The Meeting Report and its Annexes for the 49th RCA General Conference Meeting are available on the RCA website. Please log in to access the documents (http://www.rcaro.org/gcm/view/id/22686).

The Signing Ceremony for Extension of the IAEA-RCARO Practical Arrangements     The signing ceremony for extension of the IAEA-RCARO Practical Arrangements was held on 15 October 2020. Due to the travel restrictions imposed under the Covid-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held virtually between the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna and Deajeon, Republic of Korea, where the RCARO is located. In 2017, the IAEA and the RCARO initially signed the 3-year Practical Arrangements on cooperation in the performance of secretariat duties under the 2017 RCA. Since then, the RCARO actively assisted the IAEA in preparation of RCA policy meetings, including meetings of the National RCA Representatives, and that of the RCA Annual Reports through communication with RCA stakeholders. The close cooperation between the two parties has been recognized to have contributed to successful arrangement of the RCA meetings and dissemination of information produced under the RCA Programme to the Government Parties. As the initial Practical Arrangements ended last September, the IAEA and the RCARO signed the extension of the Practical Arrangements for another three years. It is expected that the two parties will put more intense efforts into assisting the GPs with effective performance of secretariat duties and seeking for potential collaborative activities that could support the development of the RCA.

The 49th RCA General Conference Meeting held on 18 September 2020     The 49th RCA General Conference Meeting was held on 18 September 2020. Delegates from 21 RCA Government Parties, the Chair of the RCA Programme Advisory Committee and representatives from the RCA Regional Office participated in the meeting. It was also attended by Mr Dazhu Yang, DDG-TC, Ms Jane Gerardo-Abaya, DIR-TCAP, Mr Gashaw Gebeyehu Wole, SH-TCAP1, Ms Marina Mishar, SH-TCAP2, Mr Sinh Van Hoang, RCA-FP. The meeting was held virtually in the same manner as the 42nd Meeting of the National RCA Representatives held last April due to the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Abdul Muin Abdul Rahman, RCA Chair, and Mr Dazhu Yang of the IAEA delivered their statements to open the meeting and welcome the participants. The meeting dealt with RCA strategic management matters, especially on the efficient usage of project funds and planning of the future RCA Programme under this unprecedented situation of global pandemic. The Special Task Force for the 50th Anniversary of the RCA also reported their work plan and draft activities to celebrate the anniversary in 2022. It encouraged support of the Government Parties for preparation of the events, noting that their active involvement will be key to success. Other issues, including the extension of the IAEA-RCARO Practical Arrangements, were reported and discussed during the meeting. In comparison with the previous experience of conducting a virtual meeting of the National RCA Representatives in April, this meeting proved the enhanced capabilities of the RCA stakeholders to organize and participate in online events. The next meeting of the National RCA Representatives – the 43rdNRM – is planned to be held in April 2021, the specific date and modality to be confirmed subject to the regional status under the Covid-19.