Statement of the Group of 77 and China during the IAEA Informal Programme and Budget Committee Meeting, on 2 June 2016, delivered by H.E. Simon Madjumo Maruta, PR of Namibia
Mr. Chairman,
1. The Group would like to thank you for presenting a draft proposal on the Regular Budget for 2017 contained in note 2016/Note 64 circulated by the Secretariat and for your active and dynamic leadership to bridge the gap between different points of view so as to arrive at a consensus solution.
2. The Group has earlier expressed its recognition that the application of Safeguards is one of the statutory functions of the Agency, and supports the integration of €5.2 million, resulting from the implementation of the JCPOA, in the Regular Budget in a manner as gradual as possible that would not result in any undue financial burden on the developing countries. The Group also stated its position on the Regular Budget regarding the urgent need to achieve a balanced distribution to reflect equal importance of the promotional and non-promotional activities of the Agency.
3. The Group notes that €2.6 million will be integrated into the Regular Budget for 2017, under Major Programme 4 (MP-4), which together with an additional €0.4 million from re-prioritization efforts within MP-4, will fully fund, in the Regular Budget, the cost of the provisional implementation of Iran’s Additional Protocol as of 2017. The Group also notes that the remaining €2.2 million, which is the inspector costs associated with the verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments as set out in the JCPOA, will be integrated into the Regular Budget on a linear basis (i.e. €1.1 million each year) over the two years of the next biennium 2018-19.
4. The Group appreciates that consideration has been given by the Chair to elements put forward by the G-77 and China. While expressing its agreement with your proposals contained in the above referred note, the group notes that the IAEA Board of Governors will request the IAEA Secretariat to place the appropriate emphasis on the activities directly related to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during the preparation of the Programme and Budget Proposal 2018–2019. The Group believes that this should be done in a way that responds to its calls for balance between promotional and non-promotional activities, in line with the statutory objective of the Agency which seeks to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. In this context, the Group also requests the Secretariat to brief the member states about its actions in this regard, at an appropriate time well in advance of the presentation of the Programme and Budget Proposal 2018–2019.
