In a meeting with IAEA Director General Grossi,
Malta’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other
International Organisations in Vienna, H.E Natasha Meli Daudey, highlighted Malta’s
priority to increase the participation of women and girls in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
The
€40,000 financial contribution to the IAEA’s own Marie-Sklodowska
Curie Fellowship Programme will ensure that this happens also within the
nuclear field. The Programme itself has already allowed 210 women from 93 countries with
scholarships at Master’s level to build the capacity needed in areas such as nuclear
energy, other nuclear applications, nuclear safety and nuclear security, as
well as non‑proliferation. Some also go on to intern at one of the Member State
laboratories around the world, thanks to the Programme, or continue to PhD
studies or nuclear-related careers.
Malta’s
contribution is also aimed at increasing the rate of women and girls in this
sector from the Mediterranean region, a region that would benefit greatly from
a qualified, gender-balanced workforce that tackles common challenges such as
climate change and food insecurity.
On his part, Director General Grossi welcomed
Malta’s generous contribution, saying that this will help the Programme to
ensure that the nuclear field mirrors the real world by assisting hundreds of
female students as post-graduate level to pursue a career in the area.