EU Statement on the IAEA’s Proposed Programme for 2025, 18 November 2024

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its Member States. The candidate countries Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina[1]  and Georgia, the EFTA countries Iceland, and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States wish to thank the Director General for his Report.

We reaffirm our support for the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). As the primary mechanism for the transfer of nuclear technology to Member States, and for nuclear knowledge development and management, it should remain needs-based and demand-driven.

We appreciate the IAEA’s activities in supporting Member States in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, which remain the EU’s overarching priority in the UN. We recognise the significant contributions of radiation and nuclear technology applications to peace, health and prosperity worldwide, in particular in areas such as health and environmental protection, food security and safety, mitigation of the effects of climate change, water management and preservation of cultural heritage.

We welcome that nuclear safety and security continue to be among the TC’s largest fields of activity. Since 2010, the EU and IAEA have collaborated in the area of nuclear and radiation safety, helping the IAEA to advance its projects and objectives in this field. Our long-standing partnership has enhanced coordination, synergies and complementarity between the EU and IAEA activities.

EU Member States remain among the major contributors to the TC Fund, along with substantial extra-budgetary contributions and in-kind support, including from the EU institutions. In that regard, we are pleased to announce further European Commission funding for the IAEA of 7.8 million Euros. One of the projects funded is implemented by the IAEA TC Department in collaboration with AFRA (the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology) and will focus on strengthening basic safety standards and radioactive waste management.

We note that 145 Member States have already signed a Revised Supplementary Agreement (RSA) concerning the provision of technical assistance by the IAEA. We strongly encourage those Member States that have not yet done so to sign such a RSA, as well as a Country Programme Framework. In our view, these two documents should serve as a precondition for benefiting from the TCP. They ensure alignment with national development priorities and indicate strong government commitment and ownership.

We encourage the Agency to continue its work in close partnership with Member States, other UN agencies, the private sector and civil society to ensure that its contributions in the area of nuclear science and technology are embedded within the broader international development agenda. We particularly encourage the Agency to participate fully in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

Chair,

The EU supports the efforts made by the Agency to further strengthen the IAEA’s gender equality policy. We strongly encourage the TC Department to continue promoting women’s participation in all TC activities and to place even greater focus on gender mainstreaming.

We also renew our call to the Secretariat to continue enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness and results-based delivery of the TCP to maximise its impact. This is particularly important in light of the current budgetary constraints.

The sustainability of the TC Programme depends on the commitment of all stakeholders involved and their voluntary contributions to meet their TC Fund target shares. Extra-budgetary contributions, additional government cost sharing and in-kind support are crucial for the Programme, as is the full payment of national participation costs. We support the Agency’s efforts to further strengthen the Programme’s sustainability through further partnerships with relevant organisations, engaging also non-traditional stakeholders, and mobilising both new and existing resources.

It is also important that the Agency continues to ensure that technical cooperation projects are fully consistent with the UN Charter, the IAEA Statute as well as with the requirements of the resolutions of the Board, the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, throughout their implementation.

With these comments, the EU and its Member States support the recommended actions in document GOV/2024/58.

Thank you, Chair.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.