U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna
Vienna, Austria
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
United States Provides $226,000 to the IAEA for Establishing a Radiotherapy Center in Sierra Leone
On January 2, 2020, the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna allocated $226,000 in U.S. funding to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help establish a radiotherapy center to provide treatment to cancer patients in Sierra Leone. Once operational, the radiotherapy center will be the first of its kind in the country.
The United States is supporting this project through the IAEA’s Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI), which the United States helped the IAEA establish in 2010 to provide extra-budgetary contributions for IAEA activities promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. Through contributions to the PUI, the United States supports projects requested by IAEA Member States in areas such as human and animal health, food security, water resource management, the environment, nuclear safety and security, and nuclear power infrastructure development.
The United States remains the single largest contributor to the IAEA. Since 2010, the United States has provided more than $400 million to the IAEA beyond our assessed contributions to support peaceful uses activities, including more than $100 million through the PUI.
The IAEA’s PUI also supports implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, which requires NPT States Parties that are “in a position to do so” to “cooperate in contributing alone or together with other States or international organizations to the further development of the applications of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.” The United States strongly believes in the continued benefits of the NPT, now in its 50th year.
The U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna is pleased to contribute to and partner with the IAEA to improve the lives of people in developing countries around the world through the peaceful uses of nuclear technologies.
More information on the IAEA’s Peaceful Uses Initiative is available on the Agency’s website at https://www.iaea.org/services/key-programmes/peaceful-uses-initiative
Follow the U.S. Mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @USUNVIE for updates.
Please direct any inquiries to UNVIEpress@state.gov