Vienna (TDI): The Coordinator General of OIC-COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, held a series of high-level meetings at the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna to discuss strengthening collaboration in the fields of health and food security.
During his visit, Prof. Choudhary met with Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director General of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, and Jean-Pierre Cayol, Department Programme Coordinator.
The discussions were also attended by Muhammad Kamran Akhtar, Ambassador of Pakistan to Australia, and Dr. Riaz, Technical Lead from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
Under the existing MoU between OIC and IAEA, it was agreed that the OIC-COMSTECH and IAEA will collaborate in three African countries: Senegal, Nigeria, and Uganda.
The cooperation will focus on following two major areas: The first area includes strengthening radiation therapy and diagnostic services in nuclear medicine by utilizing the expertise of leading Pakistani institutions, including NURI.
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The second area involves post-harvest treatment using nuclear radiation technology to reduce post-harvest losses in the targeted African countries, again through the technical support of Pakistani institutions.
The discussions were also emphasized on enhanced cooperation and expertise sharing in the fields of food security and health.
It was further proposed that the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Solidarity Fund will be taken on board for support and strengthen this important initiative. It was also decided that technical strength and excellence of Pakistan leading institutions, will be used for capacity building.
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The meeting marked a significant step toward expanding OIC-IAEA collaboration for sustainable development, improved healthcare, and food security in Africa.
