Description

Why In News?

India has assumed the Chairmanship of the Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA) for 2026.

What Is the Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA)?

It is an inter-governmental agreement established in 1972 under the guidance and auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Membership: Currently includes 22 Government Parties (GPs) from the Asia-Pacific region, including founding members like India.

Core Objective: The RCA promotes and coordinates cooperative research, development, and training projects in nuclear science and technology to improve living conditions and preserve nature.

Guiding Principle: It utilizes Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC), which involves sharing expertise, technology, resources, and facilities to strengthen collective self-sufficiency.

Decision-Making Bodies:

National RCA Representatives (NRs): Principal contact points who take all decisions by consensus.
National Representatives Meeting (NRM): An annual policy-level meeting to consider development priorities and programme management.
General Conference Meeting (GCM): An annual meeting held for decision-making and policy review.

Operational Support: The RCA Regional Office (RCARO), established in 2002 in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, manages administrative duties, increases visibility, and promotes partnerships.

Source: PIB

Attempt Daily Quiz

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements about the Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA):

It is an intergovernmental framework established under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The agreement promotes cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear science across all UN member countries globally.
India assumed the Chairmanship of the RCA for the year 2026.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only

B) 1 and 3 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) 1, 2, and 3

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The RCA is an intergovernmental framework established in 1972 under the auspices (aegis) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Statement 2 is incorrect: The agreement does not cover all UN member countries globally. It is specifically a regional agreement for the Asia and the Pacific region. As of the search results, it comprises 22 Government Parties from this specific region, not all UN members. Other regions have their own agreements (e.g., AFRA for Africa, ARCAL for Latin America).

Statement 3 is correct: India formally assumed the Chairmanship of the RCA for the year 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The RCA is an intergovernmental framework established in 1972 under the IAEA to promote cooperative research, development, and training related to peaceful nuclear science and technology in the Asia-Pacific.

India has officially assumed the Chairmanship of the RCA for the year 2026.

The RCA focuses on the peaceful application of nuclear technology in vital sectors including healthcare (cancer treatment and nuclear medicine), agriculture (crop improvement and food preservation), water management, and environmental sustainability.