20 September, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) co-organized the ceremony for the achievement awards in plant mutation breeding and associated biotechnologies. The IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and the FAO Director General Qu Dongyu attended the ceremony and presented the winners with awards. Chinese scientific and technological workers won all the three categories of awards, namely the Outstanding Achievement Award, the Women in Plant Mutation Breeding Award and the Young Scientist Award. Chinese Envoy to the UN in Vienna, Ambassador Wang Qun, was invited to attend the ceremony and made remarks.
Amb. Wang pointed out, recent years have witnessed impressive results made by Chinese agricultural researchers in the innovative development of mutation breeding of new agricultural genetic resources and new varieties. By the year 2020, China has developed and officially released 1033 mutant varieties, which account for about 1/3 of the world total in this area. It has played a unique role in ensuring China's food security, promoting green agricultural development, helping to win the battle against poverty, and achieving rural revitalization in an all-around way, and has greatly contributed to global food security and eradication of hunger.
Amb. Wang stated that for a long time, China and the IAEA have carried out fruitful cooperation in various fields of nuclear technology applications, in particular in the agricultural applications. China has all along served as the Lead Country Coordinator in this area under the RCA framework, set up a Collaborative Centre on Nuclear Applications in Agriculture in cooperation with the Agency, actively participated in IAEA technical cooperation programs by hosting workshops and training courses, accepting scientific visits and fellowships and providing expert services, and shared with other Member States its expertise and experiences, which have contributed to the global joint efforts in pursuing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In conclusion, Amb. Wang stressed that China would like to take this award ceremony as an opportunity to further strengthen its cooperation and exchanges with the IAEA and the FAO as well as other Member States to deepen south-south and triangular cooperation, with joint efforts to achieving the common goal of ensuring global food security, promoting green agricultural development and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The IAEA and FAO co-organized this award event to recognize Member States' remarkable achievements in promoting the development of plant mutation breeding and associated biotechnologies. The awards include three categories, namely the Outstanding Achievement Award, the Women in Plant Mutation Breeding Award and the Young Scientist Award. A total of 28 teams, individuals or institutes from 20 countries including China, Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, and South Africa, were recognized as awards winners in this event. Chinese awards winners are as follows: Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences won the Outstanding Achievement Award; Ms Guo Huijun from the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences won the Women in Plant Mutation Breeding Award; and Mr Yang Zhen from the Institute of Nuclear Agriculture Sciences and Space Mutagenesis Breeding, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences won the Young Scientist Award.