Statement by the Group of 77 and China during 7th Working Group Meeting of the Regular Budget and TCF Targets for 2016-2017,
delivered by the Chairman of the Group of 77, H.E. Ambassador Armin ANDEREYA, Permanent Representative of Chile
Vienna, 29 April 2015
Co-chairs,
Statement by the Group of 77 and China during meeting of the Regular Budget and TCF Targets for 2016-2017, 29 April 2015
1. The Group of 77 and China thanks the co-chairs of the Working Group on the Budget and TCF Targets for this opportunity to discuss issues related to the TCF Targets for the Biennium 2016-2017 and would like to take this opportunity to present the Group’s Non-Paper on this matter. Copies of the Non Paper are available at the entrance and will be posted on GovAtom.
NON PAPER ON THE TCF TARGET FOR THE BIENNIUM 2016-2017 OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA
BACKGROUND
1. The Group of 77 and China has long held the position that the Technical Cooperation Fund is not sufficient to meet the needs of IAEA Member States. There have been various Board decisions, which reflect the attempts of Member States to find ways and means by which to ensure sufficient, assured and predictable resources for the TCF.
2. A notable decision in this regard was the one on the Budget Proposal for 2009, as contained in document GOV/2009/52/Rev.1, which identified 2012 as the starting date for appropriate increases to the TCF and established that these increases should take into account the changes in the level of the regular operational budget from 2009 onwards and the price adjustment factor in the corresponding years, among other relevant factors. As reflected in paragraph 62 of the recommendations by the Working Group on Financing the Agency’s Activities including the ways and means to render resources for the TCF sufficient assured and predictable” (WGFAA) this Board decision has not been fully implemented, as the TCF target has not been adjusted to reflect the changes in the level of the Regular Budget since 2009.
3. At the first meeting of the Working Group on the Regular Budget and TCF Targets for the biennium 2016-2017, the Group of 77 and China endeavored to arrive at a better understanding of what would constitute a sufficiently funded TC Programme in the coming biennium. The Group noted its concerns that “despite the growing number of developing countries that are recipients of technical cooperation, the resources of the Technical Cooperation Fund have remained stagnant over the years, resulting in a net-loss in funds available for TC implementation.”
4. Not only has the TCF target not been adjusted since 2009 to reflect the changes in the level of the regular budget since 2009, among other relevant factors that have not been taken into account during the negotiations on the TCF target over the years, have been the number of new Member Sates that became recipients of the TC Fund. In the coming Biennium, as confirmed by the Secretariat, there will be six such states.
TCF TARGET
5. Member States should be guided in their detirmination of the TCF Target for the Biennium 2016-2017 by previous decisions of the Board, recommendations of the Working Group on Financing the Agency’s Activities (WGFAA) and established practices of the Agency. In this regard the Group would like to recall the Board decision as contained in GOV/2013/30/Rev.1 that the Indicative Planning Figure (IPF) for 2016 should be not less than 92 million US Dollars in 2016 and 92.5 million USD in 2017 and that these figures will be the starting point for negotiations on the TCF Target for 2016 and 2017. It should be recalled that the practice in the Agency is to apply the rate of exchange on the day that the Board agrees on the Regular Budget and TCF Target.
6. Taking all of the above into account the Group therefore proposes that the target for voluntary contributions for the TCF for 2016 be set at the level of 93 360 000 USD and for 2017 at 93 450 000 USD. Accordingly the IPF will be set in Euro for the Biennium 2018-2019, based on the figure for 2017.
