EU Statement at the IAEA Technical Assistance and Cooperation Committee on the Agency Proposed Programme for 2024-2025

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, 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 2024-25.

We reiterate our long-standing support for the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) as the main need based and demand driven mechanism of transfer of nuclear knowledge and technology to Member States. We commend the Department of Technical Cooperation for having developed new project proposals for 2024-25.

We appreciate the IAEA’s activities in supporting Member States in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and recognise the contributions of nuclear science and technology applications in areas such as human health, food and agriculture, water management, climate change, environmental protection, and preservation of cultural heritage.

We welcome that nuclear safety and security remain a key part of all TC activities. Since 2010, several Contribution Agreements have been signed between the EU and the IAEA in the area of nuclear and radiation safety. This longstanding cooperation and funding support from the European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) has helped the IAEA to deliver on projects and objectives in nuclear and radiation safety worldwide. It has also helped to facilitate complementarities, coordination and synergies between the EU and IAEA activities.

We note that 108 IAEA Member States have signed a Country Programme Framework (CPF) and we encourage further Member States to do so in order to align TC projects with the national development plans and priorities and to facilitate monitoring of the outcomes. A Revised Supplementary Agreement (RSAs) together with the CPF should be a precondition for benefiting from the TCP.

We encourage the Secretariat to continue its work in close partnership with Member States, UN agencies, the private sector and civil society. 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 budgetary constraints, identifying savings and efficiency gains is more important than ever.

The sustainability of the TC Programme depends on the commitment of all stakeholders and their voluntary contributions to meet the TC Fund target shares. Extra-budgetary contributions, additional government cost sharing and in-kind support are essential, as is the full payment of national participation costs. We encourage the Secretariat to continue to mobilise new and existing resources, including through the establishment of partnerships with other relevant organisations and non-traditional stakeholders. This is also required for the significant number of footnote-a projects to materialise.

We strongly encourage the TC Department to continue promoting women’s participation in all TC activities and call for strengthened attention to gender mainstreaming. The EU stands ready to cooperate closely with the Agency to further strengthen the IAEA’s gender equality policy.

Finally, Chair,

The EU calls on all Member States and implementation partners involved in TC projects to abide by the UN Charter and the IAEA Statute and not enter into cooperation with those who commit serious violations of international law. We recall that EU funding will no longer be used to finance IAEA activities of direct benefit to Russia or Belarus and that the EU will not participate in meetings or conferences held in Russia or Belarus. We encourage IAEA Member States to follow a similar approach.

With these comments, the EU and its Member States support the recommended actions in document GOV/2023/50.

Thank you, Chair.

* Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and 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.