TORONTO, Canada and VIENNA, Austria – March 4, 2025 – This morning, Hua Liu, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and James Scongack, Chair of the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC), signed historic Practical Arrangements (PAs) highlighting a new collaboration effort between the two organizations.
The agreement, signed during an online event hosted by the CNIC, details the steps that the two organizations will take to build Canadian support for the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, which aims to address the disparity in access to radiation medicine for cancer care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Since Rays of Hope launched in 2022, over20 donor governments as well as partners from the private sector have contributed over $80 million US in total. As a result, LMICs around the globe have received essential radiotherapy and medical imaging machines, in addition to training for medical professionals to operate the equipment and provide diagnostics and treatments.
The PAs will leverage the CNIC’s network and its existing relationships with the federal and provincial governments in Canada to encourage support and raise awareness about the IAEA’s work and its Rays of Hope initiative. These efforts will be seamlessly integrated into the CNIC’s ongoing advocacy and government relations strategy and are aligned with the CNIC’s policy proposals and its goal to double the production of isotopes in Canada by 2030.
In taking a formal supporting role of the Rays of Hope initiative, Canada can continue to cement its place as a global leader in this sector by providing a consistent, reliable supply of medical isotopes to treat patients around the world.
“This PA emphasizes the CNIC’s commitment to ensuring nations around the world gain access to lifesaving nuclear medicine treatments and diagnostics for cancer. It acts as the first step that the CNIC and the IAEA will take together to encourage further Canadian support for the initiative,” said James Scongack, Chair of the CNIC. “By taking advantage of the CNIC’s extensive network within Canada’s nuclear medicine sector, I am confident we will be able to significantly increase Canada’s support of the Rays of Hope initiative.”
IAEA Deputy Director General for Technical Cooperation, Hua Liu, emphasized the impact of partnerships in addressing global health disparities. “By working together and leveraging CNIC’s expertise and networks, we aim to mobilize additional financial and in-kind resources to amplify our impact and transform the vision of Rays of Hope into a reality—improving cancer care for patients and communities worldwide,” he said.
“Canada has been a world leader in the research, development, and production of medical isotopes for decades. There are tremendous opportunities for Canada to grow both domestically and internationally for medical isotopes, and we are well positioned to take advantage of that growth and to continue being a global leader in this space,” said Pam Damoff, Member of Parliament for Oakville North—Burlington. “Through the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, Canada can now help lead the global effort to address disparities in access to radiotherapy infrastructure and cancer care in low- and middle-income countries around the world.”
The CNIC looks forward to leveraging this new agreement to pursue more formal collaboration between Canada, the IAEA, and the global nuclear medicine community.
Learn more about the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative here: https://www.iaea.org/services/key-programmes/rays-of-hope
About the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC) is an independent, not-for-profit advocacy and member services organization. The CNIC supports over 100 members from across science, academia, healthcare, and nuclear-sector organizations dedicated to maintaining Canada’s position as a global leader in the production of life-saving isotopes. The CNIC raises awareness and advocates for long-term policies that support health-care innovation and will save countless lives for decades to come.
For more information, please contact:
Melody Greaves
Executive Director & Vice President, Government Relations
Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
melody.greaves@canadianisotopes.ca