Vienna Chapter
The Group of 77 and China wishes to thank the Director General, Dr.
Mohamed ElBaradei, for his introductory statement highlighting the various
Agenda items of this meeting. The Group would like also to commend the
Secretariat for the preparation of document GOV/2006/23 that contains the
Annual Report for 2005.
The Group has carefully studied the Annual report, which contains a
summary of the Agency's main activities in 2005, and would like to make
the following comments on different parts of this document.
Mr Chairman,
The Group of G77 & China firmly believes that technology
constitutes the core of Agency's profile and the basis for achieving its
goals, particularly since it contributes to the socioeconomic development
of its Member States and enhances Agency's credibility with regard to all
pillars. The Group wishes to stress in this regard that it is fundamental
to maintain a fair balance between all the pillars of the Agency and that
this principle should be respected in planning, funding and implementing
its programmes. The Group is of the view that measures responding to
non-proliferation, safety and security concerns should not hamper such
balance, nor should they constitute a barrier for technology transfer.
In this context, the Group notes that the Agency continued to be the
global focal point for cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peace
and development and its activities focused on facilitating the development
and transfer of peaceful nuclear technologies.
The Group endorses the wide ranging activities undertaken by the
Agency viz. providing scientific and technological support in the
application of nuclear techniques for food and agriculture, human health,
industry, water resource management, environment, knowledge management and
nuclear energy planning and production
Mr Chairman,
The Group considers energy as a vital tool for growth. In this
context, it notes that 2005 was a year of rising expectations for nuclear
energy in view of rising oil and natural gas prices, environmental
constraints on the use of fossil fuels, energy supply concerns and nuclear
power's performance record.
The Group notes that at the end of 2005, there were 443 nuclear power
reactors operating worldwide accounting for 16% of world electricity
production. The Group notes that this data is based on the Agency's PRIS
database, which is enhanced to improve data consistency and completeness,
and for better applicability of PRIS statistics.
The Group encourages the continued efforts of the Agency in assisting
Member States which are increasingly opting for nuclear power to meet
their growing energy needs, and should not be faced with undue constraints
on the transfer of relevant nuclear technology.
With regard to increasing Member States capabilities in the planning
and implementation of the nuclear power programmes, the Group notes with
satisfaction the preparation of reports on the minimum infrastructure
necessary to establish a nuclear power programme and all issues associated
with it. The Agency should also facilitate technical assistance necessary
to establish and enhance nuclear power infrastructure in the interested
Member States.
Mr Chairman,
With respect to technology development for additional applications
and expanding nuclear power, the Group notes the activities organized by
the Agency to advance the development of Small and Medium Sized reactors
(SMR) which focus on the need of countries with small grids and limited
infrastructure. The Group further notes with interest the design and
technology development of small reactors without on site refuelling and
looks forward to the results of the CRP initiated on such reactors.
The Group also supports Agency's activities related to nuclear
desalination and notes the release of the latest upgraded version of the
DEEP Software to assist Member States in the economic evaluation of sites
specific cases involving various types of nuclear reactors and
desalination systems.
The Group supports complementary activities in all innovative and
advanced reactor designs undertaken through INPRO and Generation IV
projects, as well as national initiatives. It notes with satisfaction the
continued growth in INPRO membership, and looks forward to the
implementation of the next phase of this international project.
With regard to ITER, the Group notes the agreement among the ITER
partners on future arrangements and on its construction at Cadarache in
France. Activities undertaken including the CRP on research using small
TOKAMAK through the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical
Physics to promote International collaboration and facilitate the exchange
of information of nuclear fusion are also noted.
Mr Chairman,
While the Group is concerned about the increase of more than 350% in
the uranium prices between 2001-2005, it notes with satisfaction the
consensus at the Agency's symposium on 'Uranium Production and Raw
Materials for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle' that uranium resources are adequate
to fuel the projected expansion of nuclear power. The Group, however,
notes that additional investment would be needed towards attaining this
objective. The Agency must play a proactive role in supporting the
exploration and processing of new sources, and the reprocessing of the
spent fuel, by facilitating technology transfer in these fields to Member
States that have the potential for this activity. The Group also notes
that the Agency has published three TECDOC's on the issue and its related
aspects and provided guidance, assistance and training to personnel from
MS in related areas.
G-77 and China is conscious of the challenges arising out of disposal
of spent nuclear fuel and waste management. In this regard, the Group
notes the Agency's efforts to address the issue through a series of CRPs
on spent fuel performance assessment and research. The implementation of a
regional technical cooperation project on the management of spent fuel
from research reactors is also noted. The Group looks forward to receiving
conclusions of the Agency's meetings on the long storage spent fuel.
In the light of the increasing importance of the decommissioning
issue, the Group encourages the Agency to continue to provide guidance on
the choice between decommissioning and license renewal and to assist in
coordinating the exchange of best practices among Member States.
Mr Chairman,
The Group supports all the Agency's efforts in the area of nuclear
knowledge management and human capacity building. With regard to energy
assessment and planning, the Group notes that the Agency's updated energy
planning tools are used in more than 109 countries and that energy
professionals from 51 countries were trained to analyze national options
for meeting the energy demand. The Group encourages the Agency to continue
its analytical studies to complement its training programme.
The ageing workforce in nuclear industry necessitates recruitment of
new technical staff, but the dwindling interest in offering specialized
nuclear-related courses in advanced universities calls for greater efforts
on the part of Agency to support academic studies in nuclear related
fields. The Agency should continue supporting activities like the courses
of World Nuclear University summer institute for the benefit of developing
countries.
The Group appreciates the Agency's focus on the maintenance and
preservation of nuclear knowledge by developing the guidance and
methodology on knowledge management, as well as tools and services for
better access to nuclear information and knowledge.
The Group notes with appreciation the record pace at which
International Nuclear Information System (INIS) database is expanding and
the fact that students at 283 universities now have free access to this
system with nearly a million authorized users.
The establishment of the 'Nucleus', an information portal to provide
a common access point to individuals in different professions to Agency's
nuclear knowledge and information resources is also noted with
appreciation. In the same vein, the Group encourages expanding the use of
Information and Communication Technologies for training and education in
several developing countries.
Mr Chairman,
The Group expresses its satisfaction with the high level of nuclear
safety performance reflected in the annual report. However, the Group
shares the concern over the lack of appropriate funding in regulatory
bodies and research reactors to adequately deal with potential safety
challenges. While the efforts of the Agency in this regard are laudable,
it is equally important for the Agency to facilitate supply of
safety-related equipment and systems to developing Member States.
The Group wishes to underline the importance it attaches to training
activities in the field of safety and requests the Agency to continue and
enhance its assistance to developing Member States in this regard.
The global opinion poll commissioned by the Agency shows diverging
opinions on nuclear power. While 62% of people polled supports
continuation of existing power plants, 59% are not in favour of building
new nuclear power plants. The results of this poll show clearly, in light
of the Agency's efforts in improving and enhancing nuclear safety, that
there is a need for further communication and education efforts on nuclear
power. The Group is of the view that the increasing focus on verification
and non-proliferation issues in the Agency and the inflated reference to
the Agency as a nuclear "watch-dog" in the media is not helpful
and tends to overshadow its other activities. Promoting the image of
nuclear energy as a safe source is becoming more pressing in the view of
the growing need for nuclear power.
Mr Chairman,
In the area of nuclear science, recalling that 2005 was declared "World
Year of Physics", the Group appreciates the Agency's effort to
provide data users in Member States with cost free access to the most
important basic numerical data needed in a wide range of energy and
non-energy applications. The Group notes the growing request for these
nuclear data services indicated in the Report and notes the role of the
Agency as the main source of up to date information in this area. In this
regard, the Group would like to thank the Secretariat for organizing
training activities on nuclear data
Conscious of the need for raising a new generation of nuclear
scientists and engineers as part of nuclear knowledge management, as well
as of other challenges developing countries are facing in implementing or
expanding nuclear power generation, the Group hopes that it would be
possible for the Agency to meet these challenges through developing
innovative technologies, their effective transfer to countries which may
need them and through further capacity-building in the field of human
resources.
In the area of Health, the Group expresses its appreciation with
regard to the Agency's efforts to enhance the capabilities in Member
States to address the needs related to the prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of health problems.
The Group takes note with appreciation on the launching of a new
programme to build capacity in dosimetry and looks forward to receiving
the training material in medical physics developed by the Agency in this
regard. The Group would also like to thank the Agency for the publication
of the Nuclear Medicine Resource Manual, which is a very useful guide for
the establishment of a nuclear medicine service and for performance
optimization.
The Group takes note of the WHO report on cancer control which states
that the Agency has contributed information on the planning and practical
implementation of radiotherapy services in low to middle income countries.
In this regard, the Agency's QUATRO service is much appreciated.
The Group wishes to emphasise that the Programme of Action on Cancer
Therapy (PACT), which is one of the priorities of the Agency, embodies in
a clear way the peaceful use of atomic energy for civilian and
humanitarian purposes.
The Group would like to thank the DG for all actions taken to
strengthen the programme and the PACT Management Office for the progress
achieved so far. The Group thanks also Member States that have been making
contributions to this programme and encourages them to enhance their
donations for a better and more efficient implementation of the programme.
Mr Chairman,
In the context of the Agency's activities related to physical and
chemical application, the Group is pleased to note that some CRPs were
developed particularly to improve health care, industrial performance and
effective quality control processes, and welcomes, in this regard, the
results of the CRP on the development of radioactive sources for the
treatment of prostate and eye cancer, for portable radiation sources for
radiographic monitoring.
The Group welcomes the initiative of the Agency on the development of
modular distance learning tools on radiochemistry for university and
research students, and looks forward to the distribution of these modules
to Member States.
Mr Chairman,
In the field of research reactors, the Group takes note of the
Agency's focus on the promotion of regional collaboration and networking
in the areas of radioisotope production, education and training, and
neutron beam applications, in order to strengthen the development of
strategic utilization plans. The Group appreciates that the Agency had
organized a symposium on the utilization of accelerators for scientists
from developing countries.
The Group takes note that the Agency has completed a number of
national and regional activities to improve the capacity of laboratories
in developing countries to utilize, maintain and repair nuclear
instruments. The Group looks forward to receiving feedback on the outcome
of the CRP on the development of harmonized quality assurance and quality
control procedures for the maintenance and repair of nuclear instruments.
The Group also appreciates the distribution of 250 training kits for
nuclear instrumentation.
The Group notes with appreciation that the Agency has helped
introduce plant breeding and selection methods that can lead to new,
better adapted and higher yielding varieties of basic food and industrial
crops, in developing countries. The Group would like to thank the Agency's
support on the CRP on sustainable crop production in agro-forestry
systems.
The Group welcomes the publication of the first comprehensive
textbook on Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), notes the expansion of the
ongoing project to assess the feasibility of using SIT to control
malaria-transmitting mosquitoes and supports its expansion to combat
locust.
The Group would like to thank the Agency for initiating a CRP on
combating micronutrient deficiencies, the first of its kind, which
supports post-graduate students in developing countries.
Mr Chairman,
The Group expresses its appreciation also for the progress achieved
in water resources management using the isotope technology, and is pleased
to note the increased emphasis given by the Agency to foster partnerships
with national counterparts and international organizations in order to
maximize the impact of its activities. In this regard, the Group welcomes
the results of the CRP on the application of isotope techniques to
understand the migration of agricultural or other contaminants to
groundwater.
The Group would like to thank the Agency for facilitating over 80
technical cooperation projects in water resources development and
management in developing Member States.
In relation to paragraph 59 of the Annual Report, about "New
approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle", where it is stated that "Several
member States welcomed the recommendations of the report and encouraged
the Agency to take the next steps towards their implementation", the
Group of 77 and China would like to draw the attention to the fact that
according to the Official Records of the Board sessions of 2 March 2005,
the representative of the Non-Aligned Movement and few individual Board
Members took the floor to make comments on the issues contained in the
Expert Group on Multilateral Nuclear Approaches (MNA). In its statement,
NAM said, inter alia, that it was not in a position to offer detailed
comments on the Report; while the individual Member States expressed
differing and, in most cases, preliminary opinions about issues contained
in the Report.
It should be also recalled that, as stated in paragraph 9 of the
Expert Group Report, that Group consisted of individuals, participating in
their personal capacity, selected by the Director General. Furthermore, it
is stated in paragraph 10 of the Expert Group Report that "Although
the Expert Group agreed to forward its report to the Director General, it
is important to note that the report does not necessarily reflect
agreement by all of the experts on the desirability or feasibility of
MNAs, or on all of the options. Nor does it reflect a consensus assessment
of their respective value. It is intended only to present possible options
for MNAs and to reflect on the rang of factors that could influence the
consideration of those options".
In the light of the information that I have mentioned, the Group of
77 and China requests the Secretariat to redraft paragraph 59 of the
Annual Report accordingly.
Thank you.
The Group of G77 and China wishes to thank the Secretariat for producing the
report contained in Document GOV/2004/24 and its supplement, as well as the
Deputy Director General Ana Maria Cetto for her introductory statement.
The Group attaches paramount importance to Technical Cooperation as a
pillar of the Agency and means for nuclear technology transfer, as well as
an efficient tool for accelerating the socioeconomic development of
developing countries. For this reason, the Group reiterates that financial
resources of TC should be assured, predictable and sufficient. Payment of
contributions in full and on time is important in this regard. The Group
calls on developed Member States to further increase their contributions
to TC through TCF and Extra-budgetary funding.
Mr Chairman,
The year under review shows that the Agency has continued to assist
Member States in areas of vital importance such as food and agriculture,
human health, industry, water resource management, environment, knowledge
management and nuclear energy planning and production. It is highly
important that this assistance is maintained and enhanced in response to
Member States' needs, as well as national and regional priorities, in line
with the TC Strategy and the pertinent resolutions of the General
Conference.
The Group is pleased that TC activities are addressing at least 5 out
of the 8 Millennium Development Goals in the areas of environmental
sustainability, combating disease, hunger and poverty, maternal health and
child health. The Group encourages the Secretariat to ensure that the TC
programme maintains its valuable contribution to the fulfilment of those
objectives. In this regard, the Group highly appreciates the Secretariat's
efforts aiming at developing and encouraging international and regional
Partnerships to mobilise further support and financial resources for
Technical Cooperation.
The Group appreciates the support of the Secretariat through TC to
all efforts aimed at promoting Technical Cooperation among Developing
Countries through inter-alia regional resource centres. In this regard,
the Secretariat is encouraged to continue its assistance to regional
cooperative agreements. The Group notes the Agency's supporting efforts in
all regions for promoting self-reliance and sustainability in Member
States.
In the field of nuclear knowledge, the Group notes with appreciation
that a number of activities were implemented in several regions, with the
objective of enhancing and strengthening national capabilities. The Group
encourages the Agency to continue its efforts directed at preserving and
developing skills and competence through intensifying its cooperation with
national and regional institutions.
The Group reiterates the importance for the Agency to continue
assisting Developing Countries in the field of non-power applications and
wishes to renew, in this regard, its support to the use of the Sterile
Insect Technique in its different applications, and its enlargement to
combat the Mediterranean fruit fly, malaria and locust.
Mr Chairman,
The Group notes with satisfaction the overall improvement in
financial and delivery indicators. It is worth noting that delivery in
2005 has been above the 2004 level and that new resources have increased
compared to the same year, while new obligations have reached an all time
high level. It should be also noted that the implementation rate for 2005
stood at 68.6% against 68.1% in 2004. However, this rate is much higher if
calculated based only on the TC approved core programme. While expressing
its appreciation to the staff of the Department for planning and
implementing the programme, the Group calls on the Secretariat to make
more efforts to improve the implementation rate.
While noting the extremely high number of unfunded footnote a/
projects, the Group is pleased to note that extra-budgetary resources
increased by more than one third over 2004 level, and contributed to
funding 25% of foot note a/ projects. In this connection, the Group calls
on donor countries to show more flexibility in the use of these resources
in order to improve the implementation of TC projects and activities.
Mr Chairman,
Noting the difficulties encountered in using the web based
interaction in line with the Programme Cycle Management Framework (PCMF),
the Group is of the view that more time is required to achieve a
successful implementation. Furthermore, the Group reiterates that
Permanent Missions of concerned Member States should be allowed
appropriate access to follow the web-based development of TC projects and
looks forward to assessing the new formula at the end of the 2007-2008
cycle.
Regarding other Management issues, the Group recalls that the
restructuring of the TC Department and the review of the programming
process were meant to enhance internal coordination and the Programme
Planning and delivery. Mindful of the initial assessment contained in the
report, as well as the results of the "satisfaction survey", the
Group stresses that continuous consultations with Member States are
fundamental for successful implementation of any new measures.
The Group is pleased to note that Section Heads in the Department are
being appointed to complete its new structure, without further delay, and
is willing to continue dialogue with the Department with the view of
assessing the impact of this restructuring.
The Group looks forward also to the review of regional programming
and of National Liaison Officers' profile, as well as to consultations
with TC Department on the other initiatives it intends to take. The Group
takes the opportunity to welcome plans aiming at improving women's
presence and participation in line with the General Conference resolutions
and wishes to highlight, in this regard, the importance it attaches to
equitable geographical representation in the Secretariat.
With these comments, G77 and China agrees to the recommended action.
Thank you
Mr. Chairman,
The Group of 77 and China would like to express its appreciation to
the Co-chairpersons for the able manner in which they have conducted the
consultations and renews its willingness to cooperate fully with for a
successful conclusion of the consultations.
The Group wishes to reiterate the great importance that it attaches
to the Agency's technical cooperation activities, as they are the main
statutory vehicle for transferring nuclear technology to developing
countries for their socio-economic development, in keeping with the IAEA's
Statute.
Over the years, the Group has participated actively in the
discussions and negotiations regarding the TC Programme. By doing so, our
membership has sought to ensure that the IAEA technical cooperation
activities are strong, efficient and effective in meeting national needs
in a sustainable manner and that they continue to keep up with the growing
needs of developing countries in key areas for their sustainable
development, such as the peaceful applications of nuclear technology in
human health, power generation, industry, water management and
agriculture.
One of the most important conditions to achieve this goals is, as
stressed by the General Conference resolutions, is to ensure that the
Agency's resources for technical co-operation activities are assured,
predictable and sufficient.
In spite of all efforts made and the introduction of the mechanism of
the Rate of Attainment, this objective is still not achieved. Furthermore,
TCF targets have been frozen or registered an insignificant increase from
1999 to 2004. This led to an insufficient level of the TC programme with a
large number of footnote a/ projects without funding, while a new system
of NPCs has been introduced and payment by developing Member States
improved.
With all this in mind, G77 and China contributed to the consultations
on the TCF targets for 2007-2008 and the Indicative Planning Figures for
2009-2011. The Group has based also its participation on the package of
2003 and the agreement of 2004, which both set the ground of an increase
in the TCF target. During the meetings of the Working Group, as well as in
his consultations with the Co-chairpersons, our Group has shown enough
flexibility to achieve a consensus.
The Group wishes to reiterate that an agreement on the target and the
IPFs is only acceptable if takes into account that:
- The package of 2003 which indicates that from 2005 onward, TCF
targets shall be negotiated based on the changes in the level of the
Regular Budget and the price adjustment factor;
- The agreement of 2004 which stipulates that TCF targets for 2007
shall not be less than 78.5 Million USD, this figure being only an
indicative bottom line and that by doing so the Board indicated the need
for a real increase;
- Since the last time the target has been set 4 new members have
joined the Agency and that 2 new candidatures have been introduced
-The necessity to maintain a balance between the statutory activities
of the Agency.
-The need for the Agency to send a political message that it attaches
appropriate importance to Technical Cooperation.
In this regard the Group is repeating its proposal which was
presented today by the Chairperson of the TCF target Working Group at the
amount of 81.5 Million USD.
Mr Chairman,
The Group of G77 and China thanks the Director General for the report
on the review of the Initial Implementation of National Participation
Costs, contained in Document GOV/INF/2006/8, and the Deputy Director
General for Technical Cooperation for her presentation.
The Group would like to thank the Secretariat for the work carried
out in the framework of implementation of this new mechanism and shares
the view that a complete assessment of the NPCs system can only be
achieved when TC projects introduced in 2005-2006 are completed. In this
connection, the Group notes with satisfaction that all Member States
except two have paid their NPCs.
The Group notes with concern delays in projects commencement due to
difficulties deriving mainly from the implementation of a new system and
in particular the requirements of national regulations and budgetary
cycles and regrets, in this regard, the lack of flexibility. All
stakeholders should circumvent any delays in the future to ensure a timely
and efficient implementation of the programme to meet the urgent needs of
developing countries. It is important, in this regard, to avoid situations
where projects could be moved to footnote a/ status.
Mr Chairman,
The Group is pleased to note that in-kind contributions, as evaluated
by the Secretariat, rose from 0.6 million in 2004 to 1.2 million in 2005,
which constitutes a further financial contribution by developing Member
States to the TC programme.
The Group notes that in-kind contributions are currently evaluated
only on the basis of assistance transferred between member States and that
these contributions are reported both as new resources and as
disbursements in the TC Report each year. The Group is of the view that
the Secretariat should take into consideration the issue of in-kind
contributions as a whole, including contributions made by the recipient
Member States to their national projects, since those contributions can be
evaluated financially.
Bearing in mind the importance of the issue and recalling the package
agreement of 2003, the Group emphasises that the Secretariat should
continue exploring, in consultation with concerned Member States, means of
a more accurate valuing of in-kind contributions and the possible in-kind
payment of NPCs pending the finalisation of IPSAS provisions.
Mr Chairman
Regarding projects funded, totally or partially, by the Programme
reserve, and footnote a/ projects upgraded mid-cycle to core projects, the
Group considers that NPCs down-payment obligation should not apply. First,
because they are limited in number and amounts. Second, because of the
urgency characterising the use of the Programme reserve. Third, because of
the difficulties concerned Member States may face in making such mid-cycle
payment in a timely manner. Fourth, down-payment obligation in this case
may cause further delays in the projects implementation, as well as it
increases the workload for the Secretariat.
For these reasons, the Group requests that the Board decides this
category of projects is exempted from the 2.5% down-payment condition,
bearing in mind that this concerns only Member States who would have
already paid at least 2.5% of their core national programme.
Mr Chairman
With regard to possible application of NPCs to Regional and
interregional projects, The Group would like to stress that NPCs are
already applied to fellowships and scientific visits, and shares the views
and concerns expressed by the Secretariat on the issue in the report under
consideration.
The Group is not in a position to accept payment of NPCs based on
estimations, nor finds it appropriate that developing Member States be
charged a fixed amount on their participation to regional and
interregional projects. Furthermore, the Group would like to draw the
attention to the nature of these projects as described in the
Secretariat's report as well as to the difficulty in estimating individual
benefits to specific Member States under regional and interregional
projects. It should be also underlined that such projects play an
important role in promoting TCDC, to which the Agency is committed.
The Group looks forward to the review of the Regional programming
announced by the Secretariat.
Thank you Mr Chairman
Mr Chairman,
The Group of 77 and China would like to thank DDG David Waller for
presenting the report of the meeting of the Programme and Budget
Committee, from 2 to 4 May 2006, as contained in document GOV/2006/26.
The Group would not restate its comments expressed during the PBC
meeting. The Group wishes only to revisit one issue on which there has
been, unfortunately, no consensus, namely the financing of the Programme
of Action on Cancer Therapy, which is of a highest importance. It should
also be recalled that it has been agreed that this programme is one of the
priorities of the Agency.
The Group would also like to reiterate that in the past, the Board of
Governors has authorized the use of regular budget cash surpluses to
finance various initiatives of safeguards and security enhancement of the
VIC premises. The Group believes that this could be also applied to PACT.
Finally, the Group calls on all Members States to show flexibility in
their consultations with the Chairman of the Board in order to find a
solution for the financing of this Programme as soon as possible. Thank
you Mr. Chairman.
Thank you.
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