VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUNV #0500/01 3091218
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051218Z NOV 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0257
INFO RUEHII/VIENNA IAEA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEANFA/NRC WASHDC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC

UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000500 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ISN/MNSA, ISN/NESS, WHA, IO/T 
PLEASE PASS USAID; WHA PLS CONSDIER REPEAT TO REGIONAL POSTS 
NRC FOR JSCHWARTZMAN, MDOANE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC ENRG TRGY XL XM KNNP IAEA
SUBJECT: IAEA/TC: LATIN AMERICA AND CARRIBEAN REGIONAL STRATEGIC 
PROFILE FOR BETTER TC PROJECT PLANNING 
 
Ref: A) UNVIE 499 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (U) In order to solidify its relationship with the IAEA, members 
of the Regional Cooperative Agreement for the Advancement of Nuclear 
Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARCAL) 
agreed to a regional strategic profile (RSP) for 2007-2013 that 
serves as a basis for the preparation of regional programs to be 
carried out using nuclear technology under the auspices of the IAEA 
TC program. During the 2009 IAEA General Conference, ARCAL 
representatives met with TC Director for Latin America Juan Antonio 
Casas-Zamora and discussed what needs were still outstanding in five 
priority areas (food safety/human 
health/environment/energy/radiation safety). Both sides felt the 
meeting was valuable and will lead to better project design and more 
precise requests for future TC projects during the 2012-2013 TC 
project cycle. 
 
 
¶2. (U) Also during the GC, Haiti on behalf of LDCs, advocated for a 
specific mention of LDC needs in the area of peaceful nuclear 
applications in the annual technical cooperation resolution.  This 
is the first time the G77 agreed to such a reference that highlights 
a specific category of states, acknowledging the need for more TC 
projects in some of the world's poorest countries. The USG, working 
with the IAEA TC Division and ARCAL members (a number of which are 
LDCs), may want to consider setting aside future assistance 
specifically for LDCs in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 
areas of human capacity building and cooperative research projects 
in agriculture, nuclear energy development, and water resource 
management. This could be done through an IAEA/TC managed fellowship 
program for LDCs, US/LDC cooperative research proposals to the IAEA, 
or specific funding of "footnote a" projects.  END SUMMARY 
 
 
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FOOD SAFETY 
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¶3. (U) According to a 2008 ARCAL/IAEA report (ref A) on food safety 
it is estimated that for every dollar generated in the region by 
agricultural activity, an average of three to six dollars are added 
to a country's economy.  However, as discussed in a September 2009 
presentation by ARCAL on the margins of the IAEA GC, the positioning 
of agricultural activity as a strategic sector for regional 
development has created problems such as progressive degradation of 
arable soils owing to intensive use and poor fertilization and 
irrigation practices, the continual reduction of natural woodland, a 
loss of biodiversity, and pollution by agrochemicals.  The crucial 
challenge for countries in the region is to pursue sustained food 
development compatible with higher levels of growth and social 
welfare, combined with conservation and use of biological diversity 
without harming natural resources.  The IAEA TC Division is working 
with Latin American and Caribbean countries to achieve improvement 
in agricultural production through the use of nuclear techniques for 
genetic improvements of plants and animals, improvements of soil 
management and efficient use of fertilization and irrigation, 
suppression and eradication of agricultural pests, and the early 
diagnosis of animal diseases.  In future TC project cycles, ARCAL 
plans to request regional projects that will focus on the use of the 
Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for both fruit flies and coddling 
moths, better management of water resources, human capacity building 
on use of nuclear techniques for food safety, and on better 
management of livestock species through disease prevention. 
 
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Human Health 
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¶4. (U) According to the September 2009 presentation, within the area 
of human health there are four sub-categories of concern for ARCAL 
members: nuclear medicine and radiopharmacy, radiotherapy, medical 
physics and radiation protection, and nuclear molecular biology. 
Nuclear medicine and radiopharmacy, specifically, the use of 
radioisotope techniques, allows for cost-effective management of 
pathologies by enabling early diagnosis and timely and appropriate 
patient therapy.  Through TC projects there has been improvement in 
the efficient and safe implementation of diagnostics and treatment 
procedures employing radiation sources. However, development and 
growth have been uneven among the countries in the region, which has 
had a negative impact on equitable access to this technology for 
lower income sectors and people who live in the rural areas.  ARCAL 
 
members and TC officials cite the deficiency in the number of 
professionals specializing in nuclear medicine and the constant need 
for training on new techniques as part of the problem.  Radiotherapy 
for cancer is experiencing a similar fate in the region as it faces 
a shortage of technicians who can safely operate machines and 
provide quality assurance.  While TC is working with some ARCAL 
members on cancer therapy projects, the IAEA's Program of Action for 
Cancer Therapy (PACT), a non-TC program under the Department of 
Nuclear Applications, has formed partnerships in Latin America. 
ARCAL is also considering whether a regional qualification in 
radiopharmacy and horizontal coordination among universities would 
help address these shortfalls. 
 
¶5.  (U) As is radiopharmacy, there is a shortage of experienced 
professionals who have specialized in medical physics and radiation 
protection.  According to ARCAL this is reflected in the growing 
number of incidents of serve exposure to radiation throughout the 
region. One of the challenges ARCAL members and the IAEA face is 
that while new equipment/lab environments can be obtained through 
the TC program, ARCAL member states have not always planned 
successfully for managing integration of this complex technology 
into national health programs. 
 
¶6.  (U) Nuclear molecular biology, specifically its application 
against infectious diseases, is another area of deficit.  There are 
many international initiatives (WHO, UN, IAEA) to control the spread 
of infectious diseases, but natural reservoirs and asymptomatic 
patients are a significant factor in the spread of infectious 
agents.  Molecular techniques improve detection of such diseases, 
allowing timely treatment and, in some cases, reduction of 
transmittal. Through TC projects, Latin American specialists have 
been able to learn about methods employing nucleic acids leading to 
quick diagnosis and genotyping techniques for infectious agents, 
however, the lack of skilled personnel or a regional laboratory 
network, as well as limited application of molecular isotopic 
techniques, have hampered the region's ability to respond to 
outbreaks of disease such as H1N1. 
 
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Environment 
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¶7.  (U) The TC Regional Strategic Plan (RSP) considers the gamut of 
environmental problems -- atmosphere, water resources, terrestrial, 
and marine factors -- in its TC program planning. The region covers 
15 percent of the planet's surface and has the largest pluvial 
system in the world (the Amazon and other systems) that carries more 
than 30 percent of the planet's fresh water to the Atlantic Ocean. 
The TC Division continues to support requests from ARCAL members for 
studies on groundwater mapping and coastal acidification. However, 
continued unregulated extraction of groundwater seriously affects 
the delicate saltwater/freshwater balance in many areas, causing 
changes in flow patterns, a drop in water tables, saltwater 
intrusion, and leaching of pollutants. 
 
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Nuclear Energy 
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¶8. (U) Primary energy consumption doubled in Latin America and the 
Caribbean between 1980 and 2005. The primary mode of energy delivery 
is through hydroelectric plants, with burning of fossil fuels coming 
second and nuclear in third place. According to the Regional 
Strategic Profile, seven countries in the region have experimental 
nuclear reactors of various types and power levels.  The purpose of 
these reactors is to provide neutron sources for research, 
experimentation, and radioisotope production.  In the field of 
operation, maintenance and radiation protection of experimental 
power reactors, more regional cooperation is needed to improve 
standard practices and safety.  ARCAL and the TC Division have been 
and will continue to work in this area. 
 
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Nuclear Safety 
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¶9. (U) Work within the radiation safety area focuses on efforts to 
ensure that ARCAL members establish a safety culture for radiation 
sources, starting with the commitment of governments to manage the 
regulatory authority. Additionally, the commitment of users of 
ionizing radiation, in TC recipient countries, must include aspects 
of radiation safety in all TC project proposals. IAEA TC officials 
recognize there is need to modernize existing regulatory frameworks 
in many TC recipient countries and promptly establish them in 
 
countries where they still do not exist, in order to ensure 
protection of individuals and the environment.  IAEA TC officials 
will continue to increase the capacity of ARCAL members to establish 
or improve education and training programs on safety of radiation 
sources and transport and safety of radioactive waste over many 
future TC project cycles. 
 
 
DAVIES