Statement of the G-77 and China during the IAEA TACC
Meeting, 24-26 November 2008, delivered by H.E. Ambassador Shahbaz, Permanent
Representative of Pakistan
Agenda item 2: Technical Cooperation: The Agency's
proposed programme for 2009-2011
Madam Chair,
Allow me, on behalf
of the Group of 77 and China, to thank the Director-General for issuing the Agency's
Proposed Programme for 2009-2011. The Group wishes to extend you its warm congratulations
on your assumption of duties as Chairperson of the Board of Governors. We are
fully confident that under your able guidance the meeting will achieve significant
results in advancing the Agency's technical cooperation programme. The Group wishes
to thank the DDG for Technical Cooperation, Ms. Ana Marķa Cetto, for presenting
this agenda item and the TC Department for preparing the relevant documents as
well as for the briefings on issues related to this meeting.
The Group
wishes to reiterate the great importance it attaches to the Agency's technical
cooperation activities. As stipulated in Article II of the Statute, these activities
are the main statutory vehicles for transferring nuclear technology to developing
countries for their socio-economic development. The Group strongly emphasizes
that the promotion of peaceful applications of atomic energy constitutes a fundamental
element of the statutory activities of the Agency and as highlighted in INFCIRC/267,
the provision of the technical assistance constitutes a major, high-priority function
of the Agency, and responsibility for its success devolves on all Departments
of the Secretariat.
Such a goal cannot be achieved if we fail to ensure
that the Agency's resources for technical co-operation activities are sufficient,
assured and predictable (SAP) as called for by the General Conference resolutions,
and in particular Operative Paragraph 3 of resolution GC(52)/RES/11 that "Requests
the Secretariat to continue to work, in consultation with Member States, toward
establishing means, including mechanisms, that would achieve the goal of making
TC resources sufficient, assured and predictable SAP".
The 52nd IAEA General
Conference approved the TCF target at US$ 85 million for 2009. In this connection,
it is important that Member States contribute their TCF target shares in full
and in a timely manner.
The Group firmly believes, as emphasized in the
Agency's guidelines contained in INFCIRC/267 that the Agency's resources for technical
assistance shall continue to be allocated primarily to meet the needs of developing
countries. In this connection, the Group supports all initiatives that contribute
to achieving these objectives in all developing Member States through the established
programmatic approach.
Regarding the Technical Cooperation Programme for
2009-2011, the Group remains confident that the Secretariat has developed the
TC programme in a professional, impartial and non-discriminatory manner, following
a well-established process, based on Member States' needs, in line with the Agency's
Statute and in accordance with the decisions of its policy making organs. It is
fundamental for the credibility of the Agency that technical cooperation assistance
as stipulated in Article III C of the Agency's Statute is not subject to any political,
economic, military or other conditions incompatible with the provisions of the
Agency's Statute.
Taking into account that the Secretariat is making an
effort to make the PCMF user-friendly, the Group would like to stress that this
platform shall be applied strictly to enhance transparency among national stakeholders
and be accessible only to relevant project counterparts. The Group also emphasizes
that all measures taken in this regard should preserve and enhance the ownership
of technical cooperation projects by developing Member States.
Regarding
the Country Programme Framework (CPF), which the Secretariat may use as part of
the overall guidance for the programming process, the Group would like to emphasize
that this is a non-legally binding document and is also subject to revisions as
Member States' priorities evolve. Hence, the CPF should not be used as a basis
for restricting Member States' requests for technical support, nor should it be
a definitive reference for approval of Member States' TC projects. The Group thus
strongly believes that the application of the CPF should be undertaken with the
necessary flexibility so as to allow the Secretariat to take into account specific
situations in various Member States and continue to respond to the needs and priorities
defined by recipient Member States. The Group would like to emphasize that it
should be within the sole discretion of concerned Member States to provide access
to information contained in its CPF to other parties.
The Group believes
that the supply of equipment is related to the requirements of the TC projects
to meet the needs of developing Member States and is therefore an essential component
of the TC programme.
The Group believes that any interference by Member
States in the Agency's technical activities and technical cooperation programme
or attempts to micro-manage the work of the Secretariat, would have a negative
impact on the impartiality of their professional activities. The Group and a majority
of other Member States have reiterated this concern on numerous occasions. The
Group believes that the technical cooperation programme proposed by the Secretariat
to Member States, and the projects associated to it, should not be blocked, delayed
or otherwise hindered on the basis of political motivations or mere allegations.
The Group believes that any political conditions aiming at the TC projects under
the auspices of the IAEA shall weaken the Agency's constructive role in the promotion
of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, thus undermining the credibility of the IAEA.
The Group would like to express its appreciation to the Secretariat for having
formulated the TC programme in accordance with the Agency's Statute and the guiding
principles as contained in INFCIRC/267, which ensures that the provision of the
technical assistance, and that the projects are not in violation of any of the
decisions of the Agency's Policy-Making Organs or any relevant UN Security Council
resolution. The Group strongly believes that the present guidelines and criteria
(INFCIRC/267) for the screening of TC project proposals, programme implementation
and subsequent evaluation are sufficient and effective, and there is no merit
in having additional mechanisms for fulfilling the above objectives.
The G77 and
China recommends that this Committee forwards the proposed programme as contained
in document GOV/2008/47 and its Addenda to the Board of Governors for its approval.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Agenda Item 3: Evaluation of technical cooperation activities
Madam Chair,
The Group of 77 and China wishes to thank Mr. Tijani Chaouch Bouraoui,
Acting Director of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), for presenting
the evaluation of technical cooperation activities in 2008, as contained in document
GOV/2008/56.
The Group of 77 and China attaches great importance to the regular
evaluation of the implementation of the Agency's TC activities. The Group believes
that such evaluations constitute an effective means to enhance the Agency's capability
to fully achieve the TC ultimate goals of transferring nuclear technology for
peaceful uses to and promoting socioeconomic development in Member States.
The
Group therefore notes with appreciation that the evaluations were conducted in
the most comprehensive manner, including extensive fieldwork, with the participation
of external evaluators, staff from the Department of Technical Cooperation, other
technical departments and various stakeholders from concerned Member States.
As
regards the evaluation of projects on sustainable intensification of crop production
systems, the Group notes with satisfaction that the report recognizes the relevance
of the reviewed projects to recipient countries' overall efforts, and ultimately
to the UN endeavors, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The Group is
however concerned with the finding that the level of awareness of farmers about
the projects' existence was in general low, which resulted in insufficient levels
of participation and of project ownership by wider farmer communities. In this
connection, the Group particularly supports the recommendation that the Secretariat
should ensure that the projects' counterparts receive assistance and training
on innovative ways of outreach to and sensitization of the projects' target beneficiaries.
On the evaluation of the Country Programme Framework, the Group concurs with the
OIOS conclusion that the CPF reflects mutually agreed national development priority
areas between States and the Agency that are supported through the technical cooperation
activities. The CPF is a voluntary, non-legally binding document that is subject
to revisions as concerned Member States priorities evolve. Hence, the CPF should
not be used as a basis for restricting Member States' requests for technical support,
nor should it be a definitive reference for the approval of Member States TC projects.
In this regard the Group reiterates its strong belief that the application of
the CPF should be undertaken with enough flexibility so as to allow the Secretariat
to take into account specific situations in various Member States and to continue
to respond to the needs and priorities defined by recipient Member States. The
Group supports the recommendation that dialogue and communication on the CPF process
could be enhanced between the Secretariat and Member States. The Group believes
that the consultation process should involve only the relevant national stakeholders.
It is however, the prerogative of the Member State concerned to decide if any
other entities could be involved as well.
With regard to the mechanism for monitoring
and assessing project progress, the Group believes this can be built-in through
the PCMF platform and therefore it would not be necessary to include it in the
CPF process.
As regards the evaluation of thematic planning, the Group is concerned
about the recommendation that the report "20/20 Vision for the Future" should
provide inputs to a review of the Technical Cooperation Strategy. As stated before,
the Group of 77 and China, as a matter of principle, supports every action aimed
at strengthening the capacity of the Agency to fulfill its statutory functions,
which was the proposed objective of the report of the Commission of Eminent Persons
on the Future of the Agency and of its background document, the "20/20 Vision
for the Future" report. The Group wishes to recall that neither of the reports
constitute documents that emanated through consultations with Member States.
The
Group therefore is of the strong view that, despite the fact that both reports
may form one among other valid sources for the reflection on the future of the
Agency, no action should be inspired by the conclusions or recommendations thereof
without prior consultations with Member States. The Group concurs with the OIOS
conclusion that thematic planning is carried out with limited involvement of Member
States and as a result the awareness and knowledge at Member States level is limited.
The Group believes that any tool for identifying services and technologies with
special value should be more comprehensive and should involve at all stages the
participation of the concerned Member States and of the technical departments
as well as the regional divisions of the TC Department.
With these comments, Madam
Chair, the Group of 77 and China takes note of the evaluation of technical cooperation
activities in 2008, as contained in document GOV/2008/56, and requests that this
statement be duly reflected in the official records of the TACC meeting.
