Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency visits Monaco to celebrate 60th anniversary of IAEA Environment Laboratories

© Manuel Vitali - Direction de la Communication

Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visited the Principality on 30 September 2021 to mark the 60^th anniversary of the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco.*

During his visit, Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi and his delegation were first invited to a lunch at the Minister of State’s Residence, attended by H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince and representatives of the Prince’s Government, the Monaco Scientific Centre and the Prince Albert II Foundation.

In the afternoon, Mr Mariano Grossi took part in a ceremony celebrating the 60^th anniversary of the Monaco Laboratories at the Oceanographic Museum. The celebrations were attended by H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince, the Minister of State, government ministers and numerous other Monegasque dignitaries, as well as representatives from the 80 IAEA member states, most of which dispatched their ambassadors. The ceremony highlighted the historical links between the Principality of Monaco and the IAEA, as well as the Principality’s unique role in promoting and protecting the marine environment.

Finally, in the evening, the IAEA Director General and member state representatives, who had travelled from Vienna especially for the occasion, were invited to a reception given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. In his welcome address, Mr Laurent Anselmi noted the role of the Monaco Laboratories, the only such facilities dedicated to the land and marine environment within the United Nations Organisation.

© Stéphane Danna - Direction de la Communication

* The IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco help states to assess coastal and marine pollution and to improve seafood safety by developing and validating analytical methods for the measurement of contaminants, producing certified reference materials and applying stable isotopic techniques to study pollution processes and fingerprint the sources of pollutants. The Laboratories have been managed by Ms Florence Descroix-Comanducci since 1 September 2020.