VIENNA, 20 SEPTEMBER 2025 — The Philippines helped shepherd the unanimous adoption of the Resolution on Personnel as the penholder on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the 69th Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference. The resolution reinforces the principles of equitable geographical representation, gender equality, and women empowerment in the IAEA Secretariat, highlighting the need for a more inclusive and representative competent workforce in the nuclear field.

The resolution calls on the IAEA Secretariat to intensify efforts to increase the number of staff members from developing, unrepresented, and under-represented Member States, particularly at senior and policy-making levels. It also requests the Secretariat to sustain progress in implementing its comprehensive gender policy, including ensuring equal participation of women across all professional and leadership categories.

The resolution welcomed the achievement of the Director General’s goal of reaching gender parity in the Professional and higher categories by 2025, while highlighting the importance of maintaining this progress. It also acknowledged the impact of programs such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme and the Lise Meitner Programme, which provide critical opportunities for women in the nuclear sector.

The adoption of the resolution followed months of intensive negotiations and bridge building efforts and will guide the human resource work of the IAEA for the next two years. The Philippines’ advocacy for empowerment of women and developing countries is deeply rooted in the its’ own national experience wherein the country’s nuclear program is largely led by women scientists, engineers, and regulators from research to regulatory oversight. This lived reality demonstrates how empowering women directly strengthens nuclear programs and makes them more resilient, innovative, and sustainable. END.