According to the IAEA, more than 3,100 people from 155 countries took part in this year’s General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna from 15 to 19 September 2025, which is double the number four years ago. The Swiss delegation was led by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and included representatives from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS), the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and ENSI.
«ENSI benefited from the high number of participants and took the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with the nuclear regulatory authorities of Japan, Spain, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark and Turkey,» explains Marc Kenzelmann, Director of ENSI. “This direct exchange is important and allows ENSI to discuss technical and regulatory aspects of its activities with other regulatory authorities and thus improve its work.”
This year’s General Conference also discussed Iran’s nuclear programme and the war in Ukraine. Switzerland advocated for nuclear safety and security in Ukraine to be ensured through the continued presence of the IAEA at all five nuclear sites and called for safe, unhindered access for IAEA personnel and compliance with the “Seven Indispensable Pillars” (“The Seven Indispensable Pillars”) and “5 Principles” (“The Five Concrete Principles”) of nuclear safety.
The General Conference approved the IAEA’s 2026 budget and its 2024 annual report.2
