Chair,

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

Promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women is a horizontal priority for the EU in all multilateral fora. The IAEA’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme fits perfectly to these goals. The EU would like to congratulate Director General Grossi for this initiative and his other actions to strive towards gender parity at the Agency by 2025. We acknowledge the work undertaken by the Secretariat to advance gender mainstreaming in all IAEA programmes and projects and look forward to further progress.

The EU is proud to be the largest donor to the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme. The new EU Council Decision adopted in Brussels on 19 February 2024 will ensure the continuation of EU support to IAEA activities aimed at strengthening women’s participation in the nuclear field. The goal is to encourage young women to pursue a career in nuclear sciences and technology or non-proliferation by providing scholarships for graduate studies as well as traineeships at the IAEA. In the long term, the Programme will contribute to a new generation of female science, technology, engineering and mathematics leaders, who will drive scientific and technological developments in their countries.

The EU will remain at the forefront of promoting gender equality at the IAEA. We will continue to support the work of the IAEA and encourage all governments, civil society and other stakeholders to make gender equality a palpable reality for women and girls around the world.

Thank you, Chair.

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