A/70/PV.55 General Assembly

Before proceeding to the item on our agenda, I should like, on behalf of the General Assembly, to express my sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the Governments and the peoples of the countries that have recently suffered heinous terrorist attacks. I think we have all been deeply saddened, shocked and outraged by the loss of life and incredible carnage in recent weeks in many places around the world, among them Ankara and Baghdad, over the Sinai, in Beirut and, this past weekend, in Paris. We mourn with those who have lost their friends and loved ones and those whose lives are deeply shattered or destroyed. The disregard for human life and human dignity displayed by groups such as Daesh, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaida and others is a mortal threat to the values that bring us together at the United Nations. In these most difficult moments, when pain and grief can so swiftly turn to anger and intolerance, we, the General Assembly, must stand together, united in our collective resolve to advance peace, justice, human rights and prosperity for all. The world needs us to respond, but that response must be considered. It must be comprehensive and sustained. It must, above all, seek to advance a political solution to the conflict in Syria and, guided by a commitment to international law, focus on addressing the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism. *1537040* 15-37040 (E) In memory of the victims and in a sign of solidarity, I would like to invite everyone in the Hall to observe a minute of silence.

I invite Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to introduce the report of the Agency for the year 2014.

Let me begin by expressing my horror at the appalling acts of terrorism that took place in Paris last Friday within hours of the dreadful attack in Beirut. On behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), I offer my sympathy and support to the Governments and the peoples of France and Lebanon. The IAEA has had another eventful year since I last had the honour to address the General Assembly (see A/69/PV.37). There were important developments in relation to the Iran nuclear issue. I will talk about that in some detail in a moment, but I would first like to say that I very much welcome the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (see resolution 70/1) by world leaders at the General Assembly in September. There are clear links between the new Goals and the work of the IAEA. Areas covered by both include energy, food security and nutrition, human health and the protection of the oceans and management of water resources, and climate change. I am especially pleased that there is explicit recognition in the new Goals of the importance of science and technology in advancing development, something I have stressed in previous statements to the Assembly. The Agency has so much to offer in that area that I often summarize our work as “atoms for peace and development”. I also welcome the inclusion of new Goals concerning non-communicable diseases, including cancer, which is an important area of the IAEA’s work. Since I last addressed the Assembly, the IAEA has continued to contribute effectively to the development needs of member States by transferring nuclear technology through our technical cooperation programme. We also demonstrated our ability to respond quickly to crises in member States. After the earthquake in Nepal in April, the Agency helped the country’s authorities to test the structural safety of critical buildings such as hospitals and schools, using non-destructive testing techniques, including radiography. Following the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, we provided equipment and diagnostic kits for rapid identification of the virus. We have since helped countries of the region to build or strengthen their capacity to respond to possible future outbreaks of Ebola and other deadly diseases. The IAEA Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy assists member States in integrating radiation medicine into comprehensive cancer-control strategies. The IAEA has invested nearly €300 million in cancer and radiotherapy projects throughout the world in the past few decades. Our work helps to save many lives, but developing countries’ need for access to effective cancer treatment remains great. The inclusion of targets for non-communicable diseases, including cancer, in the Sustainable Development Goals gives me hope that much more will be done to address the issue in the coming decades. Preparations for a long-overdue renovation of the IAEA nuclear applications laboratories in Seibersdorf, near Vienna, are well under way. The laboratories train scientists from all over the world, support research in human health, food and other areas, and provide analytical services to national laboratories. Almost all IAEA member States receive support from them. The target date for completion of the first new lab, the Insect Pest Control Laboratory, is the end of 2017. Construction of the second lab will begin once sufficient extrabudgetary funding is available. The laboratories are the engine of much of the technical support that we provide to member States. They will constitute an important part of the IAEA’s contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. I thank the countries that have already provided or pledged support for the modernization project. I call on all Member States in a position to do so to contribute generously. This year’s IAEA Scientific Forum in September was entitled “Atoms in Industry”. Participants considered the key role that nuclear technologies play in areas ranging from the production of high- performance materials to the control of pollutants that cause disease. At the end of the year, representatives from more than 190 countries will meet in Paris for the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Many countries believe that nuclear power can help them to address the twin challenges of ensuring reliable energy supplies while curbing greenhouse-gas emissions. Nuclear power has a low environmental impact and leads to significant avoidance of greenhouse-gas emissions. I believe that appropriate consideration should be given to nuclear power in talks on climate change mitigation under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are now 441 nuclear-power reactors, operating in 30 countries. Together, they provide approximately 11 per cent of the world’s electricity. There are 65 reactors under construction, mostly in Asia. The IAEA helps countries that choose to use nuclear power to do so safely, securely and sustainably. In August, I signed a host State agreement and a related technical agreement with the Government of Kazakhstan establishing an IAEA bank of low-enriched uranium (LEU) in that country. The IAEA LEU bank is a mechanism of last resort to give countries confidence that they will be able to obtain LEU to make fuel for nuclear-power plants in case of an unforeseen disruption to supply that cannot be remedied by commercial means. I am grateful to Kazakhstan for hosting the IAEA LEU bank. My report on the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident was released in September, along with five technical volumes. I believe that that IAEA report will be the key reference document on the accident for years to come and will help to improve nuclear safety throughout the world. Turning briefly to nuclear security, I am pleased to report that the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material has moved closer to entry into force. However, accession by 13 countries is still necessary. The entry into force of the Amendment would reduce both the likelihood of terrorists being able to detonate a dirty bomb and the risk of a terrorist attack on a nuclear installation. I ask all countries that have not yet done so to accede to this important nuclear security instrument as a matter of urgency. I now turn to nuclear verification. Safeguards agreements are now in force with 182 States. However, 12 non-nuclear-weapon States parties have yet to meet their obligation under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to conclude a comprehensive safeguards agreements with the Agency. I urge all those States to conclude such agreements as soon as possible. I am pleased to report that the number of States with additional protocols in force continues to increase. It now stands at 126. That is very encouraging, because the additional protocol is essential for the Agency to be able to provide credible assurance that there are no undeclared nuclear material and activities in a country. The nuclear programme of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a matter of serious concern. The Agency remains unable to undertake verification in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and our knowledge of the country’s nuclear programme is therefore limited. Nevertheless, we have maintained our readiness to return to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea if requested to do so. I call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply fully with its obligations, cooperate promptly with the Agency and resolve all outstanding issues, including those that have arisen during the absence of Agency inspectors from the country. As the Assembly will recall, in May 2011 I reported that it was very likely that a building destroyed at the Dayr al-Zour site in Syria was a nuclear reactor that should have been declared to the Agency. The Agency has not received any new information that would affect that assessment. I again urge Syria to cooperate fully with the Agency in connection with unresolved issues related to the Dayr al-Zour site and other locations. There have been important developments concerning the implementation of IAEA safeguards in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In July, Iran and the P5+1 countries agreed on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The Security Council asked the IAEA to undertake verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear- related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and our Board of Governors authorized us to do so. Iran will implement the Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA. That is a powerful verification tool that will give the Agency greater access to information and locations in Iran. Iran also agreed to implement a number of additional transparency measures that go beyond the scope of the Additional Protocol and will help the Agency to better understand Iran’s nuclear activities. Also in July, I signed a road map with Iran for the clarification of the possible military dimensions to the country’s nuclear programme by the end of this year. Activities set out in the road map were completed by the target date of 15 October. We are now finalizing our analysis of all the information at our disposal. I will present my final assessment on all past and present outstanding issues to the IAEA Board of Governors by 15 December. My report will be factual, objective and impartial. Our member States will determine the appropriate response. Much work remains to be done, but I believe that the significant progress made on the Iran nuclear issue represents a real success for diplomacy. It demonstrates that even complex and challenging issues can be tackled effectively if all the parties are committed to dialogue — not dialogue for its own sake, but dialogue aimed at achieving results. In the case of Iran, the sustained efforts of the IAEA, the P5+1 countries, the Security Council and, of course, Iran itself have got us to where we are today. The IAEA was able to make a vital contribution by sticking to its technical mandate and not straying into politics. The agreements reached in July represent a clear net gain for the IAEA from the verification point of view. The Agency will continue to implement safeguards in Iran with a view to being able in due course to draw what we call the broader conclusion, that all nuclear material continues to be intended for peaceful purposes. Many of our 166 countries face financial difficulties that are likely to continue in the coming years. This means that our budget will remain under pressure. The Agency will seek to maintain a balance between budgetary constraints and the increasing demand for our services from our growing membership. We will continue to prioritize and seek efficiencies, while being careful not to undermine the high quality of our services to member States. We have intensified our efforts to increase the number of staff recruited from developing countries or from member States that are underrepresented or not represented at all, especially at senior levels. Good progress has been made in improving the representation of women in the IAEA secretariat, but more needs to be done. I remain committed to expanding the opportunities available to women, who make an enormous contribution to the work of the Agency, and I encourage member States to actively help us achieve our ultimate goal of equal gender representation. Despite our limited resources, the IAEA remains an organization that delivers concrete results. We will continue to fulfil our broad mandate in a balanced manner, working to improve the well-being and security of the people of the world through the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology.

I thank the Director General for his introduction of the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency. I now give the floor to the representative of Brazil to introduce draft resolution A/70/L.8.

Let me offer the condolences of the Brazilian Government to the people and the Governments of the countries affected by the recent terrorist attacks. We fully subscribe to your statement at the start of our proceedings today, Mr. President, which fully expresses the sentiments of the General Assembly. I would like to thank Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for presenting the Agency’s 2014 report (see A/70/219) and for providing updates on its activities in 2015. Brazil attaches great importance to the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, from human health, medicine and the production of radioisotopes to the nuclear fuel cycle, power generation, industry, agriculture and environmental protection. Nuclear technology can play an important role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1). We fully support the IAEA’s implementation of safeguards as well as efforts to achieve more efficiency in their application. In so doing, we must continue to ensure that States’ obligations are met and that the Agency takes into account the various scopes and corresponding safeguards measures derived from the distinct categories of agreements entered into by member States. The synergy between General Assembly resolutions, the three interrelated pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the IAEA’s statutory functions, including that of acting “in conformity with policies of the United Nations furthering the establishment of safeguarded worldwide disarmament”, is becoming increasingly apparent. The IAEA has conducted essential verification activities in the past, either in country-specific situations or pursuant to requests from interested States parties to disarmament agreements. That role, which has been highlighted in successive IAEA General Conference resolutions, must be supported, and the IAEA secretariat should stand ready to perform such tasks in the future. Brazil acknowledges the central role of the IAEA in strengthening the nuclear-security framework globally, in an inclusive, transparent and multilateral manner. We look forward to next year’s IAEA nuclear- security conference, which will represent a significant opportunity for high-level consideration of the issue. It is our firm conviction that nuclear security activities must be carried out in tandem with the international community’s broader efforts to promote nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Brazil is honoured to chair the IAEA Board of Governors, in the person of our Permanent Representative to the Agency, Ambassador Laércio Vinhas. It is therefore my pleasure to introduce, under agenda item 87, the draft resolution entitled “Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency”, contained in document A/70/L.8. This draft resolution, considered annually by the General Assembly, derives from a requirement pursuant to the IAEA Statute and the agreement governing the relationship between the IAEA and the United Nations. It constitutes an opportunity for Member States to be apprised of the Agency’s activities and to express their support for its work. The draft resolution before the General Assembly was discussed in October and early November in Vienna, and informal consultations were also held in New York last week. The text is being introduced on the basis of resolution 69/7, of November 2014, and contains technical updates only. It takes note of the annual report of the IAEA and of resolutions adopted by the General Conference at its fifty-ninth session, from 14 to 18 September 2015. It reaffirms strong support for the Agency’s role in the application of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. It also calls on Member States to continue supporting IAEA activities. As was the case last year, the adoption of today’s draft resolution will send a strong political signal of support for the work of the Agency in its various fields, such as cooperation, safety, security and verification.

Russia has carefully studied the annual report (see A/70/219) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for 2014, prepared by the Director General of the Agency, and the additional information on it. We note that an annex to the report contains the factually inaccurate assertion that during the reporting period of 2014, Sevastopol was allegedly part of Ukraine. That knowingly false statement ignores the fact that in a referendum held after the illegal coup in Kyiv of February 2014, the population of Crimea, including the city of Sevastopol, voted to secede from Ukraine and for reunification with the Russian Federation. The people’s will was implemented. Afterwards, we officially informed the IAEA secretariat that the relevant installations in Crimea were under Russian jurisdiction, and we asked the Agency to apply safeguards to them in accordance with our Safeguards Agreement. For those reasons, the Russian Federation cannot accept, and fully rejects, any statements in the annual report and its annexes, or any other Agency documents, that contradict that objective reality. As far as we are concerned, they are legally and politically null and void. We note that in the notes to the annual report for 2014, and in regard to the data in the list of nuclear installations, reference is made to the Agency’s statement that it does not express any opinion whatsoever concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. While we have taken that reference into consideration, it does not relieve us of our duty to express the aforementioned reservation. The Russian delegation first stated it at the June meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. At our request, the text of the reservation was distributed by the IAEA secretariat as Agency document INFCIRC/876. The reservation was part of a compromise on the approval of the report by the Board of Governors and the General Conference of the IAEA, which was a precondition for Russia’s consent. In the process of working on the draft resolution entitled “Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency” (A/70/L.8) in Vienna, our country showed maximum flexibility in order to keep open the possibility that it could be adopted by consensus. It was merely a question of having the draft resolution make reference to our reservation on the annual report of the IAEA in the text. Furthermore, we do not object to the expression of alternative views. Unfortunately, a number of States and the IAEA secretariat choose to ignore objective reality. Not only do they deny the fact that Crimea is an integral part of Russia, but they also wish to overlook the fact that our country has expressed a reservation with respect to the IAEA annual report. It seems that they prefer to find themselves in a world of pleasant illusions. In this situation we cannot support the proposed draft resolution before the General Assembly. It is truly regrettable that, after such a long time, the draft resolution, which has always been adopted by consensus, will cease to be so adopted. But we cannot support illusions that run counter to reality.

I now give the floor to the observer of the European Union.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU). The candidate countries Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania; the European Free Trade Association country Liechtenstein, a member of the European Economic Area; as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, align themselves with this statement. We are pleased to support draft resolution A/70/L.8 on the report (see A/70/219) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a report that again reaffirms the indispensable role of the Agency with regard to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and in assisting the development and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses, in technology transfer and in nuclear safety, verification and security. The European Union is fully committed to promoting universal accession to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament agreements. We consider the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to be the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament, in accordance with article VI of the NPT, and vital for further development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes. We call upon States that have not yet done so to join the Treaty as non-nuclear-weapon States. While the EU regrets that consensus could not be reached on a final document at this year’s NPT Review Conference, it remains committed to the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction in line with the 1995 resolution on the Middle East. We also note with satisfaction the amount of strong support that was expressed for the Agency’s work. The 2010 NPT Review Conference reaffirmed the role of the IAEA in verifying and assuring compliance by States with their safeguards obligations and stressed the importance of resolving all cases of non-compliance and of States parties responding resolutely and effectively in such cases. The European Union is deeply concerned about the protracted and serious challenges to the non-proliferation regime posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Syrian Arab Republic. The European Union welcomes the historic agreement of 14 July between the E3/EU+3 and Iran on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in full conformity with NPT principles and endorsed by Security Council resolution 2231 (2015). The full and sustained implementation of the Plan of Action requires the application and subsequent ratification by Iran of the Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement. The Additional Protocol is an essential prerequisite for the Agency to be able to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran and provide the international community with the necessary assurances on the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. The provisional application and subsequent early ratification by Iran of the Additional Protocol would demonstrate Iran’s commitment to the normalization of the nuclear issue. The European Union would like to stress again that the Security Council, as the final arbiter of international peace and security, has a mandate to take appropriate action in the event of non-compliance with NPT obligations, including safeguards agreements. The Agency’s system of safeguards is a fundamental component of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and plays an indispensable role in the implementation of the NPT. The measures contained in the Model Additional Protocol form an integral part of the IAEA safeguards system and, in the EU’s view, comprehensive safeguards agreements together with additional protocols constitute the current IAEA verification standard. We call for their universalization without delay. The EU has firmly supported the continued evolution of safeguards, with a view to achieving the efficient and effective implementation of IAEA safeguards worldwide. We are grateful for the wide support received from IAEA member States, at the recent IAEA General Conference, for the EU-sponsored resolution on strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of Agency safeguards. The European Union attaches importance to the highest standards of nuclear safety being implemented and continuously improved in the EU and promoted internationally. Last year the Council of the European Union adopted a renewed directive to strengthen the safety framework for nuclear installations. This directive sets the objective of preventing accidents and, should they occur, mitigating their consequences and avoiding early and large radioactive releases. The Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety, adopted earlier this year by the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) sets forth similar principles, and we will give serious attention to the implementation of the decisions taken in the Vienna Declaration, among others, in preparation for, and participation in, future review meetings of the CNS. Within the framework of its strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the EU is actively supporting Security Council resolutions 1540 (2004) and 1887 (2009) together with other international initiatives, such as the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and the Nuclear Security Summit process, that contribute to strengthening nuclear security. Out of €260 million dedicated to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risk mitigation worldwide, more than €100 million has been allocated to the EU’s regional CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative. The European Union strongly supports IAEA activities in the area of nuclear security and is, together with its member States, among the main contributors to the Nuclear Security Fund. Approximately €40 million from EU funds and another €45 million from EU member States have been contributed to the Nuclear Security Fund to date, for the benefit of about 100 countries. We intend to continue to support the IAEA’s work. The EU looks forward to the next high-level IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security, which will take place in December 2016, and calls on all IAEA member States to participate at a high level. Effective physical protection is of the utmost importance to preventing nuclear material from falling into the hands of terrorists and proliferators and to protecting nuclear facilities against malicious acts. The European Union urges all States that have not yet done so to become party to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and to accede to its 2005 Amendment. All EU member States have now ratified the 2005 amendment to the Convention. The European Union furthermore calls on States that have not yet done so to make a political commitment to using in an effective manner the recommendations set out in the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources and its supplementary guidance on the import and export of such materials. Finally, the European Union attaches the utmost importance to the Agency’s technical cooperation programme and the role of the Agency in the responsible development of the peaceful applications of nuclear technology in the areas of, among things, human health, food and agriculture, water resources, environment, the preservation of cultural heritage, nuclear and radiation safety and nuclear energy. The IAEA’s nuclear sciences and applications laboratories at Seibersdorf contribute essential work in this respect, and we welcome the Director General’s initiative regarding the modernization of the laboratories. The EU also recognizes the valuable contribution that nuclear technology can provide in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. The EU supports both the IAEA and IAEA member States in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, also through technical expertise, with a total amount of some €150 million per year. The EU has allocated €225 million over the period 2014-2020 for the promotion of nuclear safety, radiation protection and the application of efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear material in third countries.

The General Assembly is today considering an important item on its agenda, given its close connection with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular in the framework of the maintenance of international peace and security and the prohibition of harmful non-peaceful nuclear materials. We have read closely the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (see A/70/219) for the calendar year 2014 and support it in letter and in spirit, in particular the activities carried out in 2014-2015. We pay tribute to the Director General of the Agency, Mr. Amano, as well as his Bureau and the various departments of the Agency, for the great efforts they have made to enhance and promote the role of the Agency, efforts that have highlighted the work carried out to achieve peace, health and prosperity by employing nuclear energy throughout the world. In that context, Kuwait congratulates Turkmenistan, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda, as well as the other countries that have joined the Agency, and wishes them success and prosperity. Economic and social development needs throughout the world will require increasing energy resources in future. Since nuclear energy is complementary, not alternative, to other energy sources, the choice to use it must be made by a State’s political authorities. Kuwait fully supports and cooperates with the various departments of the Agency to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy for building national and institutional capabilities. We aim for greater consultation and cooperation between our national institutions and the Agency. That is why my country has contributed $3 million to strengthen the activities of the Agency — $500,000 to the Monaco Laboratory, $1 million to the Seibersdorf laboratories and $1.5 million to the Peaceful Uses Initiative. In the framework of scientific initiatives and programmes aimed at assisting developing countries, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait, announced an annual prize of $1 million for the best research projects and initiatives for the development of African countries in the area of health, food and education. The Agency’s technical cooperation programme is key to national capacity-building in developing countries. Kuwait has always supported cooperation activities. We welcome the efforts undertaken by the Agency in the technical cooperation region of the Asia- Pacific, which include regional seminars and training courses, which have a great positive effect on the promotion of capacity-building in those countries. We hope to see additional close and effective cooperation efforts in that respect and thank the Agency for its efforts and its visits to Kuwait. We believe that the accession of all Member States that have nuclear facilities to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is vital. I should like also to congratulate Iran and the P5+1 on the historic accord concluded in Vienna and for Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), which will ease tension and strengthen stability in the region, making use of the full potential of the countries of the region to achieve progress and prosperity in the region. We are therefore following attentively the implementation of the security agreement for nuclear facilities by encouraging the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. We invite Iran to engage in greater cooperation with the Agency, in full transparency. We also hope that the historic agreement between the P5+1 and Iran will be an incentive for Iran to accede to other nuclear treaties, so that it can make use of the Agency’s knowledge in promoting security at its nuclear facilities and in the region. Kuwait attaches particular importance to expanding the Agency’s safeguards system in the Middle East region to cover all nuclear activities, given that the Agency is the specialized body that has the mandate to monitor and carry out this work. Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that most countries in the region have concluded such safeguards agreements, we note with deep regret that Israel has still not acceded to the Treaty or placed its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, thereby threatening the security and stability of the region. This presents a major obstacle to the creation in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons, which is clearly a negative stance with respect to the stability of the region and the world. We have all been witness to the continued efforts to block the holding of a conference on the creation of such a zone, striving to create a region free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. Following a number of studies and technical consulations over a period of 10 years, the Agency created the first bank of low-enriched uranium, signing an agreement with Kazakhstan under which the latter will host this nuclear-fuel bank. We commend Russia on its signing with the Agency of a transit agreement for the transport of low-enriched uranium, which will allow several countries to obtain nuclear fuel for their peaceful activities. This great achievement, which took place on 27 August, reflects the generous contributions of several donor countries in response to the appeal made by the former Director General of the IAEA, Mr. ElBaradei, who played a key role in achieving this goal. The central objective of the bank is to enable States to have access to low-enriched uranium for their nuclear laboratories and activities for peaceful purposes, with the goal of creating a safer and more secure world. To that end, Kuwait has contributed $10 million to strengthen IAEA activities. In conclusion, Kuwait is committed to continuing its support for the Agency’s leading efforts and effective contributions to achieving sustainable development in a number of developing countries in order to overcome obstacles in the areas of the economy, finance, health care, food and climate change. That will clearly add to the safety, well-being, prosperity and happiness of all countries in the world.

At the outset, I would like to express our condemnation of the terrorist attacks that took place last Friday in Paris, our condolences and our solidarity with the people and the Government of France. As the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, said, our hearts are with France and the families of those who were victims of the terrorist brutality. (spoke in Spanish) We would like to thank Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for presenting the Agency’s annual report (see A/70/219). For Ecuador, the peaceful applications of nuclear energy are of special importance because of their contribution to development in some particularly important areas, such as health care, agriculture and industry. On that account, we would like the IAEA to further enhance its activities relating to science, technology and nuclear applications and to strengthen its technical cooperation programme. Ecuador wishes to highlight the key role that that programme performs in meeting one of the central objectives of the IAEA Statute, namely, the promotion of the peaceful application of nuclear energy. We therefore acknowledge the efforts carried out to provide a more effective programme, intended to meet the needs and match the priorities of the IAEA member States. Accordingly, we wish to stress that the technical cooperation programme in Latin American and Caribbean countries once again recorded the highest implementation rate of all regions over the past year. That shows the importance of those activities for our region and the interest shown by Latin American and Caribbean countries in implementing joint activities with the IAEA. It is in that same context that the Regional Cooperative Agreement for the Advancement of Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean has played a key role. We are therefore convinced that implementation of the regional strategic profile that defines and prioritizes areas of cooperation with the IAEA for the period 2016-2017 will help to increase the number of projects that have an important impact on the lives of our citizens. Ecuador has made progress in drafting a new atomic energy bill that will harmonize our national legislation with the main areas of work of the IAEA and with the new basic safety standards that have been adopted internationally. The bill will soon benefit from the input of an IAEA mission before being submitted to our National Assembly, where it will be debated. In the near future, we will also have in place a law on the management and transport of nuclear and other radioactive materials and a national emergency response plan for radiological accidents. Additionally, the Department of Nuclear Applications and Management in our Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy is developing a process for reviewing technical standards that will include support services to the regulatory authority. In that regard, Ecuador is giving priority to strengthening the regulatory authority by encouraging the construction of new laboratories for nuclear applications. That will be a significant step forward for my country and, to that end, we are counting in advance on the IAEA’s cooperation in terms of providing the appropriate training and technology. The Constitution of Ecuador condemns the development and use of weapons of mass destruction. True to that principle, we proudly reiterate that we are part of the first nuclear-weapon-free zone in a highly populated area, as established by the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and of a zone of peace, as proclaimed by the Heads of State at the second and third Summits of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), held in Havana and Belén, Costa Rica. Furthermore, we continue to firmly believe in the full implementation, without discrimination or double standards, of the three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We reiterate our concern because, while the objectives of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation and the exercise of the inalienable right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy have been implemented, there has been no progress on nuclear disarmament. We regret in no uncertain terms that because of the obstruction of three States, it was not possible to adopt the final document of the 2015 NPT Review Conference. At the same time, I must also express our dissatisfaction with the weakness of the contents of the chapter on nuclear disarmament in the draft final document of that Conference. I repeat that the nuclear-disarmament provisions of that draft document, circulated in the last hours of the Conference, cannot, as far as my country is concerned, serve as a precedent or a basis for progress towards nuclear disarmament. Ecuador, along with the other CELAC member States, has repeatedly expressed its profound concern about the enormous humanitarian consequences and global impact of any accidental or intentional nuclear detonation. Accordingly, we believe that that issue must be raised every time the nuclear question is discussed. In that regard, we actively participated in conferences convened in Oslo, Nayarit and Vienna, and we again urge that States begin a diplomatic process for the adoption of a legally binding instrument for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. Ecuador encourages the IAEA to exercise its statutory function “in conformity with policies of the United Nations [of] furthering the establishment of safeguarded worldwide disarmament”, all the while preserving the highly technical nature of the Agency and avoiding politicization. As a staunch defender of the right to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Ecuador has always recognized that any State that so wishes should be able to develop such peaceful uses within the framework of the NPT. Ecuador was therefore very pleased with the news of the conclusion of an agreement between the P5+1 and the Islamic Republic of Iran and the establishment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Iranian nuclear programme. The agreement is a historic milestone not only because a long-term dispute has been resolved through negotiations, but also and mainly because dialogue prevailed over unilateralism, which has caused such harm in contemporary international relations. It was a reaffirmation of the efficiency of diplomacy in the quest for lasting peace. In conclusion, I wish to reaffirm Ecuador’s commitment to the IAEA’s aim of ensuring that nuclear energy becomes safer, more efficient and more beneficial for all of humankind.

We thank Director General Amano for presenting the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual report for 2014 (see A/70/219). We commend him for his leadership and contribution. For more than five decades, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has worked successfully as a catalyst for enhancing the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. The Agency has helped member States advance their development priorities while ensuring that nuclear science and technology are used in a safe, secure and sustainable manner. For that, the Agency deserves the deep appreciation of us all. We note with interest the Agency’s projections for 2030, which continue to indicate an increase in global nuclear power capacity. We share the Agency’s assessment that nuclear energy will continue to be a preferable source of viable, safe and sustainable alternative in future, particularly in countries with fast-growing energy needs. That appraisal has been reiterated in the Agency’s publication Climate Change and Nuclear Power 2014, which states that, apart from hydropower and wind power, nuclear power emits the smallest amount of greenhouse gases per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. The publication also notes the importance of nuclear power in providing energy-supply security and other environmental and macroeconomic benefits. Pakistan is a strong advocate of utilizing nuclear technology for peace, progress and prosperity for all. As the sixth most populous nation in the world, we are of the firm belief that socioeconomic development is a major priority for our country. For more than 55 years, we have sought to harness the application of nuclear technology for economic and social development. The Agency has been a valuable partner in those efforts, including through its Technical Cooperation Programme. Pakistan’s economy is on an upward trajectory. Industrial, agricultural and consumer demand for electricity has been growing. With a population of more than 180 million people and faced with a severe energy deficit, we are tapping into all sources — hydropower, solar and wind power and nuclear energy. Pakistan has five operational nuclear facilities, which include three nuclear power plants and two research reactors. The oldest of them was commissioned in 1972. Besides those plants, two more, producing 340 megawatts each, are expected to be commissioned next year. Work has also begun on two larger, third-generation nuclear-power plants of 1,100 megawatts each. With the completion of those two units, nuclear power will begin to make a sizeable contribution to electricity generation in the country. Pakistan envisages a nuclear-power-generation capacity of 40,000 megawatts under its Nuclear Energy Vision 2050. Although we have more than four decades of experience of safely operating nuclear power plants, we remain mindful of and attach the highest importance to the safety and security of our current and future nuclear power plants. All nuclear power plants in Pakistan are under IAEA safeguards. Pakistan values the leading role that the Agency has played in the wake of the Fukushima accident in harmonizing and coordinating global efforts to improve nuclear safety of nuclear power plants. Under our Fukushima Response Action Plan, immediate and mid-term actions have already been taken and implemented. Pakistan also interacts with the IAEA, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) and others to enhance the safety of our nuclear-power plants. WANO expert missions regularly visit Pakistan to assess and suggest various safety measures for our power plants. Our Centre of Excellence for Nuclear Security conducts specialized training courses, including at the regional level, in the physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities, material control and accounting, personnel reliability, transport security and other security-related areas. The Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences offers special courses on nuclear security and physical protection as part of the curriculum in the nuclear engineering programme. The Institute is also poised to be a regional and international hub for training. Over the past decade, Pakistan’s nuclear regulatory mechanism has grown into an effective system underpinned by a robust infrastructure. The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority has based its regulations on the IAEA safety standards. The Authority also offers itself for independent peer reviews. The Authority has very close links with the IAEA, both as a recipient and as a contributor. It has established a National Institute of Safety and Security for facilitating national and regional training courses on nuclear security. It is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories for training in nuclear radiation safety, nuclear security and physical protection. Besides nuclear power, Pakistan has harnessed nuclear technology for socioeconomic development. In the health sector, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission provides diagnostics and treatment through its 18 oncology medical hospitals, where about 80 per cent of the cancer patients in the country are treated each year. More such hospitals are planned. For a country of more than 180 million people, food security is of critical importance. Over the past 50 years, four agriculture centres have been engaged in a variety of research and development activities leading to higher use and better-quality agriculture products and livestock. The research and development work in the physical sciences and engineering has also led us to make important gains in water-resource management and the production of most of the radioisotopes required by the nuclear medical centres and the private sector. With a sizeable civilian nuclear programme and decades of experience in nuclear operations in the areas of power generation, health, medicine, agriculture, biotechnology and industrial applications, Pakistan is uniquely placed to offer cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy to developing countries under IAEA safeguards. We look forward to further strengthening our participation in IAEA promotional activities. Pakistan has been an active and constructive participant in the Nuclear Security Summit process. We have attended all Summit meetings at the highest level, so as to demonstrate the importance that we attach to nuclear security. The IAEA plays a central and leading role in the international nuclear-security architecture as well as in the successor arrangements to the Summit meetings for the post-2016 period. Through the years, Pakistan has worked closely with the IAEA to strengthen nuclear security. We are implementing a nuclear-security action plan in cooperation with the Agency. Pakistan recognizes the important role played by the IAEA verification regime. We share the view that all States should fully comply with their respective safeguards obligations. We have fully complied with our own obligations, pursuant to our safeguards agreements with the Agency. Implementation of the regulatory aspects of the Agency represents an important area, in which safeguards play a key role. At the same time, promotional activities of the Agency are of the highest priority for developing counties. Equitable allocation of extra-budgetary resources is needed for both the safeguards and the Technical Cooperation Programmes. Pakistan is a State with advanced nuclear capabilities. We have the experience, trained manpower and facilities to become both a provider and a recipient of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Pakistan has played and will continue to play its constructive role in advancing non-proliferation objectives, nuclear safety and security, as well as the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. Pakistan views its membership in export-control regimes, particularly the Nuclear Suppliers Group, as a mutually beneficial proposition. We reiterate our call for an equitable, non-discriminatory and criteria-based approach to promote civil nuclear cooperation and membership in export-controls regimes.

At the outset, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the people and the Governments of France, Iraq and Lebanon for the tragic loss of life of a number of their citizens as a result of the recent heinous terrorist acts. I would also like to thank the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for his presentation of the Agency’s annual report for 2014 (see A/70/219). Nuclear energy is bound to play a significant role in the development of developing countries as a result of their growing energy demands, in particular the demand for electricity. To meet that demand without contributing to climate change, more clean energy must be produced. The peaceful uses of nuclear energy and technology are of great importance to the scientific, technological and socioeconomic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran has made a considerable investment in establishing the necessary nuclear infrastructure and has achieved significant progress in the civil applications of nuclear science and technology in the medical, agricultural and industrial fields. We emphasize the importance of nuclear knowledge-sharing and the transfer of nuclear technology to interested developing countries, consistent with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in order to enhance their scientific and technological capabilities and contribute to their sustainable socioeconomic development. In that regard, the activities of the IAEA in the field of technical cooperation should play an important role. In accordance with its Statute, the primary responsibility of the IAEA is to assist member States in research on and the development and practical application of nuclear energy for peaceful uses. We stress the need to enhance the IAEA’s activities and contributions in that area in order to meet the expectations of interested developing nations, including Iran. Other mandates of the IAEA, in particular safeguards-related verification activities, should be carried out in support of its primary responsibility to promote the application of nuclear science and technology throughout the world. In that context, we emphasize that the design and implementation of the required safeguards must comply with the inalienable rights of NPT States parties and avoid hampering their economic or technological development. Any efforts to enhance safeguards implementation, such as those that are currently under consideration by the Agency, need to ensure respect for the inalienable rights and the national sovereignty of NPT States parties. We underline that concerns related to nuclear proliferation should not, in any way, restrict the inalienable rights of any NPT State party to develop all aspects of nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes, without discrimination, as stipulated in article IV of the Treaty. The inalienable right of NPT States parties to develop research in and the production and use of nuclear energy, including national nuclear fuel cycles, for peaceful purposes must be respected by all. The right of the NPT States parties to develop the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and their commitment to promote and facilitate the exercise of that right are among the main pillars of the core provisions of the Treaty. However, one can only express dismay over the systematic attempts, applied under the pretext of non-proliferation concerns and contrary to the letter and spirit of the Treaty, to restrict the application of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The Islamic Republic of Iran, on the basis of firm ideological, strategic and international principles, has categorically and consistently rejected weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, as obsolete and inhuman and detrimental to international peace and security. The conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on 14 July signifies a crucial step by Iran and the E3+3, through negotiations and based on mutual respect, to resolve an unnecessary crisis that had been manufactured by baseless allegations about the peaceful Iranian nuclear programme, followed by unjustified politically motivated measures against the people of Iran. The main foundation of the Plan of Action is provided by the reciprocal undertakings by the E3+3 and Iran, recognizing Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme and its enrichment activities and simultaneously the termination of all of the provisions of previous Security Council resolutions, as well as the comprehensive lifting of Security Council sanctions and all unilateral and multilateral nuclear-related sanctions. That signifies a fundamental shift in the Security Council’s approach. The same fundamental shift should be pursued by the IAEA, including by the Board of Governors. All previous resolutions of the Board, which are, in Iran’s view, unjustified and politically motivated measures, should be terminated. While the Plan of Action, endorsed by Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), provides for nuclear cooperation with Iran and the continuation of its enrichment programme, the provisions of previous resolutions of the Board calling for suspension of the enrichment programme are no longer valid. The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to fully implementing its voluntary undertakings in good faith, contingent on the same good-faith implementation of all undertakings by the other parties, including those involving the removal of sanctions and restrictive measures under the Plan of Action. On the other hand, in continuing their cooperation under the Framework for Cooperation to accelerate and strengthen their cooperation and dialogue aimed at resolving, by the end of 2015, all past and present outstanding issues that have not already been resolved by the IAEA and Iran, a road map was concluded between the Agency and Iran. Iran faithfully implemented its voluntary undertakings under the road map that was agreed on recently. We therefore expect that after the final assessment by the Director General is submitted, all past and present issues will be resolved once and for all in the upcoming Board of Governors meeting on 15 December. Cooperation with the IAEA has a central place in Iran’s nuclear policy. In that regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly believes that the role of the Agency, in accordance with its Statute, is vital for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy through technical cooperation with member States. In the light of the imminent implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, all restrictions and limitations imposed on the technical cooperation between Iran and the Agency should be removed in the 2016-2017 cycle.

It is with great feeling and profound sympathy that I address the General Assembly with regard to the series of terrorist attacks that recently occurred in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad. Our hearts are with the families and friends of the victims of those abominable attacks, as well as with the Governments and the peoples concerned. Japan will always maintain its solidarity with the international community in condemning and combating terrorism, which is also an attack against our common values. Japan will remain resolute in its active contribution to peace, to stability and, above all, to the fight against terrorism, in collaboration with the entire international community. (spoke in English) I would like to thank Director General Yukiya Amano for presenting the annual report (see A/70/219) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since last year, the international community has witnessed some significant developments in such fields as nuclear safety, the peaceful uses of nuclear technology and non-proliferation. Japan would also like to warmly welcome Antigua and Barbuda, Djibouti, Guyana and Vanuatu as new members of the IAEA. Japan continues to fully support the IAEA so that the Agency can fulfil its important role under the leadership of Director General Amano. Japan welcomes the important advances in the implementation of the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety. Notable examples include the adoption of the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety in February, as well as the entry into force of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage in April, which resulted from Japan’s accession to the Convention. In August, the IAEA’s Fukushima report was published. We appreciate the tireless efforts of all persons involved. Taking that report to heart, Japan is determined to devote its sincerest efforts to further enhancing nuclear safety. Moreover, I have the pleasure to report to the General Assembly that at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, we are making solid progress in decommissioning the plant and in managing contaminated water. The operation of the sub-drain system started in September. The closing of the impermeable seaside wall was completed in October. Those two operations are expected to considerably reduce the accumulation of contaminated water. On behalf of the Government and the people of Japan, let me express our renewed and sincere gratitude for the invaluable support from the international community, including the IAEA. Director General Amano is promoting the concept of atoms for peace and development. The IAEA is conducting various activities under that concept to meet the socioeconomic needs of developing countries by utilizing nuclear science and technology in such areas as food security, human health and water management. With a view to achieving the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (see resolution 70/1), the atoms for peace and development initiative is very timely and important. As part of our support for such timely IAEA efforts under the leadership of Director General Amano, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida announced a contribution earlier this year of $25 million to the IAEA’s Peaceful Uses Initiative to be disbursed over the next five years. More recently, Japan disbursed about $1.2 million from its Peaceful Uses Initiative contributions to support IAEA regional technical cooperation projects in the regions of Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Asia- Pacific region. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage the international community to provide further support for the IAEA’s activities in the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue is an important step for the enhancement of the international non-proliferation regime and for the stabilization of the Middle East. Japan welcomes the advent of adoption day for the Plan of Action on 18 October and hopes that implementation day will come at the earliest possible date. In close coordination with the international community, Japan will support the implementation process of the Plan of Action. Meanwhile, all past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme should be clarified as early as possible, so as to dispel any concerns of the international community and based on the road map agreed between Iran and the IAEA. In North-East Asia, North Korea’s continued development of nuclear and missile programmes poses a serious threat to the peace and security of the region and the entire international community. Japan urges North Korea to refrain from any further provocative action and to take concrete steps towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, and immediately cease all related activities. Japan also urges North Korea to fully comply with the relevant Security Council resolutions and the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks, and to return to compliance with the safeguards of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the IAEA. In that regard, Japan fully supports the IAEA’s continued involvement in that issue. Japan wishes to play a more proactive role in maintaining peace, prosperity and stability in the world under the banner of “Proactive Contribution to Peace”, based on the principle of international cooperation. Next year will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the IAEA Statute. As a responsible member of the international community, Japan expresses its firm determination to contribute further to ensuring and promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Cuba supports the important work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We welcome all the new members of the Agency. Technical cooperation is one of the main pillars of the IAEA and deserves priority attention. In our country, we look positively on the use of nuclear technology in such vital areas as human health, agriculture, food supply, hydrology and the preservation of the environment. Such activities should be carried out in strict compliance with safety regulations. In that regard, we stress the essential role of international cooperation. We accord special priority to the IAEA Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy, which should receive the necessary financial resources to broaden its reach and results. Cuba continues to face obstacles and delays that hinder its cooperation with the Agency by virtue of the sanctions policy that our people still face, which imposes severe restrictions on our programme with the IAEA. The restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States is the first step in a long, complex process towards the normalization of bilateral relations and the definitive end of the blockade. We are grateful for the support that we receive each year from the IAEA and the international community in that regard. The effective management of nuclear security does not admit of exclusions or selectivities. International rules governing nuclear safety should be adopted in the framework of the IAEA through multilateral, transparent and inclusive negotiations, with the participation of all States. Cuba welcomes the holding of the forthcoming IAEA International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Security in December 2016. We will continue to strengthen the excellent cooperation between our country and the IAEA in implementing projects aimed at improving physical nuclear security so as to be able to better control our borders and our facilities that have Category 1 and 2 radioactive sources. In the context of IAEA safeguards, our country has obtained dual certification and satisfactory results in Agency inspections for eight consecutive years. We must preserve the credibility of the IAEA’s activities in the field of safeguards, ensuring fair and professional action in that area. Cuba supports efforts to improve the efficiency of the safeguards, provided they do not affect the legitimate rights of States or establish discriminatory and selective practices. We welcome the progress made in the ongoing negotiations between the IAEA and the Islamic Republic of Iran. We encourage further progress in that process. We also reaffirm our support for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. We truly regret that the proposed modalities for holding the Conference on the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East served as the argument used by the three countries that blocked the final document of the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) held this year. The establishment of such a zone would be a key contribution to peace and security for all peoples in the region. We believe that the continued failure to implement the 1995 NPT Review Conference resolution on the Middle East and the failure to hold the Conference to establish that nuclear-weapon-free zone endanger the very credibility of the NPT. Greater efficiency and effectiveness is needed in adopting IAEA decisions, which will require strengthening the General Conference as the supreme legislative body in which all member States participate. We should also thoroughly consider the composition and functions of the Board of Governors. Humankind will remain in danger of being annihilated by the more than 16,000 existing nuclear weapons. That is why nuclear disarmament cannot remain an objective that is always postponed or subject to conditions. The only way to avoid the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is their total prohibition and elimination, under strict international verification. The IAEA has an important role to play in that respect. Cuba will stand firm in the battle to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. That is our commitment to present and future generations.

Switzerland is deeply shocked and saddened by the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad and over the Sinai peninsula in the past few weeks. Switzerland firmly condemns such hateful acts, which run counter to the fundamental values of all societies, and we assure the countries affected of our full solidarity. Switzerland also extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to all of the countries affected. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has had to face a number of major challenges this year, and others are on the horizon. Of those challenges, Switzerland would like to highlight the following four. First, Switzerland welcomes the agreement reached on 14 July on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and the ЕЗ/EU+3. My country hopes that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was the result of several years of intense and difficult negotiations, will be implemented in a constructive manner by all of the parties involved. The IAEA, which contributed significantly to the July agreement, will have a key role to play in verifying the implementation of the nuclear part of the agreement. Switzerland supported the negotiation process that led to the adoption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and has provided financial support for the work of the IAEA resulting from those negotiations. Secondly, Switzerland welcomed the holding of a diplomatic conference in February 2015 to discuss an amendment that it had introduced within the framework of the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The resulting Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety was adopted unanimously, establishing the principle that state-of- the-art technology should ensure safety at new nuclear facilities and that existing facilities should be subject to regular checks and continuous safety improvements. Switzerland is working to ensure that the objectives of the Declaration become the benchmark for nuclear safety and are integrated into the wider framework of the IAEA, which sets global standards for nuclear safety. Enhancing nuclear safety remains a vital, ongoing effort. The IAEA’s challenge will be to continue its efforts to develop its nuclear-safety strategy. The IAEA can count on Switzerland’s support in the fulfilment of that task. Thirdly, at the IAEA General Conference this year, the issue of nuclear security was discussed at length, resulting in a resolution that, for the first time, established a clear link between disarmament and nuclear security. Switzerland welcomes that resolution, as we are convinced that in order to be all-encompassing and credible, the approach taken to nuclear security must be more broadly based, taking on board the obvious link between nuclear security and nuclear disarmament as well as the entire range of nuclear materials that exist, both civilian and military. In more than one respect, 2016 will be the year of nuclear security, and Switzerland welcomes the decision by the IAEA to hold a ministerial conference on nuclear security next year. My country is indeed convinced that, given its broad membership and its capability to combine technical expertise and political leadership, the IAEA is ideally placed to play a steering role in international efforts in the area of nuclear security. Fourthly, Switzerland supports the IAEA report entitled The Conceptualization and Development of Safeguards Implementation at the State Level, and hence supports the work of the Secretariat to implement such a concept. Indeed, on the one hand, the IAEA is seeing an increase in its verification tasks and there is a desire among member States to see it become more active in other areas, including nuclear security and safety. On the other hand, those developments are coming at a time of persistent reluctance to increase budgets. The State-level concept must therefore lead to a genuine optimization of the effectiveness of the safeguards system. That will most likely mean a complete review of current practice and a better targeting of priorities in order to make genuine improvements to management, in terms of effort and cost, that are both substantial and measurable for the IAEA and also for the States concerned. The assessment made thus far by the Secretariat on the State-level concept has indicated that the potential for efficiency gains is limited. Switzerland does not share that view, and we are convinced that there is real room for manoeuvre, but a culture change within the IAEA is necessary to achieve it. In fact, the thought process set in motion by the State-level concept cannot be restricted to the mere quest for efficiency gains. We will most likely need to extend our thinking more broadly to the overall management of the IAEA, if we want it to be able to meet all of the challenges that lie ahead.

On behalf of my delegation, allow me to begin by extending my deepest condolences and solidarity to the countries that recently suffered heinous terrorist attacks. Singapore supports all efforts to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice. I thank Director General Yukiya Amano for the comprehensive annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (see A/70/219). Singapore has consistently supported the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in promoting the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear science and technologies. We are pleased to continue our co-sponsorship of the draft resolution on the report of the IAEA (A/70/L.8), and we regret that the draft resolution will not be adopted by consensus this year. Singapore has consistently taken the view that nuclear safety is an issue of concern to all States and not merely to States with nuclear installations. That is because nuclear accidents may have catastrophic consequences that transcend national borders. We would like to express our appreciation to the IAEA and the Secretariat for their work on the comprehensive report of the Director General entitled The Fukushima Daiichi Accident. It is a sobering reminder of the dangers of complacency and of the fact that countries operating nuclear power plants bear responsibility to their peoples and the international community to ensure that their regulatory frameworks, plant design, operational safety procedures and culture, and emergency preparedness and response are robust at all times. The report provides a valuable repository of knowledge that can be drawn upon to ensure that such accidents do not happen again. The Diplomatic Conference of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, convened in February 2015, adopted the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety by consensus. We urge all contracting parties to the Convention, especially countries with nuclear installations and those planning to embark on a civilian nuclear programme, to implement the safety objectives contained in the Declaration expeditiously and in good faith. Singapore will fulfil its responsibilities and cooperate with the IAEA and member States to contribute towards the strengthening of international and regional standards of nuclear safety. The IAEA plays a central role in promoting the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear energy, which is critical to furthering the objectives of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). While Singapore has consistently expressed support for the right of all sovereign States to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, we also believe that the right must be exercised in strict accordance with the provisions of the NPT. We urge States, particularly the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to refrain from all provocative actions, to return to the NPT, to fully comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions and to resume full cooperation with the IAEA. Singapore also welcomes the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between the P5+1 and Iran. The agreement is a significant step in the right direction, but the implementation of the agreement will be critical. We urge all parties to fulfil their obligations expeditiously and in good faith. Singapore recognizes the essential role of the IAEA in verifying and monitoring the nuclear-related measures set out in the agreement. We support the Agency’s implementation of the measures contained in Security Council resolution 2231 (2015) and look forward to the Director General’s report on the implementation of the road map for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, signed on 14 July. Singapore welcomes the valuable work of the IAEA in mobilizing peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology to address critical global challenges in myriad areas, such as food and agriculture, public health, water resources and the environment. Singapore has collaborated with the IAEA since 2000 to jointly provide technical assistance to other fellow developing IAEA member States. We are pleased to have renewed our commitment to work together when we welcomed Director General Amano to Singapore in January this year and committed to an updated memorandum of understanding on the Singapore-IAEA Third Country Training Programme. Under the scope of that revised memorandum, Singapore and the IAEA will provide joint technical assistance to other developing countries in a number of areas, including nuclear medicine and nuclear safety. We have begun with a joint training programme for participants from 11 countries on the strategy for and evaluation of trials on suppression of the Aedes genus of the mosquito population by using the sterile insect technique. We hope that it will be merely the first programme within a fruitful cooperation. Singapore also supports the IAEA’s continued cooperation with regional organizations. We welcome the progress made by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM) in strengthening cooperation among countries in Southeast Asia aimed at promoting greater nuclear safety, security and safeguards within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations community. ASEANTOM has proposed an IAEA regional technical cooperation project to support the establishment of a regional environmental radioactivity database and an emergency preparedness and response framework, which will commence in 2016. We look forward to the further strengthening of the collaboration between ASEANTOM and the IAEA. In conclusion, Singapore is a proud partner of the IAEA, which has done good work and made significant contributions to the international community. We look forward to continuing our cooperation.

It gives me great pleasure to speak on this important agenda item under consideration today. I would like to express appreciation and gratitude to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ambassador Amano, for his comprehensive 2014 annual report on the work of the Agency (see A/70/219). Ethiopia commends the IAEA for its continued efforts to discharge its responsibilities with regard to helping member States use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. We believe that the three pillars of the IAEA will continue to play a key role in achieving the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1) by promoting the peaceful use of nuclear technologies while addressing the risk of nuclear proliferation. From our perspective, the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme, including the provision of guidance to member States, is of critical importance. In that regard, the development of nuclear- power projects and the promotion of the application of nuclear technology to human health, medical service, food and agriculture, and the protection of the environment are of vital importance. In Ethiopia, the Agency’s technical cooperation continues to be vital in supporting the Government’s efforts to develop capabilities in the areas of tsetse fly control, cancer treatment, diagnostic nuclear medicine services, isotope hydrological analysis and non-destructive quality testing, and national nuclear science and technology infrastructure. We have improved our capacity through personnel training, equipment acquisition, expert missions and other forms of technical assistance from the IAEA. With the view to supporting the Agency’s advocacy of the peaceful use of nuclear technology, Ethiopia is a signatory to a number of IAEA treaties and conventions. We also firmly believe that the provision of sufficient and predictable resources to the Agency’s programmes and, more importantly, the balanced distribution of resources to its safeguards, nuclear safety and technical cooperation activities need to be ensured. In fact, the Technical Cooperation Programme plays a crucial role as a means of transferring nuclear technology to developing countries. Our biggest technical cooperation project with the IAEA is aimed at eradicating the tsetse fly from the Southern Rift Valley region. That insect still poses a genuine threat to the lives and livelihoods of our communities and is a constraint on livestock production in Ethiopia. The Southern Rift Valley Tsetse Eradication Project is currently under way and remarkable achievements have been made in connection with the expansion of farmland and livestock farming. With regard to the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy, Ethiopia commends the IAEA for its role and continued support in consolidating the comprehensive cancer-control programmes at the Black Lion Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, which serves as a referral hospital. The Agency has also been extending its support to the expansion of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy centres in five more selected regional university hospitals. It is in that light that Ethiopia reiterates its call for increased resources from the regular budget to cover the increasing burdens faced by the Technical Cooperation Fund in implementing the Technical Cooperation Programme. We are also of the view that both national measures and international cooperation are essential for nuclear and radiation safety. In that regard, we would like to emphasize that the Agency has a key role to play in the promotion of a global safety culture. The Agency’s safeguards are among the basic components of the non-proliferation regime and create an environment conducive to nuclear disarmament and nuclear cooperation. Furthermore, in responding to the threats from non-State actors, particularly terrorists, who seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction, the collaborative efforts of member States, international organizations and civil society are critical. In that connection, the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1540 (2004) and 1887 (2009) is also essential for addressing nuclear-related threats. The safeguards and verification mandates of the Agency illustrate the importance of the Agency’s continued vigilance and contributions to international peace and security. In that regard, Ethiopia strongly supports the right of all States to enjoy the full use of nuclear technology and its scientific application in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. To conclude, I wish to reiterate our profound thanks and appreciation to the IAEA, particularly its governing body and leadership, for their dedication to strengthening essential technical cooperation between the Agency and countries such as Ethiopia. Let me also reiterate our assurances that Ethiopia will continue to do its level best to further enhance the positive spirit of cooperation with the Agency, as well as with all the development partners that have so far made generous contributions to our development endeavours, including in that critical area.

Let me begin by thanking the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Yukiya Amano, for introducing the Agency’s annual report for 2014 (see A/70/219). We welcome the report’s thematic overview of the IAEA’s activities and underline the importance that the Republic of Korea attaches to a balanced programme of work. We believe that such a programme will contribute to promoting the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology, enhancing nuclear safety and security, and strengthening global nuclear verification and non-proliferation efforts. The international community has just adopted the ambitious new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1) with its Goals aimed at promoting shared prosperity for the next 15 years. Ensuring that all Member States share the benefits of nuclear science and technology for their economic and social development will contribute to achieving those common development goals. In that regard, we welcome the IAEA secretariat’s efforts to fully align its Technical Cooperation Programme with the 2030 Agenda. As we approach the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Republic of Korea would also like to highlight the contribution of nuclear power to energy-supply security, with its environmental and macroeconomic benefits. We will continue to work with the Agency and others to ensure that nuclear power remains a viable option for helping to meet the climate and energy challenges of the twenty-first century. The 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station was a solemn reminder that nuclear safety can never be taken for granted. As we move forward, sustaining the momentum that we have built up in the field of nuclear safety is essential. We believe that the Agency’s report on the Fukushima Daiichi accident will be an objective guide to and a strong reminder of the importance of nuclear-safety preparedness. The report’s findings are not the end but the beginning of our collective endeavour to understand and learn from the accident and strengthen nuclear safety worldwide. Both the General Assembly and IAEA member States have recognized and reaffirmed the central role that the Agency has played in strengthening the global nuclear- security architecture. As the host country of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, the Republic of Korea is a strong supporter of the Agency’s work in that field and would like to draw attention to the December 2016 International Conference on Nuclear Security that Korea will chair at the ministerial level. Given the vital contribution of the IAEA safeguards to international peace and security, the Republic of Korea is pleased to note that, in 2014, the Agency continued to improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of the safeguards. We are encouraged by the growing acceptance of the State-level concept and the continuing increase in the number of comprehensive safeguards agreements, additional protocols and amended small-quantities protocols that are in force. In that regard, as of October, Korea became one of two member States to apply the new version of the State-level approach. The Republic of Korea is encouraged by the progress made in resolving the past and present outstanding issues of Iran’s nuclear programme. We take note of the Agency’s statement that the activities set out in the road map agreed between the Agency and Iran were completed as planned by 15 October, and we hope that all parties concerned will continue in good faith their efforts to ensure an exclusively peaceful Iranian nuclear programme. Despite such positive developments, however, significant safeguards challenges remain. We continue to view with grave concern North Korea’s continued violation of its international obligations to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes and immediately cease all related activities, especially in the light of its ongoing provocations and public statements vowing to pursue the further development of nuclear weapons. The Republic of Korea feels compelled, therefore, to reiterate that North Korea cannot have the status of a nuclear-weapon State and that it must fully comply with all its obligations under the relevant Security Council resolutions and fulfil its commitments under the 19 September 2005 Joint Statement of the fourth round of the Six-Party Talks. Along with the international community, we stand ready to offer a brighter future to North Korea, if it demonstrates a genuine willingness to completely abandon its nuclear-weapons programme and agrees to abide by its international obligations and commitments. However, its negative response to past diplomatic efforts underlines the need for the international community to reiterate a strong and unified message that the path to peace, stability and prosperity hinges on North Korea’s willingness to return to meaningful denuclearization talks. In that regard, we appreciate the resolution on the North Korean nuclear issue adopted by consensus at the fifty-ninth IAEA General Conference this past September. While maintaining extra vigilance, the Republic of Korea will continue its constructive efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and looks forward to working with others to that end. The Republic of Korea reiterates its full support for the work of the IAEA in achieving our common goal of harnessing nuclear energy in the service of peace and development for humankind. We join others in support of this year’s draft resolution A/70/L.8 on the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Indonesia joins the international community in condemning the shameful and cowardly terrorist attacks that occurred in France and Lebanon and conveys its heartfelt condolences to the Governments and the peoples of those two countries. My delegation would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Director General of the IAEA for preparing a comprehensive report on the work of the Agency during 2014 (see A/70/219) and for his introductory statement, which contains additional information on the activities of the Agency during 2015. Indonesia takes note of the developments and significant activities of the Agency during the reporting period, covering nuclear technology in power and non-power applications, nuclear safety and security, nuclear verification and technical cooperation. In that regard, Indonesia welcomes the Agency’s continuous efforts to provide the necessary support to member States in the aforementioned fields. We encourage the IAEA secretariat to continue to pursue and adapt its programme of work in a balanced manner to meet the changing needs of member States and to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated in that respect so that the benefits of nuclear science and technology are shared by all member States for their socioeconomic development. Indonesia believes that the Agency’s technical cooperation programme plays an indispensable role as the main vehicle through which the Agency delivers its mandate of promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, especially in developing countries. Given the key role played by the technical cooperation programme, Indonesia underlines the need to earmark a significant portion of contributions for the Technical Cooperation Fund to ensure that there are sufficient resources for the programme. Since 2012, Indonesia has been a contributor to the IAEA Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI), which supports the IAEA programme on technical cooperation among developing countries. It is currently developing a regional capacity-building initiative for the Asia Pacific region with the IAEA within the PUI framework. The Initiative envisages structural and sustainable technical cooperation and encourages the recipient, provider and donor countries to sit down with the IAEA and plan together. In that context, Indonesia will continue its support for all PUI activities, particularly in the area of knowledge exchange in nuclear and nuclear-application technology in agriculture. It will also continue to assign its cost-free experts to support technical cooperation on nuclear security and nuclear application. Indonesia is pleased that Director General Yukiya Amano has put more emphasis on promoting the application of nuclear science and technology for the benefit of humankind in the areas of food and agriculture, health, industry and the environment. In that regard, Indonesia welcomes the Agency’s continuing efforts to strengthen its capacity and its services to member States, including the initiative to renovate the nuclear application laboratories in Seibersdorf. Indonesia wishes to reiterate the importance of the role of the Agency in fostering international cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and technology, nuclear safety and security. We fervently hope that the cooperation between Indonesia and the Agency can be further expanded and developed. We also would like the Agency to step up collaboration and support for the application of nuclear science and technology in the region. Since becoming a member of the Agency in 1957, Indonesia has been steadfast in its commitment to the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme. Indonesia itself has benefited significantly from IAEA cooperation in the areas of food and agriculture, health, water, and other peaceful uses of nuclear energy and is now ready to work with the Agency to provide technical cooperation to other developing countries. An IAEA collaborating centre was established in Jakarta in 2015 and is ready to be utilized for that purpose. With regard to nuclear safety, Indonesia wishes to draw attention to the IAEA site and external events design service and to the visit of the integrated regulatory review service mission conducted in August 2015. With the support provided by the Agency, Indonesia conducted a nuclear-energy system assessment using the Agency’s International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles methodology and submitted its first assessment report, which focuses on a large power reactor that is part of its efforts to sustain nuclear energy development. In the area of security, Indonesia ratified the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism in 2014, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material in 1986 and the 2005 Amendment through a presidential decree in 2009. Indonesia has also officially inaugurated the Indonesia Centre as a centre of excellence in nuclear security and emergency preparedness at the national and regional levels. Furthermore, the Indonesian National Nuclear Energy Agency has launched a programme to construct a small-scale, non-commercial, multipurpose power reactor to demonstrate electricity production in a safe manner, enhance knowledge and competence with respect to nuclear power and non-power technology and promote public acceptance of nuclear power. That reactor is expected to be commissioned by 2020. Indonesia extends its appreciation to the IAEA for its support of this programme. In relation to safeguards, Indonesia welcomes the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and the P5+1 on 14 July in Vienna, and the adoption of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015). Indonesia believes that those successful negotiations represent a decisive step by both sides towards a final resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue. Indonesia calls on all the parties, including the P5, to adhere to the agreed commitments in the Plan, with a view to reaching a durable and peaceful solution. Indonesia also reaffirms its support to the Agency in implementing the verification and monitoring of the Plan. Indonesia will continue to support the IAEA in fulfilling its mandate as enshrined in its statute. In the light of the numerous developments affecting the global architecture, my delegation believes that the Agency needs to revisit its current practices under the statute, to improve its work and make it more efficient, representative and transparent. As a committed member of the IAEA, Indonesia continues to contribute its resources in many ways to support the Agency, including by becoming the external auditor of the IAEA for the period 2016-2017. With a wide range of auditing experience, the Indonesian Audit Board intends to utilize that opportunity to further contribute to the work of the Agency by providing a high-quality audit service in order to promote accountability and transparency in the role of the Agency, which is to ensure the safe, secure, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. As a reflection of Indonesia’s deep appreciation for the indispensable role of the Agency in encouraging and assisting the development and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses, in technology transfer to developing countries and in nuclear safety, verification and security, Indonesia is pleased to join others in sponsoring draft resolution A/70/L.8 on the report of the IAEA. It is a measure of Indonesia’s deep appreciation of the Agency’s indispensable role in encouraging and assisting the development and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses, in technology transfer to developing countries and in nuclear safety, verification and security. Indonesia is ready to continue supporting the successful work of the Agency.

The Chinese delegation welcomes the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (see A/70/219), presented by Director General Yukiya Amano. Over the past year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has effectively discharged its relevant duties under its statute. It has exerted substantial efforts and made important progress in the areas of promoting the application of nuclear energy and technology, nuclear non-proliferation, strengthening nuclear safety and security, and monitoring. In that regard, China would like to express its appreciation to the Agency. The international community is now gradually adopting a more rational attitude towards nuclear energy. The development of nuclear energy demonstrates a generally positive trend and nuclear technologies are being ever more widely applied. Meanwhile, global nuclear governance is increasingly expanding, with the universality of nuclear safeguards being continuously strengthened and global nuclear safety and security further enhanced. On the other hand, nuclear non-proliferation security is still facing a serious situation, and the risks of nuclear terrorism cannot be ignored. China therefore hopes that the Agency will focus on the following aspects in its future work. First, China encourages the Agency to actively promote technical cooperation in such areas as the peaceful application of nuclear energy and technology and to further assist developing countries in sharing the benefits of nuclear development. China looks forward to the IAES’s early establishment of a modern nuclear applications laboratory and plans to donate €2 million in additional contributions to the nuclear application laboratory programme. Secondly, the Agency needs to forge a more effective and impartial safeguards regime. The application of safeguards should first and foremost be objective and impartial while also taking effectiveness and efficiency into account. China welcomes the progress made by the IAEA in strengthening the universality of the safeguards regime and appreciates the efforts by its secretariat to clarify the State-level concept. We hope that the IAEA secretariat will conscientiously fulfil its commitment to maintaining dialogue and communication with member States in that regard by addressing all their concerns, with a view to ensuring the impartiality and effectiveness of the safeguards regime. Thirdly, China welcomes IAEA efforts to enhance global nuclear safety and security, including the improvement of the international legal regime, the development of guidelines and the promotion of communication and cooperation in that area. We hope that the Agency will continue to play a focused and central role in the relevant international process that will replace summits on nuclear security. We have high expectations for positive results next year at the International Conference on Nuclear Security, held under the auspices of the IAEA. Fourthly, there needs to be an objective and fair approach to addressing hotspot nuclear issues. China appreciates the positive role played by the Agency in bringing about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue. We support the IAEA in its application of safeguards and relevant monitoring and verification measures related in Iran, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2231 (2015) and the Plan of Action. China hopes that the Agency will strictly abide by its mandate, continue to maintain an objective and fair attitude and play a constructive role in promoting the peaceful solution of other regional nuclear issues through dialogue and consultations. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the birth of China’s nuclear industry. Thanks to arduous efforts over the past six decades, China has registered substantial achievements in its nuclear development. Its nuclear safety, security and emergency response capacity have been further strengthened. China will continue to maintain close cooperation with the Agency in all the areas of its mandate and will make joint contributions to realizing the objective of the peaceful, safe and efficient use of nuclear energy for all humankind.

At the outset, we extend our condolences to France, Russia, Egypt and Lebanon. Iraq is one of the countries that was targeted by terrorist attacks and suffered loss of life on that account. At the outset, my delegation would like to welcome the annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (see A/70/219), which presents the work and achievements of the Agency for 2014 in its three main fields of activity — nuclear technology, nuclear safety and security and nuclear verification. The report notes that there are 438 nuclear reactors in operation in 30 countries and 67 new reactors under construction. That shows an increasing interest in exercising the inalienable right, enshrined in article IV of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to possess and peacefully use nuclear technology. That was also stressed in the Final Document of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, especially the need to respect the decisions and policies of non-nuclear- weapon-States aimed at acquiring nuclear technology and nuclear power for peaceful and development purposes and ensuring the unrestricted peaceful use of nuclear energy, including through international cooperation. The technical cooperation activities of the Agency are a priority for my country and for other developing countries that want to use nuclear technology in the areas of health, agriculture, food, water resources, radio isotopes and radiation. My country is committed to strengthening capabilities in nuclear safety and security and in ensuring the physical protection of nuclear facilities and materials during the stages of use, stockpiling and transport — internally or across borders — in order to avoid radiological or nuclear incidents and any acts of trafficking. We want to protect the lives of people, their property and the environment. We therefore submitted a draft integrated action plan on nuclear security to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Department of Nuclear Safety and Security and discussed our most vital needs with the Department. The Technical Cooperation Programme seeks to promote and transfer nuclear technology in order to achieve sustainable soioeconomic development in developing countries. The Programme remains one of the main statutory functions of the Agency. It is the joint responsibility of the Agency and its member States, the concerted efforts of which drastically affect the success of the programme, which seeks to meet the demands and needs of States. If the Programme is to carry out its promotional activities, the funding of the Technical Cooperation Fund should be sufficient and assured and at a level comparable to that for other Agency activities. Countries are rightly concerned about monetary contributions to the Fund, which reflects the need to make funding sources more predictable. There should be broad and careful implementation of any measure that could result in sanctions or that could impose an extra burden on the Agency and the member States, especially countries under critical circumstances beyond their control and those facing challenges related to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and radiological applications in fields such as medicine, industry and research. It is necessary to properly address the issue of the funding shortfalls experienced by the Technical Cooperation Fund. Member States and the Agency should work together to take appropriate measures to improve the current situation. The progress achieved in curbing the threat of nuclear weapons and in improving the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Safeguards System needs to be coupled with significant progress in nuclear disarmament, in line with the NPT. Countries should be encouraged to become party to the NPT in order to achieve its noble goals in the service of international peace and security. International and regional efforts have fallen short of ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons because Israel rejects any endeavour in that regard, despite the numerous General Assembly resolutions that have called for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the region since 1974, as have resolutions adopted by the Review Conferences of the Parties to the NPT. The failure of the 2015 NPT Review Conference to reach consensus on the draft final document is a setback in international efforts to establish in the Middle East a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The failure to adopt a final document has prevented us from reviewing the obligations over the past five years. My country therefore stresses the need to commit to the resolution of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the NPT on the Middle East, which indefinitely extended the Treaty. The resolution should remain in force until fully implemented. My Government believes that eliminating nuclear weapons and other WMDs from the Middle East is a key element for achieving peace and security in the Middle East. It could be of direct benefit to the development of the peoples of the region and the prosperity of its generations. In that regard, my delegation stresses the need for continued efforts to create such a zone and to do everything possible to distance this vulnerable region from global tension.

At the outset, I wish to express deep appreciation to the representative of Brazil for introducing draft resolution A/70/L.8 and to Mr. Yukiya Amano for his comprehensive briefing on the 2014 annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (see A/70/219). There can be no doubt that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) comprehensive safeguards system constitutes the only verification mechanism of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Egypt believes that all international efforts aimed at implementing NPT commitments concerning nuclear non-proliferation and all efforts directed at fulfilling commitments in the field of nuclear disarmament must indeed be enforced through the IAEA verification mechanism, given that it is the sole international agency with the mandate to perform that duty. While we acknowledge the successful role of the IAEA in ensuring the non-diversion of nuclear activities or material to military nuclear programmes, that role has so far had a limited impact in preventing vertical proliferation or in verifying nuclear disarmament of the nuclear-weapon States. Moreover, there is increasing interest on the part of non-nuclear-weapon States in exercising their inalienable right to benefit from peaceful uses, in accordance with article IV of the NPT. Egypt stresses the obligation of developed countries in particular to promote developing countries’ legitimate access to nuclear energy by fully respecting their right to do so, so that they can reap maximum benefit and achieve comprehensive sustainable development in their nuclear programmes and relevant applications. We therefore consistently emphasize the need to promote international cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy for the realization of the inalienable right of all parties to the NPT to the development, research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, which constitutes one of the three fundamental pillars of the NPT. At the national level, Egypt has embarked on the establishment of its first nuclear facility for electrical energy generation, in response to its increasing development needs. We are keen to coordinate with the IAEA to ensure our compliance with the established IAEA safety and security standards in all their aspects and with the comprehensive safeguards system. Egypt notes with concern certain discriminatory arrangements to impose additional restrictions on some but not on others, in a manner that is clearly politicized and that does not contribute to the implementation of the NPT objectives, in particular its universality. Moreover, such restrictions constitute interference in the internal affairs of States by attempting to influence the determination of their nuclear-energy requirements or to restrict their right to achieve self-sufficiency in the area of nuclear power supply, such as the Additional Protocol and the international nuclear fuel bank. Egypt calls for the universalization of the IAEA comprehensive safeguards system as the only legal instrument in this technical field, it being understood that any additional obligation is a voluntary one and therefore binding only on the States that have acceded to it. On the issue of the establishment of a nuclear- weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East, Egypt stresses its determination to mobilize the widest possible support and endorsement for the two annual draft resolutions it introduces in Vienna, entitled “Application of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East” and “Israeli nuclear capabilities”, in accordance with the 1995 NPT resolution on the Middle East.

The Jamaican delegation welcomes the 2014 annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and thanks Director General Amano for his presentation on the Agency’s work. Jamaica attaches great importance to the vital work of the IAEA in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, fostering nuclear safety and security and in the application of a safeguards regime for verification. We are therefore pleased to note that the priorities identified by the Director General align closely with Jamaica’s priorities. We encourage all fellow Member States in a position to do so to continue to contribute to the technical cooperation fund in order to ensure that there are sufficient resources to meet the growing demand for the IAEA’s assistance, particularly in the light of its increasing membership. Jamaica participated in the fifty-ninth session of the General Conference of the IAEA, held in September, which adopted key resolutions and decisions in priority areas, including the resolution on strengthening the Agency’s technical cooperation activities and the resolutions approving the applications from new members. In that regard, we welcome as new members to the Agency Turkmenistan and two fellow countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda. We are heartened by the increasing interest from our region in the work of the IAEA, which attests to the important work of the Agency in supporting the application of safe and peaceful uses of nuclear energy as a tool of development for developing countries and for small island developing States in particular. As we reflect on the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1), we underscore the invaluable contribution of the IAEA to sustainable development, which is evident in the direct relevance of at least three of the Goals to the mandate of the Agency, namely, Goal 3, on health; Goal 6, on the sustainable management of water and sanitation; and Goal 7, on access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. Having benefited significantly from the Agency’s technical cooperation activities, Jamaica maintains a strong interest in the IAEA’s programmes and welcomes the thrust by the Agency to synergize national development priorities and the IAEA’s assistance within the broader United Nations development assistance framework. We wish to express our gratitude for the emergency and response preparedness mission to Jamaica in July, which appraised our readiness to act in the event of an emergency associated with the operation of our Slowpoke II research reactor. We welcome the mission team’s report and note the recommendations and suggestions for our continued work. In the field of research and technology, we have embarked on a project in partnership with the IAEA, Canada and the United States aimed at converting the fuel used in our nuclear research reactor from highly enriched uranium to low- enriched uranium, thereby decreasing non-proliferation risks while doubling the reactor’s utilization capacity. We express appreciation to the IAEA and the Governments of Canada and the United States for the assistance being given to Jamaica, in particular under the Peaceful Uses Initiative. The additional capacity will allow us to expand research work related to food safety, food security and air quality. Moreover, with the additional capacity provided to the Caribbean’s only research reactor, we will be able to accommodate the research needs of other countries from the Caribbean. In that regard, the critical role of the Regional Cooperation Agreement for the Promotion of Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean must be emphasized. Jamaica sees the Agreement as an important mechanism for technical cooperation in the region and to that end is currently advancing domestic arrangements to join in the first extension of the Agreement. A priority area of development to which technical cooperation has been directed is the area of human health. We consider the use of nuclear medicine to be critical. Moreover, Jamaica sees a productive and healthy workforce as fundamental to our development, and we welcome the contribution of the IAEA to meeting that development objective through the implementation of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy and the current programme to re-establish public nuclear- medicine services in Jamaica. Jamaica is pleased to report that, in July of this year, our Parliament adopted the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act, which provides a legal framework for the regulation of activities, practices and facilities involving radiation and nuclear technology. This new legislation is aimed at protecting human health and the environment while harnessing the benefits of nuclear technology. In addition, we continue to work with the IAEA on issues relating to the safe transportation of radioactive materials, given the fundamental importance of such materials to health care and to industry in general. More recently, the IAEA has cooperated with CARICOM’s programme for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) by staging a special initiative targeting CARICOM member States, with a focus on the safe transportation of nuclear materials. The main rationale for that initiative, which commenced in June 2014, is to address the deficit of regulatory mechanisms within CARlCOM member States, in order to ensure the safe transportation of nuclear and radiological materials commonly used in several development- related domains, particularly in the health sector. As the Agency seeks to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of nuclear energy to peace, health and prosperity, Jamaica renews its commitment to the goal of the safe and effective uses of that technology for the global good. To that end, we pledge our full cooperation and support for the work of the Agency in collaboration with other members and partners, towards the fulfilment of its mandate.

After considering the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (see A/70/219), my delegation would like to express its appreciation to the secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in particular its Department of Technical Cooperation, which has given us a great deal of support, in particular in the fields of health, water-resource management and education, fields that are priorities for us at the national level. My delegation affirms the right of developing countries to benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear power and to receive nuclear technology, to share nuclear knowledge and to benefit from the transfer of nuclear technology. Libya’s position is very clear with respect to taking practical steps to support the IAEA and to maintain its credibility. We will implement the three pillars of the work of the IAEA. Moreover, we affirm our commitment to implementing the Additional Protocol and encourage countries that have not yet done so to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We also confirm that we will respect all the international instruments to which we have acceded in the past. We commend the international measures that the IAEA takes to encourage cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We have acceded to a number of international instruments in that sphere and have established an office for nuclear safeguards that we intend to transform into an independent verification and monitoring authority, in line with international and national legislation and the statute of the IAEA. We also commend the work of the IAEA in its efforts to end the use of nuclear weapons for terrorist purposes. It has been 20 years since the Final Document of the 1995 NPT Review Conference was adopted and the decision was taken to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. That decision was confirmed in the Final Document of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, which stated that the NPT would remain valid until its aims were achieved. We were therefore both shocked and disappointed by the failure of the 2015 NPT Review Conference. In that respect, we call upon the Secretary-General and the three sponsoring countries to make every possible effort to free the Middle East of nuclear weapons and to make up for the failure of the 2015 Conference. Our delegation calls on all countries possessing nuclear weapons to begin the process of disarming and ceasing all programmes aimed at their development, in accordance with article VI of the NPT, as reaffirmed during the Conferences of 2000 and 2010. At those Conferences, it was stressed that the nuclear-weapon States parties to the NPT had the obligation to abandon nuclear weapons because those weapons represent an acute danger to the world, and countries with nuclear weapons must assume that responsibility. Otherwise, the goal of establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones would be meaningless.

At the outset, the United Arab Emirates recognizes the importance of solidarity in facing and combating terrorism in all its forms. (spoke in English) The United Arab Emirates welcomes the report (see A/70/219) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and recognizes the central and crucial role of the IAEA in regard to the peaceful use of nuclear technology, which serves both the advancement of national nuclear-power programmes and other non-power applications. We believe that the Agency plays a fundamental role in supporting the exchange of scientific knowledge and nuclear expertise among its member States. The United Arab Emirates reiterates its commitment to working closely with the IAEA and abides by its standards, as underlined in the Government’s nuclear policy principles. The United Arab Emirates is among the IAEA member States that are developing a civil nuclear- power programme, with a scheduled operation date for its first reactor in the year 2017. Since launching its nuclear programme at the national level, the United Arab Emirates has made significant progress in the development of its details and associated infrastructure. There are currently four nuclear-power reactor units under construction at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, with a little more than 75 per cent of the first unit completed. In making such progress, the United Arab Emirates views the Agency as a valuable partner, from which it receives guidance and the necessary support, and to whose achievements it contributes in return. The United Arab Emirates continues to attach the utmost importance to nuclear safety and supports the efforts of the international community in ensuring and strengthening nuclear safety. The work of the IAEA is particularly relevant in achieving that goal. My country commends the Agency’s efforts in producing the report on the Fukushima Daiichi accident and believes that it will be of great value in developing other programmes at the Agency, including peer reviews and standards work, among others. In regard to measures to strengthen the country’s nuclear safety infrastructure, the United Arab Emirates continues to benefit from the Agency’s review services. To date, the United Arab Emirates has received numerous review missions examining various areas of nuclear infrastructure, nuclear security, emergency planning and the nuclear-safety framework. To that end, the IAEA’s efforts in supporting the responsible global development of nuclear power is highly valuable. That includes convening high-level conferences on nuclear power, which has been an important part of the Agency’s work. The United Arab Emirates looks forward to hosting the next International Conference on Nuclear Power in 2017 in Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates will make available its long and successful experience in hosting international and high-profile events. My country commends the Director General’s efforts in strengthening the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Programme activities. We remain supportive of the Agency’s approach in tailoring technical cooperation projects to the needs of the member States, which maintain their ownership of the respective programmes. The United Arab Emirates believes that the IAEA has a central role in promoting nuclear security through the promotion of cooperation and the sharing of best practices. The IAEA is well suited to coordinating international efforts, because nuclear security is not isolated from other nuclear matters under its auspices. My country has subscribed to and continues to implement all relevant international instruments with the objective of enhancing nuclear security at the national, regional and international levels. As a country that has approved the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, the United Arab Emirates welcomes the progress made in the number of countries that have also approved it and looks forward to its early entry into force. Additionally, my country recognizes the importance of the IAEA system as a verification mechanism and supports its continued development to address the challenges, meet the objectives and provide credible assurances. In conclusion, the United Arab Emirates looks forward to its continued cooperation with the IAEA and the international community to ensure the responsible, safe and transparent use of nuclear energy. My delegation expresses its appreciation to the Director General and the secretariat of the IAEA for the tremendous work and achievements that the Agency has accomplished, as reflected in the 2014 annual report.

Because this is my first statement after the terrible events in Paris, I would like to express the position of my delegation. (spoke in French) My delegation is deeply shocked by the terrorist attacks in Paris. We express our profound and sincere condolences to the French people. It is our shared tragedy. That horrible crime must be punished by all possible means. (spoke in English) Ukraine supports the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in promoting the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. We view all the activities of the IAEA in a positive light in all its main statutory areas: nuclear safety and security, nuclear science, technology applications, safeguards and nuclear verification. The Agency contributes significantly to achieving global development goals. We acknowledge the central role of the Agency in strengthening the global nuclear-safety framework. Accidents at the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plants triggered the revision of international safety standards. To ensure the highest safety level for nuclear waste and radiation worldwide, we are convinced that the use and further development of nuclear power should be undertaken in strict compliance with safety standards and regulations. Ukraine, which has 15 operating nuclear power units in one of the largest nuclear power programmes in Europe, fully shares that approach. We reiterate our strong support for the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Programme. Ukraine values the Programme’s role in the responsible development of peaceful applications of nuclear technology in the areas of human health, food and agriculture, water management, and the strengthening of nuclear and radiation safety. The Programme serves as a powerful tool for the exchange of nuclear knowledge and capacity- building in member States. IAEA regional and national technical cooperation projects have significantly contributed to nuclear safety and improving the overall effectiveness of the peaceful use of nuclear energy in Ukraine. During 2014-2015, Ukraine implemented a number of IAEA projects in such areas as supporting radioactive-waste management and nuclear-power- plant decommissioning, developing decontamination, recultivation and reconstruction infrastructure for existing uranium mines and former uranium-production facilities, defining safety goals and regulatory strategies for newly built and long-time operating nuclear-power plants and strengthening of a secondary standards dosimetry laboratory for radiation therapy dosimetry. We continue to support ongoing regional projects for Europe aimed at facilitating the return to normal radiological environmental conditions for the territories affected by the Chernobyl accident and supporting decommissioning and waste management for Chernobyl, Ignalina and A-1 nuclear-power plants. Ukraine stands ready to actively cooperate with the Agency during the next Technical Cooperation Programme cycle in 2016-2017. Ukraine highly appreciates the work of the Agency in preparing the part of the report (see A/70/219) devoted to the Fukushima Daiichi accident, which presents an authoritative, factual and balanced assessment of the causes and consequences of the accident as well as the lessons learned. Ukraine recognizes the Agency’s leading role in the field of nuclear non-proliferation. The IAEA safeguards are a set of technical measures that allow the IAEA to independently verify a State’s legal commitment to using nuclear material and facilities only for peaceful purposes. In this regard, we continue to call upon all States to adopt the IAEA comprehensive safeguards agreement and the additional protocol. We confirm our support for the activities of the Agency aimed at strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the safeguards system and welcome the efforts of the Agency with a view to preventing the diversion of nuclear energy from peaceful uses to military purposes. Ukraine does not recognize the illegitimately proclaimed Republic of Crimea and its illegal annexation by the Russian Federation as a constituent entity. By adopting resolution 68/262 of 27 March 2014, on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the GeneralAssembly affirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. The Assembly also called on all States, international organizations and specialized agencies not to recognize, either directly or indirectly, any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Ukraine retains jurisdiction over all nuclear facilities and materials, including the research reactor IR-100 and other nuclear facilities of the Sevastopol National University of Nuclear Energy and Industry, which are the property of Ukraine and currently located in the temporarily occupied territory. The provisions of the 1995 Agreement between Ukraine and the IAEA for the application of safeguards in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the 2000 Additional Protocol thereto remain fully in effect and apply to the nuclear facilities and materials in Ukraine, including those located in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. In this regard, Ukraine supports the position of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, which provided guidelines to legal advisers in the United Nations system on how to comply with resolution 68/262, stating, among other things, that treaties to which Ukraine is a party remain applicable to the entire territory of Ukraine, including Crimea. Ukraine welcomes the principled position the Agency has taken in continuing to implement safeguards in Ukraine in accordance with Ukraine’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol thereto. Consequently, all facilities and nuclear material in Crimea continue to be covered by the Agreement between Ukraine and the Agency, as stated by the Director of the Office of Legal Affairs of the IAEA secretariat on 10 June 2015 and in the note verbale of the IAEA secretariat dated 22 September 2014. Ukraine welcomes the secretariat’s conclusion, contained in the safeguards implementation report of 2014, that it has found no indication of the diversion of declared nuclear material from peaceful nuclear activities and no indication of undeclared nuclear material or activities in Ukraine. In confirming the broad conclusion for Ukraine, the IAEA secretariat once again stressed that the IAEA safeguards apply to all nuclear material located throughout the territory of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, in accordance with Ukraine’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol thereto. The IAEA did not undertake on-site verification activity in 2014 at the IR-100 research reactor and the subcritical uranium water assembly located at the Sevastopol National University of Nuclear Energy and Industry of Ukraine because of the external aggression of the neighbouring State — aggression that resulted in the illegal occupation and annexation of an integral part of Ukraine’s territory by the Russian Federation. We call on the Russian Federation to abide by the tenets of international law and reverse the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. This will provide appropriate access for the IAEA to the nuclear facilities and material of Ukraine under Ukraine’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Ukraine fully supports draft resolution A/70/L.8, on the report of the IAEA, which was initially prepared by the Agency secretariat. It was elaborated in a factual and unbiased manner, based on the IAEA statute and the Agreement governing the relationship between the United Nations and the Agency. In conclusion, I would like to join in supporting the annual report for 2014 and express our sincere appreciation for the efforts of IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and the Agency secretariat in encouraging and assisting the development and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses.