Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its Member States. The following countries align themselves with this statement: North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine^*, the Republic of Moldova^*, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, Georgia, Iceland⁺ and Norway⁺.

The EU and its Member States wish to thank the Director General for his Report on the Agency’s proposed Technical Cooperation Programme for 2023, as contained in document GOV/2022/56.

The EU and its Member States reiterate their strong support for the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). We fully recognise its importance as the main mechanism of transfer of nuclear technology to many Member States as well as its contributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We appreciate the IAEA’s activities in supporting Member States in their efforts to achieve the SDGs and in particular the possible contribution of nuclear science and technology in areas such as human health, agriculture and food security, water management, climate change, environmental protection, and preservation of cultural heritage.

In view of the TC Programme implementation in 2023, we wish to reiterate the importance of the needs-based, demand-driven and non-discriminatory nature of the TCP. We also recall that nuclear safety and security remain among Europe’s priority areas within the TC Fields of Activity.

The continuing increase in the total number of signed Revised Supplementary Agreements (RSAs) - reaching 143 now - is a positive trend. The RSAs together with the Country Programme Frameworks (CPFs) should be a precondition for benefiting from the TCP to ensure close linkages with national development priorities and strong government commitment and ownership.

We encourage the Agency to continue its work in close partnership with Member States, UN agencies, the private sector and civil society in order to optimise the contribution of nuclear science and technology, within the broader framework of the international development agenda. In this regard, we particularly encourage the Agency to strengthen its participation in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

Chair,

We renew our call to the Secretariat to continue enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness and results-based delivery of the TCP to maximise the Programme’s impact. In times of an economic crisis, identifying savings and efficiency gains is more important than ever. In this context, we recall one of the OIOS findings on the evaluation of the Agency’s quality review process, encouraging the TC Department to further enhance national ownership that is key to a greater impact and sustainability of the TCP. We also continue to support a consistent application of the results-based management approach.

The sustainability of the TC Programme depends on the commitment of all involved stakeholders. Thus, IAEA Member States’ voluntary contributions to meet their TC Fund target shares, extra-budgetary contributions, additional government cost sharing and in-kind support are essential, as is s the full payment of national participation costs. We support the Agency’s efforts to further strengthen the Programme’s sustainability through the establishment of partnerships with other relevant organisations, non-traditional stakeholders and through the mobilisation of new and existing resources. This is required for the significant number of footnote-a projects to materialise in light of the declining global economic outlook.

We strongly encourage the TC Department to continue mainstreaming gender in all TC activities and to make use of the OIOS recommendations in this regard. The EU stands ready to cooperate closely with the Agency to further strengthen the IAEA’s gender equality policy.

Finally, Chair,

Regretfully, the IAEA’s work is affected by the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. Technical cooperation activities are not an exception. The EU calls on all Member States and implementation partners involved in TC projects to abide by the UN Charter and the IAEA Statute. We recall the EU position that voluntary funding provided under relevant EU instruments will no longer be used to finance IAEA activities of direct benefit to Russia or Belarus. Furthermore, the EU will not participate in meetings or conferences held in Russia or Belarus. We encourage IAEA Member States to follow a similar approach and scrutinize their respective projects and activities in order to avoid entering into cooperation with those who commit serious violations of international law.

With these comments, the EU and its Member States support the recommended actions in document GOV/2022/56.

Thank you, Chair.

* Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, as well as potential Candidate Country Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

+ Iceland and Norway are members of the EFTA and of the European Economic Area.