 18, will be held at the United Nations Office at Vienna, at the Vienna International Centre, bringing representatives of the IAEA’s member states together to discuss the agency’s work, priorities and budget, as well as the broader role of nuclear science in international security, health and sustainable development.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA’s director general, is scheduled to open the conference on Monday morning.

For the agency, the gathering is an annual institutional event. But it also offers a window into some of the increasingly complex challenges facing the international community — from maintaining nuclear safety and security to ensuring that peaceful nuclear technologies can reach countries that need them.

One of the week’s major events will be the Scientific Forum, to be held on Sept. 15 and 16 under the theme “Rays of Hope: Delivering on the Promise of Cancer Care.”

The forum will examine the role of nuclear science and technology in the fight against cancer, particularly efforts to expand access to diagnosis and treatment in countries where essential medical services remain limited.

Through its Rays of Hope initiative, the IAEA works with countries and international partners to strengthen cancer-care capacity, expand access to radiation medicine and mobilize resources for sustainable cancer services.

Mr. Grossi is scheduled to open the forum on Tuesday alongside senior international speakers.

The focus on cancer care reflects one of the IAEA’s broader roles. While nuclear technology is often associated with questions of security and proliferation, its applications extend into medicine, energy, agriculture and other areas that directly affect people’s lives.

Throughout the General Conference, plenary sessions will be streamed live on the IAEA website in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The agency will also provide photographs and video footage from the proceedings.

Journalists covering the conference will have access to a designated press room at the Vienna International Centre. Photographers and television crews seeking access to plenary sessions and selected events will require prior accreditation.

As delegates gather at the United Nations complex in Vienna, the conference will underscore a central reality of the nuclear age: the challenges surrounding nuclear technology rarely stop at national borders. Addressing them increasingly depends on cooperation among governments, scientific institutions and international organizations  and on ensuring that the benefits of nuclear science are matched by the highest standards of safety, security and responsibility.

By Yen Platz | Vienna

Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA