Vienna Chapter
Thank you Mr. Chairman for giving me the floor. The Group of 77 and
China wishes to thank Dr. Mohamed El Baradei, Director General of the IAEA
for his comprehensive introductory statement on various agenda items and
on the developments taken place since the previous Board meeting.
Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China would be pleased to render
its full assistance to you during the current Board meeting in order to
make its deliberations a complete success.
The Group expresses its deepest condolence and sympathy to the
government and people of the Kingdom of Morocco and also to the families
and friends of the victims of the tragic earthquake which occurred on 24
February 2004.
Now Mr. Chairman let me say a few words about
First of all I would like to express the appreciation of the Group of
G77 and China to the Secretariat for producing the Nuclear Safety Review
for 2003 as contained in the Agency document GOV/2004/3 and the three
accompanying complementary documents. The Group also thanks DDG Nuclear
Safety and Security, Mr. Taniguchi for his introduction of the present
agenda item.
Mr. Chairman, the Group attaches great importance to the nuclear
safety and security programmes of the Agency. The members of the Group are
continuously taking measures to improve safety and security requirements
in their national nuclear organizations. The Group would like to further
increase its interaction and cooperation with the Agency and other
advanced Member States to draw more benefits for this important area. The
analytical nature of the Review provides considerable help to the Group's
membership for taking decisions on their nuclear safety policies in
accordance with their national priorities. The inclusion in the Review of
a vast array of topics broadens the scope for the participation of the
Group's Member States in the Agency's safety programmes. The Group notes
with interest the integration of security in the department of safety
though the Group regards safety and security as two separate domains,
albeit the existence of interlinkages. In this context the Group would be
pleased to carefully study the forthcoming separate nuclear security
report as indicated by the Agency in the present Review. However, it is
the preference of the Group for sections C.7 and E, particularly which are
devoted to security issues, to be reported in the said forthcoming
security report.
Mr. Chairman, the Nuclear Safety Review deals with a large number of
safety issues which need careful consideration by the national authorities
of the membership of the Group. This will naturally take some time. A
feedback mechanism may be established by the Secretariat which will enable
it to effectively and comprehensively add the views of the Member States
in the final version of the document which the Agency intends to produce
later on.
Mr. Chairman, the Group welcomes the progress made in 2003 to improve
the corpus of the IAEA safety standards and the means for their
application, including the formulation of guidance documents, facilitation
of appraisal and advisory services, preparation of syllabus in six
official languages and the provision of training and technical assistance.
In this respect, the Group encourages the Secretariat and Member States to
continue working closely to facilitate the development of safe reactor
designs for long term utilization, increase operational safety through
information systems and networks for knowledge preservation, enhance the
safety of research reactors and radioactive sources, improve the long term
management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, protect the environment
from discharges of radionuclides, strengthen international response
systems for nuclear and radiological emergencies and improve co-ordination
on safety and security matters, as well as related issues, such as
liability for nuclear damage and communication with the public and between
governments in the field of transport of radioactive material.
Mr. Chairman, regarding the Agency's action plans on safety matters,
the Group attaches great importance to the current implementation of the
Action Plan for the Radiological Protection of Patients and the creation
of a Steering Panel to keep it under review. The Group looks forward to
participate in the preparation of an international action plan to address
the findings of the Morocco Conference on National Infrastructures for
Radiation Safety in September 2003.
On the other hand, the Group would like to express that the recent
practice to issue the Report's supporting documents as electronic notes 6,
7 and 8 which are posted on the web page in English, hampers the
integrated and comprehensive approach that the Secretariat and Member
States encourage regarding nuclear safety, therefore, the Group would like
to see that this practice is reconsidered. The Group also feels that the
inclusion of an Executive Summary in the nuclear safety document which
would contain the identified strengths and weaknesses of the previous
years experiences and the lessons learned therefrom would greatly benefit
the Member States.
With these comments Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China is
pleased to recommend that the Board may consider and take note of the
Nuclear Safety Review for the year 2003.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China greatly appreciates the
Secretariat for compiling the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research
Reactors keeping in view the desire for strengthening the international
safety arrangements for civil research reactors through the process of
consultations with the Member States. The Group also acknowledges the
usefulness of the process of negotiations which was adopted to reach the
current text of the code. The Group takes this opportunity to thank again
the DDG Nuclear Safety and Security for presenting this agenda item whose
text is included in the Agency document GOV/2004/4 and its Annex.
Mr. Chairman, the safety of research reactors is of high importance
to the Group as several Member States own these facilities as an important
component of their nuclear programme for developmental purposes. The Group
will be interested in following appropriate guidelines and standards for
the safety of the research reactors. With this spirit, the Group has taken
keen interest in the Agency's work to propose the current text of such a
code. The Group had informed the Secretariat of its common position on
various items of the code and identified certain provisions on which the
Group had a different opinion from those proposed by the Secretariat. The
major concerns of the Group were on two points. First the code should be
legally non binding in nature and should serve as guidelines to be
followed by the Member States. The second concern was on the provision
which proposed linkage between the disbursement of Technical Cooperation
and the application of the provisions of the code. The Group is pleased to
note that these two main concerns have now been addressed in the present
text.
With these comments Mr. Chairman, the Group recommends that the Board
may adopt the Code of Conduct of Research Reactors and to request the
Director General to circulate the final approved Code of Conduct to all
Member States and relevant international organizations and transmit it to
the General Conference with a recommendation that the Conference endorse
it calling for its wider application.
I thank you Mr. Chairman
Mr. Chairman, The Group of 77 and China would like to express its
appreciation to the Secretariat for the document GOV/2004/2 concerning the
Action Plan for the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Material and thank
again the DDG Nuclear Safety and Security for presenting this agenda item.
The Group would also like to appreciate the work of the technical
committee meeting which resulted in the draft International Action Plan
for the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Material that is contained as
the Annex to the aforestated Gov document.
Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China has been closely following
the latest developments in the field of transport safety and consider
that, notwithstanding the good record of the radioactive transport
industry, a large number of Member States from different geographical
areas have various concerns on transport related matters, which were
expressed in consecutive General Conference resolutions and further
substantiated during the International Conference held in 2003. In this
context, the Group considers that most of such concerns have been
adequately addressed in the Action Plan for the Safety of Transport of
Radioactive Material proposed in document GOV/2004/2 and looks forward to
its effective implementation while encouraging the concerned Members
States to continue their co-operation to achieve a long term understanding
on remaining issues, in particular regarding the establishment of
effective liability arrangements and the provision of timely and pertinent
information to relevant Governments.
With these comments, the Group endorses the recommendation for the
Board to adopt this Action Plan for implementation and looks forward to
being periodically informed on progress made on this and related matters.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China commends Agency's efforts to
bring out the third comprehensive report contained in GOV/2004/7, giving a
global perspective on nuclear technologies for both power and non-power
applications and thank the DDG of Nuclear Sciences and Applications Mr.
Burkart for introducing this agenda item. Although a considerably detailed
information is contained elsewhere, the current Review provides good
reading on the five distinct areas, i.e., Fundamentals of Nuclear
Development, Power Applications, Applications for Food, Water and Health,
Application for Environment and Sustainable Industrial Process and finally
the Socio - economics of Nuclear Energy and Applications. As it is very
evident from these topics, the Group of 77 and China, due to its vast and
diverse membership with varying national priorities, would be highly
interested to give a careful consideration to all the areas described in
the Review as they contribute, one way or the other, to the developmental
needs of the Group's membership.
Mr. Chairman, the Group appreciates the information provided in the
Review which is largely descriptive in nature. The Group feels that
analytical and inference oriented approach contained in one comprehensive
report could be more appropriate for many Member States. More focused
emphasis on specific developmental aspects of energy production, food
security, water resources, cost effective health care, marine and
terrestrial environment and radiation technology for clean and safe
industries would be a better approach for drawing tangible benefits out of
such studies. A separate section dedicated to the status of the transfer
of technology to the G-77 and China membership from the advanced countries
through the aegis of the IAEA with particular reference to the role of
CRP's would be of considerable benefits for the Group. A comprehensive
analytical account of the outcomes of TCDC efforts carried out during the
reporting period will be of additional help.
Mr. Chairman, the Group has noted with satisfaction that the status
of nuclear power has remained fairly sound during the review period. Many
countries of South Asia and the Pacific region where nuclear power is a
promising energy source for their future economic requirements, would be
interested that international encouragement and Agency efforts could
further be enhanced in this area. A complimentary approach, consisting of
the promotion of INPRO and desalination of sea water, would add economic
benefits to the overall power programmes currently under way in these
countries. The Review also gives a positive picture of medium term nuclear
energy projections which should be encouraging for the Agency to maintain
the pace of its promotional efforts in the area of nuclear power as
provided for in the Article III.A.2 of the Agency's Statute.
Mr. Chairman, the Group supports work on crop improvement using
genetic techniques including radio labeling of DNA markers and targeted
mutagenesis, harnessing benefits of the Sterile Insects Technique (SIT),
improving livestock productivity and health by bringing the results of
research carried out in the developed world on biotechnology and the
gene-based technologies to the developing countries. The Group also
supports efforts aimed at enhancing food safety using irradiation
facilities and improving water resources management capabilities through
the latest isotopic techniques which have been successfully used in the
USA, Australia, Germany, India and UK.
Mr. Chairman, one of the most important and pressing needs of many of
G77 and China membership is the application of nuclear medicine and
radiotherapy in the treatment of growing number of cancer patients.
Training of doctors, radiation physicists and other paramedical staff,
cost effective treatment methodologies and equipment support in the
developing areas of the world are the main challenges facing the G77
countries and the Agency. The Group strongly encourages the Agency to
facilitate the introduction of positron emission tomography (PET)
technique in the G77 and China Member States.
Mr. Chairman, the Nuclear Technology Review has provided valuable
inputs in the current developments of various techniques to tackle the
problems associated with the protection of marine environment, prevention
of the release of pollutants, and humanitarian demining. The Group
recommends that the Agency involves more of its membership in the R&D
efforts and applications of the relevant technologies on a broader basis.
In this context, the Group will appreciate promotion of electron beam
technique for checking the fluegas pollution generated by fossil fuel
combustion plants and also nuclear techniques involving electromagnetic
radiation or isotopic sources for aqueous effluents, sewage waters,
industrial waste waters and sludges. It appears that closer cooperation
between the industrialized nations and the developing countries of Group
for the exchange of expertise, transfer of technology and enhancing
training opportunities in conjunction with the strengthened inter G77 and
China collaboration can go a long way to produce better results for
socio-economic progress of the G77 and China countries. In this context
the Agency has to play a more proactive role for which Group will be happy
to cooperate.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, the Group would be pleased to
recommend that the Board of Governors take note of the draft Nuclear
Technology Review 2004.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China would like to thank the Director
General for presenting the report on the Financing of the Technical
Cooperation Fund, as contained in document GOV/2004/8.
The Group reaffirms its commitment to the TCF as a major instrument
for the development of peaceful applications of nuclear energy for the
improvement of socio-economic conditions of the Agency's Member States.
Therefore the Group notes with grave concern the current financial
situation of the Agency's technical cooperation programme for 2004 after
the unexpected reduction in the contributions to the Technical Cooperation
Fund at the end of last year.
Mr. Chairman, the promotion of peaceful applications of atomic energy
constitutes a fundamental element of the core activities of the Agency and
is of utmost importance to developing countries. It is essential to ensure
that the Technical Cooperation Programme of the IAEA also receives
sufficient, assured and predictable funding. There is a basic political
commitment underlying the creation of this Organization, which presupposes
that the interests of all Member States must be taken into account through
the balanced advancement of all its areas of activities.
The situation we are confronted with at this moment is all the more
regrettable in the light of the package of measures agreed upon last July
after intense and complex negotiations which lasted several months and
consumed great effort on the part of Member States. As we all remember,
after the proposal of an unprecedented increase in the Agency's regular
budget for 2004-2005, heavily tilted towards the area of verification, the
set of measures contained in the package attempted to ensure the necessary
balance between all statutory activities of the IAEA, which is crucial in
maintaining a sound and efficient Agency.
The Group was engaged in good faith in the negotiations that led to
the approval of the package proposal. I should like to recall that, upon
agreeing on that set of measures, the Group stressed that "we are
confident that the goodwill of all parties and their commitment to the
elements of this package will not fade away after the budget increase for
safeguards begins to take place".
Mr. Chairman, the decrease in the funds of the TCF will have a
negative impact in terms of lives expected to be saved, facilities that
can be built and the research that should be continued. The membership of
the G-77 and China is doing its utmost to make their payments to the TCF
in full and in a timely manner. In this connection, the Group appeals to
all Member States and, in particular to major contributors, who have not
paid their dues to do so in order to meet our collective objectives
through the Technical Cooperation Programme. We sincerely hope that the
current situation is reversed and that Member States live up to their
commitments so that the Agency can be a stronger and more efficient
international organization, in all its areas of action, for the benefit of
all its Members.
This situation requires enhanced collective efforts of all Member
States. In this regard, the G-77 and China welcomes the ongoing
consultation process, which will recommend actions aimed at helping to
rescue the technical cooperation activities of the Agency by bridging the
gap in the funding of the TCF and thus, avoiding any reduction in the
Programme. We trust that this process will come up with good solutions for
the problems we are now faced with. The Group encourages the Secretariat
to actively support Member States to achieve this objective.
Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China takes note of the Report by
the Director General and in view of the seriousness of the current
circumstances, reluctantly agrees that the Board authorizes the
Secretariat to maintain a level of 20% overprogramming as an exceptional
measure for the TCF funded part of the Technical Cooperation Programme
through 30th June 2004, pending a review of the resource situation at that
time. This, however, should not be considered as an authorization to
reduce or terminate any components of the agreed Technical Cooperation
Programme, nor as creating a precedent for future occasions. The Group
requests that this be reflected in the Summary Conclusions of the Board on
this Agenda Item.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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