The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have jointly awarded Pakistani Nuclear scientists and Institute for Agriculture and Biology with the Outstanding Achievement Award,” the ministry said in a statement. According to a statement released by the Foreign Office, the honours certificates will be handed during the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 65th General Conference in September 2021.

A group of four scientists from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission received the Team Achievement Award for their efforts in the same field. A PAEC scientist received the ‘Young Scientist Award’ for work in plant mutant breeding and associated technologies. “These awards are a significant marker of Pakistan’s progress in nuclear technology and efforts to fulfil Sustainable Development Goals, particularly food security,” the FO said in a statement. The Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs) are a set of 17 interconnected global goals aimed at providing a “blueprint for a better and more sustainable future for all.” They were established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and are expected to be completed by 2030.