A/77/PV.31 General Assembly

While we consider the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for 2021 (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1), we must acknowledge that last year international events had a substantial impact on the work of the Agency This year, grave developments have been compelling it to respond to a whole new set of adverse circumstances. The tendency is frightening; the world is faced with risks of nuclear proliferation and nuclear catastrophe not seen in decades. The war in Ukraine has heightened these concerns and sparked a global energy crisis, sending prices soaring. The IAEA strives to meet the demands of this moment with expert resolve. I thank Director General Grossi for his leadership and all IAEA experts who have risked their lives to bring about nuclear safety and stability in this time of interlocking crises. Now entering its third month, the IAEA mission in Zaporizhzhya is working around the clock to ensure the safety and security of the power plant there and prevent a nuclear disaster. It is, after all, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the ninth largest in the world, producing energy for 4 million households. We simply cannot allow nuclear safety in Ukraine and beyond to be jeopardized. IAEA experts are in a unique position to provide up-to-date and credible information from the ground, often at great risk to themselves. I urge all parties to cooperate fully with the IAEA to ensure nuclear safety, and I reiterate the importance of the impartial, factual information that the IAEA provides about the many nuclear issues that we are having. Concerns over nuclear energy are not limited to one region. Moves to erode nuclear non-proliferation regimes are very dangerous and constitute a major threat to peace and security. Cooperation is critically important on the Korean peninsula, where alarming breaches of security norms have taken place, along with systematic undermining of IAEA safeguards. That threatens to destabilize the fragile peace in the region. In the Middle East, the IAEA has a central role to play in establishing a nuclear-weapons-free zone and in the application of full-scope IAEA safeguards to all nuclear activities. I urge countries in the region to cooperate fully with the Agency with a view to achieving peaceful coexistence through confidence-building and transparency. As more countries turn to nuclear energy to meet their needs, especially when faced with drastic present and future energy shortages, the IAEA responsibility to ensure that nuclear technologies are safe, secure and peacefully used has only grown. Last year, at the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, nuclear energy was high on the global climate agenda and the IAEA opened new opportunities for the use of nuclear techniques in tackling pollution and other environmental challenges. With the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change now under way, I encourage Member States, businesses and civil society to engage with the IAEA on answering two crucial questions. First, what are the available options when climate change meets an energy supply crisis? Secondly, what does science tell us about the connection between nuclear energy and the environment? So far, we have only scratched the surface of those questions. I thank the IAEA for leading global efforts in its field and I look forward to the Director General’s report. I wish the Agency further successes as it seeks to enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. I wish to advise the Assembly that the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency has informed me that he regrets that he is unable to attend today’s meeting to introduce the report of the Agency for 2021 (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1) and deliver a statement on the developments that have taken place since its publication. His prepared statement has been issued as document A/77/308/Add.1. I now give the floor to the representative of Czechia to introduce draft resolution A/77/L.9.

I am honoured to introduce to the General Assembly draft resolution A/77/L.9, entitled “Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency”, and I am pleased to do so in Czechia’s capacity as Chair of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the period from October 2022 to September 2023. Czechia holds that important office for the first time in its history. Nevertheless, we have been a staunch supporter of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technologies. Indeed, we have taken an active role in the IAEA since its establishment. We strongly support IAEA activities and promote their valuable contributions in all possible areas. Czechia is convinced that the IAEA has contributed significantly to ensuring that nuclear energy and ionizing radiation are used safely and securely for peaceful purposes. Such an undertaking deserves our full endorsement, especially in the current challenging times. Our chairmanship of the IAEA Board of Governors represents the clear commitment of my Government to supporting the Agency, its mission and mandate. The motto “Atoms for Peace and Development” captures clearly the IAEA’s central objective to ensure that nuclear technologies are used peacefully to improve the well-being and prosperity of humankind and of our planet. The draft resolution before the General Assembly today (A/77/L.9) derives from a requirement pursuant to the IAEA Statute and the 1957 Agreement governing the relationship between the United Nations and the IAEA. It is the means by which the Assembly recognizes and takes stock of the work of the Agency. This year’s draft resolution is a factual update of last year’s resolution 76/9; as such, it takes note of the resolutions and decisions adopted by the IAEA General Conference at its sixty-sixth regular session. It also reiterates the strong support of United Nations Member States for the Agency and its mandated activities. Following consultations held in Vienna on 24 October, the draft resolution was unanimously approved for transmission to the General Assembly. We would like to thank all the sponsors for their support. We hope the General Assembly will adopt draft resolution A/77/L.9 without a vote, thereby sending a strong message on the importance that the international community attaches to the IAEA and the wide scope of its work.

I make this statement on behalf of the delegations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and also thank the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1). We appreciate and support the activities of the Agency aimed at contributing to the global non-proliferation regime, promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We value the efforts of the IAEA to address the existing challenges within its competence, and welcome the concern expressed for restoring sovereign equality in the IAEA, as indicated in paragraph 2 of draft resolution A/77/L.9, entitled, “Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency”. We believe that members of the Assembly share our conviction that it is absolutely unacceptable when the basic principle of sovereign equality in the Agency has been violated each passing day since the five Central Asian States joined the IAEA. That also continues to be the case for almost 30 full-fledged States members of the Agency. As we all know, the IAEA Statute maintains the principle of the sovereign equality of all its member States, which, however, is not the reality in practice. The IAEA member States are divided among eight informal regional groups based on geographical representation, as in other organizations of the United Nations system; however, the affiliation is not legally defined. Furthermore, the IAEA Statute does not delineate membership affiliation for newly-accepted member States, which was the case for the five Central Asian States when we joined the IAEA as newly independent States. Thus, until this very day full-fledged Member States of the IAEA remain outside the regional areas, as so-called homeless, and are deprived of their sovereign right to be elected to the IAEA governing bodies. We have been in these current impermissible, unfair and discriminatory circumstances regarding our standing in the IAEA for a very long time, with no reassuring prospects for change in the foreseeable future. The sixty-sixth session of the IAEA General Conference, held in September this year, clearly demonstrated that the majority of member States agrees with the incongruent and discrepant situation of sovereign equality not being observed in our organization. In other words, it is a direct violation of the Statute. A sizeable number of countries are excluded from most of the information, advisory, consultative and decision-making processes because they do not belong to any regional group or geographical area. It is that very reality that prompted the delegation of Kazakhstan to draft and submit the draft resolution on the restoration of sovereign equality in the IAEA at the last session of the General Conference of the IAEA. But even at this moment, we are hearing strong calls from member States to engage in further consultations on the text of the draft resolution. Finally, the delegation of Kazakhstan, in a spirit of cooperation and good will, decided to respond positively to the requests made over time and has deferred the submission of the draft resolution to the next session of the IAEA General Conference. The situation in the IAEA is critical. Full-fledged IAEA member States are deprived of their legitimate right to participate in the Agency’s decision-making process. The IAEA is the only organization in the United Nations system that does not have a clear regional distribution. We call upon all member States and the IAEA secretariat to take determined, immediate action to resolve that problem and thus ensure that the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and IAEA Statute are fully implemented in the Agency. We are committed to being seized with that issue until its final resolution.

I would like to begin by acknowledging the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and by thanking Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi for presenting the Agency’s report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1) to the General Assembly. Similarly, I would like to acknowledge Czechia for introducing draft resolution A/77/L.9 this year and congratulate that country on its election as Chair of the IAEA Board of Governors. Ecuador is once again co-sponsoring the draft resolution as a sign of the value that my country places on the International Atomic Energy Agency for its constant search to ensure the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Ecuador maintains its firm position in favour of the full implementation of the three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. For that reason, this is also a good moment to recall the importance of pursuing our efforts to disarm and eliminate nuclear weapons, given their disastrous humanitarian consequences. Their mere existence challenges the survival of humankind. Ecuador values ​and supports the right of all States to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. In that regard, we highlight the contribution of the use of nuclear energy and other nuclear applications for peaceful purposes in the global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ecuador highlights the essential role played by the Technical Cooperation Programme and recognizes the actions taken and measures adopted by the IAEA to ensure a more efficient programme that responds to the priorities and needs of the Member States through new and better forms of assistance to countries build capacity in the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. For Ecuador, cooperation with the IAEA is particularly important due to its contribution to assisting national efforts in the field of economic and social development. In that regard, I highlight the technical assistance provided in 2021 to 31 States members of the Latin American and Caribbean region, including Ecuador, focusing on the areas of human health, radiation safety, food and agriculture, and water and the environment. Of great interest is the Agencies Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution, which integrates nuclear techniques for the recycling of plastics and the marine control of microplastics. That demonstrates the unique contributions that nuclear technologies can make to the fight against plastic pollution in our oceans. Ecuador expresses its concern about the precarious security situation at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the largest facility of its kind in Europe, and recognizes all the efforts carried out by the IAEA, especially by the team of experts present at the plant, to control that unfortunate situation. We support the call of the IAEA Director General for the urgent establishment of a nuclear protection and safety zone around the Zaporizhzhya power plant to prevent an accident with catastrophic consequences. I conclude by reiterating my country’s full and unequivocal support for the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in the faithful purpose of making nuclear energy increasingly safer, more efficient and beneficial for all humankind.

At the outset, I should like to thank Mr. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for his report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1), which reflects the Agency’s efforts to achieve its goals in the field of the peaceful uses of atomic energy. The importance of the role of the IAEA is increasing day by day in light of the dangers of nuclear proliferation and the international tensions that cast a shadow on the international arena, in addition to the failure of the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to adopt a final document that would have contributed to supporting activities for peaceful uses and affirm the adherence of States parties to the objectives and principles of the Treaty. I therefore reaffirm that the inherent, inalienable and unconditional right to peaceful uses of atomic energy is an essential component of the grand bargain on which the NPT was based, as emphasized in its article  IV. Paragraph 3 of Article III of the Treaty stipulates that the safeguards should not be implemented in a manner that hampers international cooperation in the field of peaceful uses despite the fact that the current reality indicates that some States parties are imposing various packages of conditionality on those uses from the perspective of non-proliferation or nuclear security. That contradicts the purposes and spirit of the NPT and even the exaggerated terms of supply imposed by some nuclear technology-supplying countries that are not required by the Treaty, at a time when it exempts non-party States even from the requirement of concluding a comprehensive safeguards agreement with the Agency. That exacerbates the gravity of the situation and deepens the state of inequality. Such measures involve clear politicization and double standards, which are considered as a free reward for countries that have not signed the Treaty and which hinder efforts to achieve its universality. It also increases the state of frustration among non-nuclear States parties that have fulfilled all their obligations under the Treaty. Egypt therefore calls again for achieving the universality of the NPT and the implementation of comprehensive safeguards system as a top priority to ensure the credibility of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We also stress the importance of preserving the voluntary nature of the additional protocol, as it is not logical to demand more commitments from compliant and acceding countries, while other countries remain outside the system as a whole. The safeguards system must be implemented through a State-level approach linked to its approval and not just consultation. Despite the Agency’s efforts, many countries have not yet enjoyed the fruits of progress in nuclear energy technology and its various applications, which is often due to unjustified restrictions imposed on the transfer of that technology, especially those associated with advanced uses directly related to the various stages of the nuclear fuel cycle. There is also a lack of the financial resources needed to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and difficulties in obtaining the necessary financing for targeted projects through development agencies or international financing institutions. That requires the availability of more resources. In terms of cooperation between Egypt and the Agency, Egypt has always supported the Agency’s role in the field of peaceful uses, strengthening international cooperation, providing technical support and applying nuclear safety and security measures, taking into account the increasing importance of the peaceful uses of atomic energy in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and confronting climate change. That is confirmed by the ongoing cooperation between Egypt and the Agency in the framework of efforts to build the Al-Dabaa nuclear power plant to increase the generation of electricity in Egypt, in addition to the Agency’s current participation in the twenty- seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in Sharm El-Sheikh. Egypt also looks forward to seeing progress in the Agency’s implementation of its mandate pursuant to its resolution entitled “Application of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East” (GC(64)/RES/15), which would achieve progress towards establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, taking into account the success of the first and second sessions of the Conference. Egypt looks forward to the third session of the Conference, chaired by the sisterly Lebanese Republic, and to contribute positively to the substantive discussion during the conference in order to achieve its objectives.

Singapore commends International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and his staff for their commitment to carrying out the Agency’s mandate in safeguards verification, advancing technical cooperation and capacity-building, and fostering scientific research on and promoting the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Singapore fully supports the mandate and work of the IAEA and is pleased to continue co-sponsoring the draft resolution “Report of the IAEA” this year (A/77/L.9). The IAEA remains a reliable and important partner for the international community, and has delivered on its mandate despite the protracted disruptions caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions. I would also like to take the opportunity to express Singapore’s appreciation for the indispensable role played by IAEA experts in ensuring nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Allow me to make three brief points regarding the important work of the IAEA: First, the IAEA lies at the centre of the international non-proliferation regime, given its position as the sole competent authority responsible for verifying States’ fulfilment of nuclear safeguards obligations. The IAEA has also been a trust-builder, an honest broker and a substantive repository of technical knowledge. Singapore calls on all States parties to complement the IAEA’s work by honouring the obligations under their respective comprehensive safeguards agreements with the Agency and, where applicable, the additional protocol. Secondly, the IAEA sets global standards for nuclear safety and security and supports member States in rigorously implementing them. Singapore welcomed the IAEA’s first Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission to Singapore in October, and looks forward to further cooperation on our country programme framework 2021-2025. Singapore supports IAEA efforts in refining and strengthening nuclear safety and security standards. We reiterate the importance of the seven IAEA pillars of nuclear safety and security, which Director General Grossi outlined in March. Singapore is pleased to support the supplementary guidance on the import and export of radioactive sources and the supplementary guidance on the management of disused radioactive sources to the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources. We also look forward to the IAEA’s enhanced capacity to support States in those areas once the Agency’s Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre in Seibersdorf is completed. Singapore supports the publication of the IAEA Nuclear Security Plan 2022 -2025, as well as the IAEA’s efforts to address the interfaces between nuclear safety and security. Thirdly, the IAEA plays a pivotal role in driving progress on nuclear scientific research and technologies. Given the renewed global interest in harnessing nuclear energy, the establishment of the IAEA Agency- wide Platform on Small Modular Reactors and their Applications is an important step towards realizing the potential benefits of small modular nuclear reactors. We are also heartened that the IAEA has leveraged its nuclear science expertise to contribute to the global fight against COVID-19 through its Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action initiative, which will contribute to strengthening the preparedness and capabilities of member States to rapidly detect and respond to future outbreaks of such zoonotic diseases. Singapore supports the inalienable right of all States parties to the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in accordance with article IV of the NPT. Singapore will press on with our efforts to contribute to the IAEA technical cooperation mandate through the Singapore-IAEA Third Country Training Programme, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations- IAEA Practical Arrangements. We will continue to support the Agency in making IAEA capacity-building and technical cooperation programmes available and accessible to developing countries, especially small island developing States. As a member of the IAEA Board of Governors for 2022-2024, Singapore stands ready to work with Director General Grossi and his staff to effectively discharge the Agency’s mandate.

Allow me to begin by expressing our appreciation for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAE) annual report for 2021 (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1) and the efforts of the Agency and Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to promote the goal of advancing peaceful sources of energy for sustainable development and building resilient economies. The report gives a useful snapshot of its activities, which, in addition to covering the increasing urgent issue of climate change, focus on other key issues, such as transfer of nuclear technologies for peaceful applications, nuclear safety and security, and nuclear verification and non-proliferation efforts worldwide. As a founding member of the IAEA, Pakistan ardently supports the Agency’s role in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, in accordance with its motto “Atoms for Peace and Development”. Harnessing nuclear technology is a priority for Pakistan in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing poverty. Today we are using nuclear technologies and applications in Pakistan in diverse fields, such as power generation, health care, agriculture, industry and environmental protection. We view nuclear energy as a reliable, consistent and carbon-free source of electricity generation. Our efforts to expand nuclear power generation and to increase its share in the national energy mix are driven by the fact that we are not only an energy deficient country, but also one of the most vulnerable countries to the impact of climate change. The recent debilitating effects of climate change — which are being felt strongly by my own country in the wake of the recent unprecedented floods — have heightened the vulnerabilities of other countries and people around the globe. The ongoing catastrophic floods in Pakistan showed an urgent need for global action to curb greenhouse gas emissions. One-third of our country remains under water and 33 million people are in tatters, with losses and damages amounting to a tenth of the gross domestic product of the country. Such global issues require global solutions and close and unrestricted cooperation. In fact, access to nuclear power is the need of the hour. In Pakistan, we are taking steps to limit our greenhouse gas emissions. Pakistan’s national energy mix is consistently re-evaluated. With the coming on line of the sixth operating nuclear reactor, the actual contribution of nuclear to the energy mix has increased to about 15 per cent. Karachi Nuclear Power Plant K-3 this year has increased our nuclear power generation capacity to 3,530 megawatts. Pakistan has been one of the leading partners of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme for a number of years. At present, a project in the field of nuclear power development is being successfully implemented, while three more projects in the areas of agriculture, human health and nuclear power have been designed for the technical cooperation cycle 2022-2023. The IAEA’s role as the world’s focal point in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy assumes greater significance in the light of diverse challenges in the areas of the environment and proliferation, and can make a significant contribution to meeting the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century by ensuring equitable access to nuclear materials, technology and equipment for peaceful purposes. Considering nuclear safety and security as a national responsibility, Pakistan has developed a comprehensive nuclear safety and security regime, which is regularly reviewed and updated in the light of IAEA guidance documents and international best practices. The regime is based on an extensive legislative and regulatory framework governing the security of nuclear materials, radioactive substances, associated facilities and activities. That is backed by strong institutions and organizations with the requisite authorities, resources and trained manpower for effective implementation. Our affiliated institutes at the Centre of Excellence for Nuclear Security have become an international hub for imparting training and sharing best practices in the area of nuclear security. The safety and verification aspects of the IAEA mandate remain important pillars of the Agency’s mandate. As regards the strengthening of the safeguards system, Pakistan stresses the need for a balanced approach between the promotional aspects and safety or security-related concerns in all of the Agency’s functions. We share the view that all States should fully comply with their respective safeguards obligations. At the same time, the Agency’s safeguards should not be used to serve partisan political objectives. Its verification regime will remain credible only if it is applied on a non-discriminatory basis, as stipulated in the Agency’s Statute. Recent developments have revealed that the old consensus on disarmament and non-proliferation has broken down. We propose convening a special session of the General Assembly to evolve a new consensus that would respond to the current and emerging realities and offer equal security to all States, large and small. The new consensus should eliminate the discrimination and double standards that characterize the present non-proliferation arrangements. It should also evolve an agreed basis for the promotion of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy under appropriate international safeguards, in accordance with the international obligations of States and on a non-discriminatory basis.

I now give the floor to the representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its member States. The candidate countries Montenegro, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova; the country of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina; and the European Free Trade Association countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area; as well as Georgia, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement. We are pleased to support draft resolution A/77/L.9, on the report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which again reaffirms the indispensable role of the Agency with regard to nuclear non-proliferation, the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, technology transfer to developing countries, as well as nuclear safety, security and safeguards. The EU and its member States strongly support the activities of the Agency politically and financially. We note with satisfaction the strong cross-regional support that has been expressed for the work of the IAEA Director General and his staff. We underline the importance of respecting the authority and integrity of the IAEA, which continues to fulfil its duties in the service of the international community in a professional, objective and impartial manner. We expect all Member States to refrain from actions that would undermine the IAEA mandate or its Statute which is based on the Charter of the United Nations. The EU condemns in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which is a gross violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter, and severely undermines European and global security and stability. Russia’s actions continue to pose serious and direct threats to Ukrainian nuclear facilities and impede the IAEA from fully and safely conducting safeguards verification activities in Ukraine in a timely manner. We are deeply concerned that each of the seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security, outlined by the IAEA Director General, has been compromised as a consequence of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. The EU remains gravely concerned about the attacks of the Russian armed forces in and around Ukrainian nuclear sites and the Russian Federation’s illegal seizure of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. In line with the resolutions of the General Assembly, we do not and will never recognize Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Ukraine’s regions and seizure of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant from its rightful owner, Ukraine, or the illegal sham referendums that Russia orchestrated. We call on Russia to immediately implement the IAEA Board of Governors resolutions in order for the competent Ukrainian authorities to regain full control over all nuclear facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, including the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, and to ensure their safe and secure operation, and in order for the Agency to fully and safely conduct its safeguards verification activities. The EU fully supports the work of the IAEA and its Director General to assist Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety and security and to maintain the implementation of safeguards, pursuant to Ukraine’s safeguards obligations. We look forward to continued IAEA presence on-site and further rapid progress with the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant, as proposed by the IAEA Director General. We emphasize once again that there is only one sustainable solution  — the Russian Federation must stop its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, unconditionally withdraw all its armed forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Again, as set out by the General Assembly, the EU will do its utmost to support Ukraine and protect the rules-based international order, which is key to our collective security. It is deeply regrettable that the long-awaited tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) could not achieve consensus on an outcome document because the Russian Federation blocked consensus. The EU will spare no effort to promote the full and effective implementation of the NPT, as well as its universalization, and prepare actively for the next review cycle, building on the discussions held during the tenth Review Conference. The NPT remains 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 an important element in the development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes, in accordance with article IV of the Treaty. The legally binding obligations enshrined in the NPT ,as well as commitments from the previous review conferences, remain valid. The EU reaffirms its full support for the establishment of a zone free of nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in the Middle East, as agreed at the 1995 NPT Review Conference. The EU also affirms its full support for the decision to establish a working group to strengthen the NPT review cycle. The IAEA safeguards system is a fundamental component of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and plays an indispensable role in the implementation of the NPT. We underline the primary responsibility of the Security Council in cases of non-compliance. Proliferation crises represent a threat to international and regional peace and security. Continued vigilance and further efforts are required from the international community to find peaceful and diplomatic solutions. The EU reaffirms its resolute commitment to and continued support for the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). We are seriously concerned at Iran’s escalation of its nuclear programme without any plausible civilian justification. Iran’s continued actions inconsistent with the JCPOA have severe and, in the case of research and development activities in particular, irreversible proliferation implications. We welcome the IAEA’s regular updates on its verification and monitoring activities of Iran’s nuclear commitments under the JCPOA in light of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015). We strongly urge Iran to reverse all activities inconsistent with the JCPOA and to return without delay to its full implementation, including of all transparency measures. We support the unwavering diplomatic efforts of the EU High Representative, as JCPOA Coordinator, with all relevant partners to achieve a return to the JCPOA by the United States and the resumption of full implementation of all commitments by the United States and Iran. The EU calls on Iran to seize the diplomatic opportunity without further delay so that the JCPOA can be fully restored. We wish to underscore that the JCPOA negotiation is separate from Iran’s legally binding obligations under the NPT, which are essential to the global non-proliferation regime. The EU welcomes the IAEA’s regular updates on the implementation of the NPT safeguards agreement and the additional protocol in Iran. The EU recalls that in its resolution adopted in June, the Board of Governors called upon Iran to act on an urgent basis to fulfil its legal obligations, and strongly urges Iran to cooperate in full with the IAEA without any further delay or any conditionality to resolve all pending safeguards issues, in accordance with its legally binding obligations under its NPT Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. The EU condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities, which are a matter of grave concern. It is highly regrettable that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has not taken concrete, verified action towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with its obligations under multiple Security Council resolutions, to refrain from nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, and to engage in a meaningful dialogue with all relevant parties to build a basis for sustainable peace and security. We urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to return to negotiations and take immediate and concrete steps towards abandoning all nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and related programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. We also strongly call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to re-engage in talks with the aim of reaching a political agreement that will serve as a basis for further steps towards the Agency’s return to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The EU urges the Syrian Arab Republic to cooperate promptly and fully with the Agency to resolve all outstanding issues, including by concluding and implementing an additional protocol as soon as possible. The EU supports the strengthening of the IAEA safeguards system and remains of the view that comprehensive safeguards agreements, together with the additional protocol, constitute the current verification standard under the NPT. We call for their universalisation without delay. The EU also urges all States that have not yet done so to amend their small quantities protocols and those States that are already building a nuclear power plant or a research reactor to apply the comprehensive safeguards agreement in full. The EU and its member States attach utmost importance to nuclear safety, and its continuous improvement. Over the past decades, we have established and further developed an advanced, legally binding nuclear safety framework applicable in all EU member States. We also provide financial and human resources to help improve nuclear safety in countries outside the EU, including through the European instrument for international nuclear safety cooperation, with a budget of €300 million. Furthermore, the EU stresses the need to continue strengthening nuclear security worldwide in order to prevent nuclear terrorism and facilitate the development of peaceful uses of nuclear technology. We encourage all member States to promote a strong nuclear safety and security culture and continuously implement the highest possible nuclear safety and radiation protection standards. We recognize the IAEA’s central role in facilitating international cooperation and providing technical assistance to member States. We reaffirm our strong political commitment to international nuclear safety and security conventions, support their implementation and call upon all States to join them. We stress the need to consider new legally- binding international rules specifically prohibiting armed attacks against any nuclear installation devoted to peaceful purposes. Finally, the EU and its member States reaffirm their long-standing commitment to and strong support for the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme and support the Agency’s work in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change commitments, including in the context of the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We acknowledge that member States pursue different approaches to ensure energy security at affordable cost. All countries have the sovereign right to decide whether or not to include nuclear power as part of their own energy mix to collectively achieve the 2030 climate target and the Paris Agreement commitments. The EU acknowledges the role played by nuclear technologies in relation to global efforts to limit climate change and mitigate its negative effects. The EU also welcomes the IAEA’s new initiatives, such as Rays of Hope, Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution and the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action. Promoting gender equality is an important cross- cutting priority for the EU. We welcome the IAEA Director General’s commitments in that regard and encourage the IAEA to continue to mainstream gender in its programmes and projects. The EU is proud to be the largest donor to the IAEA Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, which helps to increase the number of women in the nuclear field.

At the outset, I would like to thank the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for his report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1). Nuclear power is a key priority for all States, in particular developing countries, as a way to meet their power needs while keeping their carbon footprint low. It is noteworthy that the transfer of nuclear knowledge and technology to interested developing nations, as provided for under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the IAEA Statute, is critical. According to the IAEA Statute, the Organization is tasked with supporting member States in nuclear energy research, development and practical use for peaceful purposes. Safeguards-related verification activities should be carried out in support of the IAEA’s primary function of advancing the application of nuclear science and technology. The necessary safeguards in that situation must be designed and put into action in a manner that respects the inalienable rights of NPT States parties, while not obstructing their economic or technological development. Those inalienable rights must be protected, and the national sovereignty of NPT States parties must be respected in any actions taken to enhance the safeguards’ application. As a result, it is never acceptable to exploit spurious concerns about nuclear proliferation as justification for restricting those legal rights. It is a matter of serious concern that, despite the high need of developing countries for capacity-building and transfer of nuclear technology to enhance their national nuclear energy for sustainable development, a systematic denial approach is being pursued by certain States in contravention of the Statute of the IAEA and NPT provisions. Furthermore, it is regrettable that unlawful unilateral coercive measures and dual standards imposed by certain States adversely affect the peaceful use of nuclear energy and hamper technical cooperation among member States and the IAEA. The United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and the reimposition of sanctions, as well as the current United States Administration’s refusal to return to it, have caused immense damage to international efforts towards nuclear non-proliferation. However, Iran has continuously upheld its commitment to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and has been cooperative with the IAEA. Iran is prepared to fully carry out its commitments under the JCPOA, pending the compliance of other JCPOA participants. The Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran have close working relationships in a variety of areas. Iran has the best history of receiving IAEA inspections. There are no safeguards concerns connected to Iran’s ongoing nuclear operations, as the Agency has verified and confirmed on several occasions, and there is no proof of diversion of declared nuclear material or activities in Iran. Last month, a technical delegation from Iran had discussions with the IAEA secretariat team in Vienna, aimed at responding to the questions raised by the IAEA. However, the Agency’s impartiality, independence and professionalism should never be jeopardized in the context of the safeguard obligations or influenced by certain parties so that all States can enjoy their rights enshrined in the IAEA’s Statute. Last but not least, the Zionist regime has cowardly assassinated our nuclear scientists and sabotaged Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities. Those horrific terrorist acts must be categorically condemned by the world community and pertinent international organizations. The Israeli regime is still not a signatory to the NPT. It has refused to sign on to the NPT and abide by the comprehensive safeguards of the IAEA. The Agency must deal with that regime with an unbiased and professional approach.

The delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea categorically denounces and rejects the inclusion of the resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in draft resolution A/77/L.9, on the report of the IAEA (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1), submitted to the General Assembly as part of the anti-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea plot manipulated by the United States and its followers. The resolution unjustly finds fault with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The prevailing security environment on the Korean peninsula has yet to extricate itself from the vicious cycle of aggravated tensions, but it is now running towards a serious danger line with each passing day, due to the increasingly hostile moves of the United States and its follower forces against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It is simple logic that our deterrence will continue to be strengthened in direct proportion to the increased United States hostile policy and military threats against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. That notwithstanding, the IAEA submits reports every year to the General Assembly that include contentious unilateral matter taking issue with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. That cannot be interpreted otherwise than as being part of the sinister propaganda scheme pursued by hostile anti-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea forces in their attempt to disparage the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a threat to international peace and security and a prime mover of aggravated tensions on the Korean peninsula and the international arena. That reflects biased and inappropriate acts in grave contradiction to the primary mission and purpose of the international organization, whose lifeline is impartiality and objectivity. As such, it reveals only that the IAEA is blindly taking sides with the West. The IAEA is the real author of the decision of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the IAEA by deliberately raising suspicions about nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes, at the instigation of specific forces in the early 1990s. Such being the case, it is a deception and mockery of the international community on the part of the IAEA to demand our immediate cooperation while talking about our implementation of the NPT and the Safeguards Agreement. We take this opportunity to advise the IAEA to dedicate itself to addressing imminent pending issues, such as others’ attempts at nuclear proliferation, instead of wasting time interfering in the internal affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is not a State member of the Agency. As long as the IAEA follows in the footsteps of the United States policy of hostility against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and repeated practice of double standards, we will have no dealings with the Agency,

Ukraine welcomes the annual report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for 2021. The document has been prepared in a timely and comprehensive manner. It is the seventh annual report in a row prepared by the Secretariat since the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014. We welcome the fact that the annual report for 2021, like all previous reports, fully complies with the norms of international law, the IAEA Statute and respective safeguards agreements. The legal framework for the Agency’s safeguards implementation in Ukraine has not and will never change. Every such report is a visible reminder for Russia, an aggressor State, that the IAEA, like all other multilateral organizations, especially international standard-setting bodies, operates within rules that are vital to the security, interests, values and prosperity of their respective member States. So long as Russia, with the complicity of Belarus, carries out a brutal military assault on Ukraine, it will continuously face widespread condemnation and isolation in international bodies. The IAEA will not be an exception, as Russian aggression against Ukraine impacts the Agency’s work too. We commend the secretariat for its efficient continuation of all programmatic activities, in particular those related to safeguards implementation, despite challenges and complications in 2021. Ukraine takes note that the Agency was able to additionally introduce several initiatives to assist member States in building their capacities in the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. Ukraine strongly supports the IAEA’s practical efforts to strengthen the capabilities of the Incident and Trafficking Database. The importance of that mechanism in information-sharing has significantly grown due to the unprecedented malicious acts of the Russian army and representatives of Rosatom, who continue to occupy the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and other nuclear facilities located on the occupied territory of Ukraine. Russia’s actions against and at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant contradict Russia’s own formally professed standards, which specifically bar any actions, including military, that may result in any release of destructive factors and consequent severe losses among the civilian population. The recent decree of Russian President Putin on the illegal transfer of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to the ownership of the Russian Federation and the establishment of a Government enterprise to manage the plant grossly violate international law and are in contradiction to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement between Ukraine and the IAEA. For generations, Russia will be remembered as the only country that seized and occupied peaceful nuclear facilities. Russia’s neglect of global arrangements in the nuclear field is a long-standing case with its own history. Back in 2014, Russia occupied Crimea, a part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine, seizing nuclear facilities and material located there. Such grave violations remained without proper legal attention in terms of its nuclear ramifications. Never before has the international understanding of nuclear risks involved threats from State actors. Never before have nuclear risks emanated from a nuclear-weapon State. Up to now, States that are currently considering or embarking on nuclear power projects must work hard to improve or strengthen national regimes of physical protection of their nuclear infrastructure, based on current Ukrainian experience. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has far-reaching repercussions that extend way beyond a breach of international law and a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Russia’s neglect of international nuclear obligations constitutes an even more serious violation — the breach of the non-proliferation regime established by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. While Russia’s actions most directly threaten Ukraine and central Europe from the Baltic to the Black Sea, its military use of a nuclear power plant for battlefield advantage is a first in warfare and a precedent that weakens the principles underpinning the nuclear security regime worldwide. Moscow’s actions against and at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant represent a new dimension in warfare, using a peaceful nuclear facility as a potential dirty bomb with which to terrorize the world and extort military and political concessions. In that regard, most recently Russia accused Ukraine of developing a so- called dirty bomb, which is yet another fake narrative from Russia. Following the visit of IAEA safeguards inspectors to three locations in Ukraine, no evidence of undeclared nuclear activities and materials were found there. It is important to take Moscow’s threats seriously. Russia must be held accountable for its complete disregard of the norms of international law, and in particular for its violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the IAEA Statute. Russia must be deprived of the ability to exercise rights and privileges within the IAEA. In that regard paragraph B of article XIX of the IAEA Statute states: “A member which has persistently violated the provisions of this Statute or of any agreement entered into by it pursuant to this Statute may be suspended from the exercise of the privileges and rights of membership by the General Conference acting by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting upon recommendation by the Board of Governors.” Ukraine encourages all States to adequately react at the national level by imposing sanctions on relevant Russian State players, including official authorities, such as Rosatom, and individuals involved in illegal acts at and against Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

We welcome today’s debate on the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and I wish to express my delegation’s sincere appreciation to the Director General of the IAEA, Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, for his presentation of the IAEA’s 2021 report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/ Add.1). While the report covers the period when the world was emerging from by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the update on the Agency’s activities is particularly important following the unsuccessful tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which was the second consecutive Review Conference that failed to adopt a negotiated outcome. Despite its failure to produce an outcome document, the tenth NPT Review Conference raised a number of issues that are relevant to the work of the IAEA. Those include the importance of the implementation of safeguards and the impact of conflicts thereon, as well as the inalienable and unconditional right to peaceful uses of nuclear technology. South Africa looks forward to the IAEA continuing to take positive steps in enhancing the contribution of nuclear technology to development, and in that regard we would like to make three broad points as it relates to the IAEA’s work, namely, on development, global health and its efforts in support of gender equality. South Africa reaffirms its strong support for the IAEA’s work in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, contributing to development through science and technology and its Technical Cooperation Programme. The Programme has played a particularly positive role on the African continent. A key area of growth on the continent is nuclear energy, and we note the support given by the IAEA to several African countries that have decided to embark on a path to introduce nuclear energy. South Africa also continues to benefit from the support provided by the IAEA will remain committed to strengthening its participation and programmes with the Agency. We are proud that South Africa’s iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences — Africa’s leading research facility for accelerator-based science and host of the largest accelerator facility in the southern hemisphere — is an IAEA Collaborating Centre. South Africa was also proud to host four fellow African radiopharmacists, receiving support from the Technical Cooperation Programme to complete their master’s degrees in radiopharmacy in South Africa. We furthermore welcome the establishment of the African Association of Radiopharmacy and the e-learning training modules developed for a post-graduate academic programme in radiopharmacy. Nuclear power applications, and in particular nuclear energy, are a key feature in South Africa’s 20- year electricity generation plan. We, therefore welcome the IAEA’s assistance to member States in applying international safety standards to strengthen nuclear power plant safety. In addition, South Africa remains committed to the continued safe operation of Africa’s only commercial nuclear power plant, Koeberg. In that regard, we appreciated the IAEA’s efforts through its Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation mission to South Africa in 2022. At this time and during the reporting period, it is important to emphasize the fundamental role that the IAEA has played throughout the pandemic and in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy for global health and development. Projects such as the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Network, for example, continue to illustrate the value of nuclear and nuclear-derived techniques in tackling socioeconomic and public health challenges. Projects such as the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action project, which was launched in 2020, draw on the Agency’s experience in supporting member States to use nuclear and nuclear-derived techniques to enhance global response preparedness to combat zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19. We also appreciate the role the Agency played in 2021 in dispatching equipment to countries and territories around the world to enable them to use a nuclear- derived technique to rapidly detect the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Gender mainstreaming remains a priority for South Africa, and we welcome the significant progress made on gender representation at senior grade levels in the Agency. However, we are aware that more needs to be done, and we therefore appreciate the Director General’s prioritizing gender parity at the IAEA. South Africa remains encouraged that the Marie Skłodowska- Curie Fellowship Programme has shown the Agency’s dedication to supporting young women from all regions in the nuclear field, building an inclusive and geographically diverse workforce. We are pleased to report that, in collaboration with the IAEA Liaison Office at the United Nations in New York, South Africa hosted side-events, jointly with Zimbabwe and Namibia, on the margins of the sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women and during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2022, related to the support provided by the IAEA for sustainable development initiatives and through the Fellowship Programme. Those side-events showcased the IAEA’s support of the continent related to the nexus of gender empowerment, peaceful uses of nuclear technology and development. In conclusion, we must recognize the work of the IAEA, not only in terms of its mandate of strengthening nuclear verification and non-proliferation, but also in helping to confront global health, development and gender-related matters consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063. We are therefore appreciative of the IAEA’s role in that regard and look forward to its continued valuable contribution to advancing peaceful uses, development and gender equality.

Let me begin by welcoming Saint Kitts and Nevis and Tonga as new States members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We thank the representative of Czechia for introducing draft resolution A/77/L.9, entitled “Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency”, which we have co-sponsored. India supports the General Assembly’s unanimous adoption of the annual report of the Agency (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1), which remains a key document for member States and other stakeholders in understanding the important work of the Agency. India values the essential role of the IAEA in assisting countries to build human and institutional capacities, including regulatory capabilities, for the safe, secure and peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology. The role of nuclear science and technology is in building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in the achievement of climate goals in the context of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The IAEA’s activities in those areas contribute in an important way to meeting the energy needs of member States, improving human and animal health, developing agriculture, managing the use of water resources and optimizing industrial processes, thereby helping to improve the quality of life and the well-being of the peoples of the world. India welcomes the Agency’s flagship initiatives, cutting across different areas of nuclear science and technology, such as the Rays of Hope initiative for cancer control, the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action for strengthening capacities to respond to zoonotic diseases outbreaks, and the Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution initiative for addressing plastic marine pollution. We also appreciate the support extended by the IAEA to member States in response to natural disasters, disease outbreaks, as well as emergency situations. India has made significant achievements in the area of nuclear power and research applications. Indian nuclear power reactors have been setting records in long, continuous, safe operation. The units of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India units have operated continuously for a duration of more than a year 39 times and more than two years four times. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has continued to be at the forefront in advancing the non-power applications of nuclear science and technology to improve the quality of life for the citizens of our country and contribute to the societal and economic development of the nation. India’s Heavy Water Board is the largest global producer of heavy water, including for non-nuclear applications. India has also demonstrated the closure of the carbide fuel cycle of fast breeder reactor technology successfully. The Tata Memorial Centre has initiated indigenous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy in India, which has brought down the cost of cancer treatment from half-a-million dollars to just $30,000. As in previous years, this year too, India’s interaction with the IAEA has been significant. I am happy to share that India hosted the Agency’s extended Integrated Regulatory Review Service follow-up mission from 9 to 20 June. India has also contributed to the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Programme by seconding experts and offering training slots in our reputed institutions for experts from other Member States. We have has also supported research and development activities of IAEA by participating and hosting technical meetings and coordinated research projects. We will continue to provide that support to the Agency’s programmes. Let me conclude by appreciating the dynamic role played by the IAEA in guiding the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and ensuring nuclear safety and security. We look forward to the Agency’s continued support to member States in providing a conducive atmosphere for the growth of nuclear science and technology.

Argentina is a nuclear country with more than 70 years of experience, a period in which extensive scientific, technological and industrial capacities have been generated. In addition to being one of the 32 countries that have nuclear power in their energy matrix, Argentina is one of the few that masters the complete cycle of nuclear fuel, while maintaining a firm commitment to peaceful uses. As a result, we have built a unique profile as a developing country and responsible exporter of nuclear research reactors and radioisotope production to countries on all continents, as well as other nuclear components and services. The role played by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in promoting nuclear energy is highly valued by Argentina. Since its creation, the Agency has been an invaluable source of technical cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy; in the development of nuclear applications in various sectors; in the creation and definition of standards and measures for the safe and reliable operation of nuclear energy; and a guarantor of the global system of nuclear safeguards. We highlight the work carried out by its Director General, Rafael Grossi, in all those fields, to which he adds an active involvement in sensitive issues on the international agenda. In a context of growing demand for energy, but at the same time of measures that help to face climate change, nuclear energy is positioned as a fundamental part of the solution to those challenges. Argentina contributes to that change through three power plants, all under IAEA safeguards, that produce more than 7 per cent of the national electricity production, which in 2021 saved 4.7 million tons of carbon dioxide being released to the environment. Likewise, projects for a fourth power station and a small modular reactor, currently under construction, are currently under development in our country, with which Argentina is committed to granting a greater role to nuclear power in its energy matrix. Argentina reiterates the importance that safeguards implementation activities be efficient, effective and supported by a solid technical base, thus guaranteeing their non-discriminatory nature. My country insists on the need for the safeguards regime and its guarantees to be developed in an environment of cooperation and dialogue. In that regard, it is in our utmost interest to highlight the importance of the quadripartite agreement that Argentina has signed with the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) and the IAEA. Argentina once again highlights the relevance of ABACC and the bilateral inspection system both in the implementation of safeguards and in building trust. Argentina’s commitment to the highest nuclear safety standards continues to be one of the pillars of our nuclear policy. Argentina is committed to continuing to expand its nuclear power generation park, complying with the highest safety standards and the parameters of the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety. In that regard, it should be noted that between 22 August and 2 September, at its own request, our country received an international mission to review nuclear and radiological safety, with the presence of experts from 19 countries. The process concluded with a report stating that Argentina has a broad and solid regulatory system for nuclear and radiological safety. Finally, we wish to express our support for the seven pillars of nuclear safety proposed by the IAEA for cases of conflict. In particular, we support the work that the agency is carrying out in Ukraine through the Support and Assistance Mission to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, as well as to establish a nuclear security and protection zone around the plant.

I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this important debate to consider the annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). I wish to express my delegation’s sincere appreciation to the Director General, Mr. Rafael Grossi, for the IAEA’s 2021 report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/ Add.1) and for the insightful update on the Agency’s most recent activities. Namibia recognizes the inalienable rights of all States to develop, research, produce and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Therefore, Namibia places a premium on all our technical cooperation programmes with the Agency. Partnership is extremely important for Namibia, and to that end we wish to acknowledge the responsive approach of the IAEA member States in implementing our respective national development priorities, while simultaneously focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals. Under the current Technical Cooperation Programme, we are pleased to report successful cooperation with the Agency in key sectors, such as human health, agriculture and food security, water management and environmental protection. For example, Namibia, like many countries, is suffering the adverse effects of climate change. Among the case studies shared in the report is the story of partnership between the Agency and the Governments of the Republic of Namibia and the Federal Republic of Germany, using isotopes to assess groundwater resources to maintain a reliable water supply, especially in aquifers. Those are among several other critical areas of collaboration for Namibia. However, we are constrained by financial and technological challenges. For that reason, we wish to see increased funding for the Technical Cooperation Programme. Gender equality is an important tenet of our democracy and an important enabler for women’s participation in all spheres of development. Within the scope of the work undertaken by the Agency, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme has been particularly beneficial to Namibia, especially in its contribution to skills development for women in nuclear science-related fields and the broader goals of increasing the role of women in disarmament and the women and peace and security agenda. My delegation is pleased to note that the report highlights the continued and increased interest in the Agency’s Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action project since its launch in 2020. The fact that the programme now has 150 designated national focal points across member States speaks volumes of the benefits member States hope to derive from it. Namibia wishes to share our progress in further developing our nuclear and radiation safety and security architecture. Supported by innovative tools developed by the Agency, such as the Radiation Safety Information Management System and the Regulatory Authority Information System, we believe that we are better equipped to meet regulatory obligations. In that vein, Namibia reiterates its call for the full and universal implementation of all international instruments serving to achieve nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We encourage all States, but most especially nuclear- weapon States, to pledge that such weapons will never, ever be used again. The role of the IAEA in keeping track of disarmament efforts is critical, and there should be no exception for transparent reporting, for without transparency there can be no real accountability. In conclusion, Namibia is proud of the exceptional work carried out under the auspices of the IAEA, and I wish to underscore our appreciation and support for the work of the Agency in executing its mandate, particularly in the area of peaceful uses of nuclear science, technology and applications delivered through the Technical Cooperation Programme. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Agency.

My delegation would like to thank the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the Agency’s annual report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1). Indonesia underlines the IAEA’s important role in strengthening global efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security, particularly during the current challenging geopolitical situation. Moreover, the IAEA also plays an indispensable role in ensuring the full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. To achieve those objectives, our delegation wishes to raise three pertinent points. First is the need to support the IAEA’s role in promoting nuclear science and technology for the Sustainable Development Goals. Global partnership and regional networks should continue to be further strengthened, including through continuous support for the IAEA’s various initiatives. Initiatives such as the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action and Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastic) help to increase the capacity of member States to tackle global challenges in health care, environment and climate change. As one of the pilot countries of NUTEC Plastic, Indonesia benefits from thar initiative in tackling challenges related to plastic pollution. We look forward to welcoming further progress and positive impact from the initiative. Second is the importance of shared responsibility to ensure the success of the IAEA’s technical cooperation. We need to ensure that the Technical Cooperation Programme serves its purpose as the main vehicle for the promotion and transfer of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The technical cooperation should be tailor-made and correspond to nationally identified needs and priorities. It should also be undertaken in full recognition of national ownership. Moreover, it shall provide benefits, most importantly, for developing countries. In that regard, we call upon the IAEA to continue efforts through its technical cooperation in addressing challenges faced by developing countries in the peaceful application of nuclear energy. Indonesia stands ready to support the work of the IAEA, including through our two laboratories, which serve as the IAEA Collaborating Centre in climate smart agriculture and non-destructive investigation. The facilities would also be beneficial to support other member States within the Asia-Pacific region in increasing their capacity in the respective fields. Thirdly, the IAEA’s safeguards should continue to serve as crucial elements of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. As the sole competent authority, the IAEA should continuously address emerging issues related to safeguards, including the development of nuclear naval propulsion programmes. The role of the IAEA is important to ensure that there is no diversion of nuclear materials from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons. My delegation is pleased to co-sponsor draft resolution A/77/L.9, on the report of the IAEA, and therefore would also like to reiterate our support to the IAEA in discharging its mandate effectively. We hope that existing cooperation between Indonesia and the Agency will be further expanded in the future. Finally, we call on the international community to continue supporting the work of the IAEA and its contributions to strengthening international security and development.

Colombia thanks Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for the 2021 annual report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1). My delegation also thanks the representative of Czechia for introducing draft resolution A/77/L.9, which we support and co-sponsor. We highlight the work of the IAEA in its three pillars, emphasizing that, in the face of the catastrophic, painful and prolonged humanitarian and environmental consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and of any nuclear explosion, only the peaceful applications of nuclear energy and their contribution to compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals make it valuable and significant for the well-being of humankind. The Agency has a fundamental role to play in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the transfer of knowledge and applicable nuclear technologies in important areas for development. Since peaceful uses are the only ones that satisfy all ethical, moral and humanitarian considerations, it is necessary to strengthen the assistance and technical cooperation through which that pillar is realized, in order to broaden the scope of peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology and improve access to its benefits, especially in developing countries, taking their needs and priorities into account. The Agency’s work on technological and physical nuclear security is also essential in establishing standards and a culture of security, which should guide nuclear activities and programmes. Insisting on the importance of guaranteeing the technological and physical security of nuclear facilities and on the international responsibility of States to maintain it, we highlight and appreciate the efforts and work carried out by the IAEA, headed by its Director General, to comply with his mandate on the matter in the unprecedented situation in Ukraine. We support his recommendations for guaranteeing the full implementation of the seven pillars of nuclear security in Zaporizhzhya and the establishment of a security zone around the nuclear power plant. Similarly, we highlight the essential work of the Agency in verifying the exclusively peaceful nature of nuclear programmes through the application of safeguards. We recognize it as the only competent authority in the matter, and we advocate the strengthening of the nuclear safeguards and verification system and its universalization. As we pointed out at the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the IAEA plays a fundamental role and is an important component of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, thereby contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security. Colombia will continue working, both within the framework of the IAEA and in the new cycle of the NPT review process, for full compliance with the pillars of the Treaty and the Statute of the Agency. We wish to highlight the importance and impact of the Technical Cooperation Programme. We make special mention and recognition of the Agency’s capacity and management to, as its Director General points out in the report, find new and better ways to assist member States in building capacities for the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. We welcome the Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) and Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action initiatives, which are innovative responses to needs in the face of current challenges in terms of health and the environment. In that regard, we highlight the holding of the Roundtable for the Americas on the NUTEC Plastics initiative, in which Colombia exercised important leadership. We also wish to thank the IAEA for its assistance in addressing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We highlight the work he has done as a member of the United Nations Crisis Management Team for COVID-19 and the ongoing coordination with the World Health Organization. Likewise, we reiterate our gratitude to the Agency for its assistance in legislative matters for nuclear matters. Its support for the acquisition of mobile X-ray machines in 2021 during the passage of Hurricane Iota, which seriously affected the infrastructure of the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina in my country; its additional assessments under the integrated mission of the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy; as well as for the joint work carried out with the four countries of the Andean Community in the implementation of concrete actions to deal with the Fusarium RT4 fungus, which threatens and affects banana crops. As a member of the Board of Governors and Vice-President for the period 2021-2022, Colombia led the construction process of the Medium-Term Strategy 2024-2029. We reiterate our gratitude to the delegations of Member States for their commitment and support to move that process forward in a constructive manner, as well as their support during our vice-presidency. Finally, we commend the push within the IAE for gender parity by 2025. We wish to highlight the need to continue working to incorporate the gender approach into policies and programmes for disarmament, non-proliferation, arms control and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes is important, recognizing their fundamental role in building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

Like many delegations, the Philippines expresses our deep gratitude to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its valuable efforts, most especially for the Agency’s research and development activities on the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology, as well as its deployment to member States of the Technical Cooperation Programme, including in the Philippines. Most recently, the Philippines and IAEA signed a new country programme framework for 2022-2027, which provides a frame of reference for the medium- term planning of the Technical Cooperation Programme to support our national development efforts, including towards the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, our new country programme framework prioritizes cooperation on food and agriculture, natural resources and the environment, human health and nutrition, energy and industry, and last but not the least, nuclear and radiation safety, including radioactive waste management, as well as in nuclear security. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., in his state of the nation address in July, conveyed the need to re-examine the Philippines’ strategy towards building nuclear power plants in the Philippines. That is a directive to diversify the national energy mix in our pursuit of a reliable, secure, sustainable and affordable power supply. In that regard, the Philippines recognizes the IAEA’s milestones approach as the leading guidance document in the development of nuclear power infrastructure. The Philippines’s Executive Orders No. 116, signed in 2020, and No. 164, signed in 2022, expressly identify the IAEA’s milestones approach as our basis for alignment with international standards. We welcome the initiation of the revision of that document to further incorporate lessons learned from the operation of nuclear power plants around the world and to include considerations for small modular reactors and advanced reactors. We are in the process of developing a comprehensive nuclear law that will ensure our adherence to the relevant nuclear safety, security and liability conventions, as well as establish an independent nuclear regulatory body for the regulation and licensing of all nuclear activities and facilities in the Philippines. We appreciate the IAEA’s legislative assistance to the Philippines through various legal expert missions deployed by the IAEA as well as high-level visits of our legislators to Vienna. Those activities support the capacity-building of Philippine policymakers and lawmakers in understanding nuclear issues, raising their awareness of international standards and drafting appropriate legislation. To help efforts in broadening public understanding and confidence in nuclear science and technology, the Philippines annually celebrates Atomic Energy Week every second week of December, and this year marks the fiftieth year of that celebration. The Philippines appreciates the Agency’s continuing efforts to identify nuclear applications to address the world’s most pressing development challenges, leading to the development of flagship initiatives such as the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action, the Renovation of the Nuclear Applications Laboratories Project 2, the Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution, Rays of Hope and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme. Finally, it is our view that the Agency’s safeguards and verification pillar is at the core of the global nuclear non-proliferation agenda. It provides the international community the assurances that nuclear technologies are utilized exclusively for peaceful purposes. We reiterate the paramount importance of States’ compliance with their respective obligations under the relevant safeguards agreements, as well as the provision of full cooperation to the Agency as it fulfils its independent and impartial work.

Mexico has taken note of the activity report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for 2021 (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1), but we regret that it has not been introduced to the General Assembly in the usual practice. We recognize the very outstanding management of Ambassador Grossi at the head of the Agency in his mandated activities and his work regarding the nuclear facilities in Ukraine. Draft resolution A/77/L.9, introduced by the representative of Czechia today and co-sponsored by Mexico, reflects the international community’s recognition of the Agency and its indispensable role in the disarmament and non-proliferation regime. There is no doubt that the Agency’s work on verification to prevent any misuse of nuclear material has been a key factor in the strength of the provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Mexico appreciates the efforts made by the Agency to safeguard the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear programme, especially at a decisive moment of negotiations towards the full return of all participants. The IAEA plays a central role in monitoring the JCPOA, as well as in reporting on nuclear security in the Middle East and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The international guarantees and cooperation provided by the IAEA to prevent the improper use of nuclear technology, facilities, equipment and radioactive materials, and their promotion of nuclear safety, including radiological protection, are essential actions. With regard to nuclear safety, we have taken note of the multiple activities of the IAEA regarding the safety of nuclear power plants and other related facilities, as well as the arrangements with States to respond to emergencies. In that context, the case of the Ukrainian facilities has been an example of the exceptional, timely and much-needed work of the Agency. As my country has stated on various occasions in the Security Council, we applaud the IAEA’s efforts to ensure and promote the seven pillars of nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhya plant. The proper functioning and safety of the plant are essential to preventing a catastrophe with very serious humanitarian consequences, not only for Ukraine but for the countries of the region. We have also supported the Secretary-General’s request to establish a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhya plant to allow the IAEA to carry out the inspections necessary to ensuring objective, truthful and independent information on the conditions prevailing at the plant. Even in the absence of a demilitarized zone, we commend the work being carried out by the Agency’s inspectors every day inside the plant. Any attack on nuclear facilities constitutes an inadmissible violation of international humanitarian law and the IAEA Statute. We hope that conditions at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant will improve very soon, ensuring its safety. Through the Department of Technical Cooperation, the Department of Nuclear Energy and the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, the Agency vigorously advances nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes, in support of sustainable human development. Their work facilitates the transfer of technology to developing countries. The Technical Cooperation Programme has benefited several States, mainly in the areas of health and nutrition, food and agriculture, and security and protection. Mexico also welcomes the Agency’s ongoing Integrated Action on Zoonotic Diseases initiative as one of the most important and timely initiatives worldwide to improve preparedness to respond to emerging infectious diseases using nuclear and related techniques. We applaud the work being carried out by the IAEA to encourage the participation of women in the activities of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme and that the gender perspective is a transversal axis in the design of its cooperation projects. I conclude by reiterating the need to continue fostering the creation of alliances and synergies among the Agency, member States, the organizations of the United Nations system, the private sector and civil society so that nuclear science and technology can continue to contribute both to sustainable human development and to international peace and security.

Japan highly commends the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Director General’s strong leadership in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and non-proliferation. Japan condemns Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine as a serious and unacceptable menace to the peace and security of the international community. Japan is gravely concerned about the situation of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. Russia’s military activities in and around nuclear power plants and other facilities in Ukraine cannot be tolerated. Japan commends the continuous efforts of the IAEA to secure nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, based on the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security. Japan strongly supports the Agency’s assistance to Ukraine, including its mission to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Japan also commends the recent inspections by the Agency that confirmed no undeclared nuclear activities and materials in the facilities of Ukraine. Japan continues to provide a wide range of support to the IAEA, including through the Peaceful Uses Initiative, Rays of Hope and the IAEA Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme initiative. Regarding the handling of water treated through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the IAEA, with the involvement of international experts, has been conducting reviews on the safety of ALPS-treated water, as well as its regulation and monitoring. Japan appreciates the professional work of the Agency, which has been carried out in an independent, objective and transparent manner. Japan, in close cooperation with the IAEA and the international community, will continue to advance its efforts in a transparent and scientific manner, in accordance with domestic and international safety standards. Japan strongly supports the IAEA’s efforts to make its safeguards more effective and efficient, including through the universalization of the comprehensive safeguards agreements and additional protocols. Concerning nuclear security, Japan welcomes the first Review Conference of the Parties to the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, held last March, and its outcome document. North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes pose a serious challenge to the international non-proliferation regime. Japan strongly urges North Korea to take concrete steps towards the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of all weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles of all ranges and related programmes, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. Japan also emphasizes the critical importance for all States to fully implement those resolutions. With regard to Iran’s nuclear-related activities, Japan supports the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to uphold the international non-proliferation regime. Japan will proactively contribute to efforts to achieve the return to compliance with the JCPOA by all relevant countries. In conclusion, Japan would like to reiterate its firm determination to continue to support the IAEA in further promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

Malaysia expresses its gratitude to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the Agency’s 2021 report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1) and for providing additional information on the Agency’s main developments in 2022. My delegation commends the Agency’s activities in the various areas highlighted in the report, including resolutions adopted at the sixty-sixth regular session of the General Conference in September. We reaffirm our continued support for the IAEA’s mandated role of promoting safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear technology, as well as its role as the sole competent authority mandated to verify States’ compliance with safeguards obligations. We fully recognize the continuous support and cooperation provided by the Agency in a variety of fields, including nuclear science and technology. Those have strengthened our efforts to ensure the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, while also emphasizing the critical role of nuclear science, technology and applications in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The IAEA technical cooperation activities, in particular, are of great importance to developing member States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The promotion of the peaceful applications of atomic energy constitutes a fundamental element of the statutory activities of the IAEA. In that connection, it is imperative that the IAEA’s resources for technical cooperation activities be sufficient, assured and predictable to meet the objectives mandated in article II of the IAEA Statute. Technical cooperation programmes should continue to be developed in a professional, impartial and non-discriminatory manner, and should not be subjected to any political, economic, military or other conditions incompatible with the provisions of the IAEA Statute. In the area of nuclear safety, Malaysia sees value in the sharing of best practices among States. The nuclear safety standards developed by the IAEA help individual States discharge their primary responsibility for nuclear safety within their territory. As we strive to achieve the highest level of safety, it is equally important that such efforts not hamper the ability of member States to access and develop the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and technology. Malaysia further recognizes the importance of ensuring the safety and security of civilian nuclear installations during armed conflict, so as to prevent the risk of any nuclear incident. In that regard, Malaysia supports the IAEA Director General’s seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security. Malaysia is committed to intensifying its role in and contribution to global peace, security and development. We acknowledge that the Agency’s assistance and cooperation have greatly enhanced our experience, knowledge and capabilities in the areas of nuclear technology and nuclear safety, security and safeguards. Malaysia welcomes draft resolution A/77/L.9, on the report of the IAEA, as it reaffirms the importance of supporting the Agency’s central role in the development and application of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. In that regard, Malaysia is pleased to co-sponsor the draft resolution and reiterates its full commitment to and support for the Agency and its mandated activities.

Poland associates itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the European Union. Let me now highlight several key issues in my national capacity. Poland has been strongly committed to the goals and objectives of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) across its three pillars. That was particularly illustrated by our recent active engagement in the NPT review process as chair of Main Committee II of the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT, as well as during Poland’s membership of the IAEA Board of Governors and chairmanship of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. During our recently ended two-year presence on the Board of Governors, we constantly expressed our support for the Agency’s safeguards and verification activities, which are crucial to securing the non-proliferation obligations under article III of the NPT. We also recognize and appreciate the Agency’s central role as the organization that facilitates and encourages the responsible development of the peaceful applications of nuclear technology. In that context, we are concerned about serious and direct threats to nuclear facilities posed by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Russian occupation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, attacks in and around Ukrainian nuclear sites and the illegal seizure of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant are unacceptable and need to be strongly condemned by the international community. Those unlawful and violent actions directly contravene the inalienable right to develop, produce and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and impede the IAEA from fully and safely conducting safeguards verification activities in Ukraine. Poland, together with Canada, submitted two IAEA Board of Governors’ resolutions that were adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes. The Board condemned Russian actions against Ukrainian nuclear facilities and called upon the Russian Federation to immediately cease all actions against and at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and any other nuclear facility in Ukraine, in order for the competent Ukrainian authorities to regain full control over all nuclear facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. It is high time for the Russian Federation to heed the call of the international community and comply with the Board’s resolutions fully and immediately. In that regard, Poland has supported the IAEA Director General’s work to assist Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety and security as well as his efforts to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Poland recognizes the importance of the work of the Agency, whose safeguards system is a fundamental component of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and plays an indispensable role in the implementation of the NPT. Poland encourages the IAEA to continue its approach with regard to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and will be supporting the Agency in that endeavour.

Allow me at the outset to thank Ambassador Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for presenting the report on activities carried out by the Agency in 2021 (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1), as well as the representative of Czechia for introducing draft resolution A/77/L.9, on the report, which my delegation has the honour of co-sponsoring. My country recognizes the sovereign right to exploit and make use of nuclear technologies exclusively for peaceful purposes, as established in article IV of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). At the same time, we reaffirm our obligation to work for general and complete disarmament as the only guarantee to achieve international peace, security and stability. In the current situation, it is increasingly necessary to seek collective efforts to continue promoting the uses of nuclear science and technology for exclusively peaceful purposes and to safeguard our future generations from annihilation through the use of nuclear weapons. My country is aware of the benefits of nuclear technology for the peoples of the world, not only in the generation of electricity but also in different areas such as health care, agriculture, food safety, the environment and research, among other fields. For that reason, Guatemala wishes to highlight the common benefit of reciprocal cooperation between the IAEA and developing countries, as well as regional projects whereby both parties are enriched through the contribution and mutual reception of knowledge, techniques, experiences and resources with a positive and direct impact for populations. I would like to highlight that, in Guatemala, the greatest use of ionizing radiation technology occurs in the field of medicine, directly linked to the provision of essential health services for the Guatemalan population. Ensuring that people receive services correctly and safely from nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes, through training and training in radiation protection and safety, is one of the main priorities of my country. Guatemala thanks the IAEA for its prompt action and response to support the emerging needs that arose during 2020 due to the coronavirus disease pandemic and natural disaster emergencies caused by the various tropical storms that affected my country. We recognize the Agency’s response capacity and the great value of extrabudgetary contributions that make such cooperation possible. Similarly, we emphasize the importance of innovative initiatives for the promotion of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, such as the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action, the Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution and the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy. Those initiatives have fostered knowledge and good practices that provide solutions to current challenges. My delegation therefore reiterates that it is essential that countries join efforts with the IAEA so that the use of nuclear energy is used to increase the coverage and quality of health care, the production and supply of food, the most effective prevention and reduction of the negative impacts of climate change and the best response to natural disasters, among other high-priority factors that contribute to the achievement of real and sustainable development. Guatemala reaffirms its commitment to the observance and respect of disarmament regulations, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and recognizes the important role of the IAEA in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. and weapons technology through the safeguards system. We welcome the collaboration that the IAEA enjoys with my country through the Comprehensive Capacity- Building Initiative for State systems of accounting for and control of nuclear material and national authorities responsible for safeguards implementation, obtaining great advances in terms of safeguards. As a current member of the Board of Governors, Guatemala is constructively supporting the work of the presidency and worked on the recommendations that were presented at the sixty-sixth regular session of the IAEA General Conference in September. My country actively promotes the universality of the NPT and compliance with its provisions. We reiterate that all States parties are committed to giving clear signs of adherence to the letter and spirit of the Treaty. We regret that the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to that instrument was unable to reach consensus on its final document, even though the pressing international context warrants tangible progress in the disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. Guatemala recognizes and appreciates the significant efforts made by Director Grossi, who proactively and within the framework of his powers has duly followed up on the worrisome situation at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in order to prevent a serious nuclear accident, which would have incalculable consequences for the world, as a result of the illegal, unjustified and unprovoked invasion of the sovereign territory of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. We call for international law, international humanitarian law and treaties on disarmament and non-proliferation to be fully complied with. The international community is not in a position to bear the humanitarian and environmental consequences of a nuclear disaster. We are convinced that the only and effective guarantee that humankind will not find itself in such a dangerous position again is the total prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. In that regard, we invite States to adhere to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Finally, we reiterate our support for the work of the IAEA to promote the principle of atoms for peace and development, reaffirming our commitment to continuing to work and support the activities of that organization.

The delegation of Iraq appreciates the contents of the report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which includes a review of the Agency’s central role and its general activities for the year 2021 in promoting nuclear security and safety in the field of safeguards, verification and technical cooperation. My delegation praises the Agency’s pivotal role in supporting the needs of member States in confronting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis through constructive efforts and follow-up to enhance capabilities and provide assistance to many Member States, including my country, Iraq, during the exceptional period that all our countries were and still are facing due to the outbreak of that pandemic. Strengthening international cooperation is critical to achieving the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and in developing, researching and producing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination, in accordance with article IV of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as an inalienable right of all States parties of the Treaty and one of its most important basic objectives. The Technical Cooperation Programme in the promotion and transfer of nuclear technology for the purpose of achieving sustainable socioeconomic progress in developing countries remains one of the Agency’s main statutory functions. The Programme is a joint responsibility of the Agency and the member States, whose concerted efforts have a decisive impact on the success of the Programme, based on States’ requirements and needs, which requires the provision of resources for its promotional activities to ensure that the resources of the Technical Cooperation Fund are sufficient, guaranteed and commensurate with the resources allocated to the other statutory activities of the Agency. In that context, Iraq stresses the priority represented by the Agency’s technical cooperation activities for my country and other developing countries, which benefit from those programmes to build their capacities and employ nuclear technologies in the fields of health care, agriculture, food, water resources, radioactive isotopes and others. Those technologies can contribute to the promotion of peace, health, prosperity and sustainable development around the world. My country, Iraq, seeks to expand the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the sectors of medicine, water desalination, agriculture and energy to promote social and economic progress, and we count on the Agency’s technical support through regional projects. I am pleased to point out that Iraq is working to sign its 2023- 2027 country programme framework document with the Agency to frame our national needs and priorities, supported by the Technical Cooperation Programme, to achieve the goals of sustainable development in accordance with national plans. National executive and oversight authorities in Iraq are working with the IAEA to develop an integrated programme of action to remove radioactive contamination in Iraq, develop national strategies for dealing with radioactive waste and work continuously for the safe disposal of that radioactive waste resulting from various activities in the medical centres and oil facilities. My country’s delegation affirms its firm support for the IAEA and the Director General tin their efforts to implement the safeguards system, and expresses its appreciation for the Agency’s monitoring and verification activities. Iraq also reaffirms its firm commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and reaffirms its steadfast support for the full and effective implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime and the basis for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament, in accordance with article VI of the NPT, and for the further development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes. In that context, Iraq expresses its disappointment at the failure of the ninth and tenth Review Conferences of the Parties to the NPT in 2015 and 2020, respectively, which requires all of us to demonstrate the necessary flexibility and political will to face challenges and obstacles and move forward for the success of the upcoming eleventh Conference, scheduled for 2027. Achievements in the framework of reducing the threat of nuclear weapons and consolidating the effectiveness of the safeguards system will remain incomplete unless significant progress is made in implementing nuclear disarmament, pursuant to the NPT, or in persuading all States to join the Treaty in order to achieve its noble goals and maintain international peace and security. The Middle East region continues to elude international and regional efforts to make it a nuclear-weapon-free zone due to the Israeli entity’s rejection of any effort to that end. Iraq therefore calls again on all concerned parties to continue working to support those efforts at the third session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, scheduled to be held in November, in the hope that they will contribute to yielding tangible results that lead to creating a Middle East region truly free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. We stress our position that those efforts and results should constitute a track parallel to support for international and United Nations efforts aimed at establishing that zone.

Lithuania fully aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the European Union. The following remarks are in my national capacity. Lithuania strongly supports the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its leadership. As in previous years, we are very content to co-sponsor the draft resolution (A/77/L.9) on the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1), which again reaffirms the indispensable role of the Agency with regard to nuclear non-proliferation, the peaceful uses of nuclear technology and technology transfer to developing countries, as well as nuclear safety, security and safeguards. We reiterate our condemnation in the strongest possible terms of Russia’s deliberate and unprovoked war against Ukraine. We also condemn Belarus for its support for the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Let me note that Russia has deliberately chosen to involve civil nuclear installations in Ukraine in military actions. That is a serious violation of international law and contrary to the IAEA Statute, which is based on the Charter of the United Nations. The shelling and occupying of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities or their use as a shelter is unprecedented and needs an adequate response. The occupation of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant by Russian military forces and the presence of Russian military equipment and Rosatom personnel on site, putting the operating staff under immense pressure and terrorizing them, increase the risk of a nuclear disaster. We emphasize that the Russian President’s illegal decree authorizing Moscow to take over operations at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is null and void and has no legal basis under international law. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant will keep operating in Ukraine, under Ukrainian legislation, in the Ukrainian power system and for Energoatom. We highly value all actions already taken by the IAEA seeking to support the Ukrainian Government and to avoid a nuclear disaster in Europe. Lithuania welcomes the long-term IAEA mission of nuclear safety, security and safeguards experts to Zaporizhzhya and fully supports the Director General’s efforts to establish a protection zone around the power plant. Nevertheless, it is not enough to concentrate on the protection of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant alone. The South Ukraine nuclear power plant is also in grave danger. Nuclear safety and security can be ensured only by the unconditional withdrawal of all Russian armed forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine. We encourage all member States to support efforts to that end. We also welcome the most recent expert evaluation by the IAEA, which proved Russia’s propaganda wrong. Inspectors of the IAEA have completed their in-field verification activities at three locations in Ukraine, and the Agency did not find any indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials at those locations. The aggressor must be held accountable. We find Russia’s brutal violation of international laws and regulations, including the IAEA Statute, totally indefensible. It is therefore completely unacceptable that Russia continues to exercise its privileged role at the IAEA and its bodies. At the same time, Lithuania continues to be deeply concerned about the rushed and irresponsible development and operation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in the immediate proximity to our capital. Many unresolved safety issues with the Belarusian nuclear power plant project remain, such as its impact on the neighbouring countries’ environment and population, ensuring a culture of safety and implementing international standards and recommendations. The lack of transparency and openness is also an issue of the highest concern. That poses an unacceptable threat to national security, environment and the public health of the entire region. Lithuania retains the position that the Belarusian safety is constructed in violation of international nuclear safety standards and should not be in operation. We encourage the international community to join the Lithuanian call on Belarus to implement the highest international environmental, nuclear safety and radiation protection standards. Lithuania also condemns the nuclear and ballistic missile activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which are a matter of grave concern. It is highly regrettable that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has not taken concrete, verified action towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Sanctions must remain in place and be fully implemented. We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cease all destabilizing actions, abide by its international obligations under multiple Security Council resolutions and re-engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue with the IAEA. We are gravely concerned about Iran’s violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which are creating irreversible proliferation implications, including the continued and accelerated accumulation of enriched uranium, far beyond the JCPOA thresholds for quantity and level of enrichment, and the continued expansion of uranium enrichment capacity through the installation and testing of additional advanced centrifuges. Those steps, taken by Iran, are inconsistent with the peaceful purposes of a nuclear programme. We strongly urge Iran to reverse all activities inconsistent with the JCPOA and to return without any further delay to its full implementation, including of all transparency measures. Lithuania also remains very concerned by the lack of progress in Iran’s full implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Therefore, we urge Iran to cooperate fully and in a timely manner with the IAEA and to fulfil its legal obligations under the Additional Protocol.

Let me start by thanking Director General Grossi and his International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team for preparing the Agency’s comprehensive report for 2021 (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1). I want to assure him of Albania’s full support for his work and stewardship in leading the Agency in such difficult times for non-proliferation and nuclear safety. Albania aligns itself with the statement of the European Union and would like to highlight the following. In the context of the period covered by the report, we are encouraged by the Agency’s continued efforts in supporting countries with their response to the coronavirus disease pandemic through testing services, the provision of equipment and materials, as well as technical advice and guidance to individual laboratories. We are grateful to the IAEA for its support and assistance, including to my own country. Despite the difficult situation, the Agency did not interrupt its verification activities by effectively adapting itself to the new circumstances, focusing its verification efforts on the most critical safeguards activities, both in the field and at headquarters. Albania commends the Agency’s efforts to help maintain the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, notably the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya and the work of IAEA experts to assess its nuclear safety and security and to continue to apply safeguards at the plant. We welcome the adoption of the IAEA Board of Governors resolutions on the safety, security and safeguards implications of the situation in Ukraine. We really appreciate the Agency’s transparency and efforts in keeping member States updated on a daily basis on the latest developments in Ukraine and other emergency situations. We are convinced that IAEA is fulfilling its duties in a professional, objective, and impartial manner. The safety, security and safeguarding of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, as a result of Russia’s military aggression and indiscriminate attacks, remain an eminent concern. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces since March, continues to be at serious risk, with the potential of causing a catastrophe for Ukraine and the entire continent. We strongly reiterate our call for the establishment of a protection zone around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant as a matter of paramount urgency to avoid any catastrophic incident. We call for a speedy conclusion of an agreement to set the parameters of that safety zone. Once again, we urge Russia to withdraw its troops and return control of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities to the competent Ukrainian authorities. Recognizing the IAEA’s fundamental role in guaranteeing the nuclear non-proliferation regime through its safeguards system, Albania is deeply concerned over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s continuous violations of relevant Security Council resolutions through the sustained development of its nuclear and missile programmes, including ballistic missile launches at an unprecedented frequency, seriously threatening the region and the entire world. We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to implement in full the Security Council’s resolutions, return to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and comply with its provisions and IAEA safeguards. In the Middle East, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) remains the only tool for the international community to be reassured in a verifiable way that Iran’s nuclear programme is and remains solely dedicated to peaceful purposes. The IAEA’s role is important to the full implementation of JCPOA. Albania welcomes the IAEA Board of Governors resolution contained in document GOV/2022/70, which calls upon Iran to act on an urgent basis to fulfil its legal obligations and resolve all outstanding safeguards issues under the NPT. We remain concerned about Syria’s non-compliance with its NPT obligations and IAEA safeguards. Once again, we call on Syria to cooperate with the IAEA fully and without further delay in connection with all unresolved issues and to provide the IAEA with access to all information, as well as to conclude an additional protocol as soon as possible. Albania has a Comprehensive Safeguard Agreement with the IAEA and has signed and ratified the Additional Protocol. We have also concluded a Revised Supplementary Agreement Concerning the Provision of Technical Assistance, as well as several multilateral treaties with the Agency. We urge all countries to do the same, to engage with IAEA in good faith and to conclude and implement as soon as possible their Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements, together with their Additional Protocol. We welcome the IAEA’s assistance to member States in capacity-building and knowledge management and reiterate our full support for gender equality in all aspects of the Agency’s work, including nuclear safety. In conclusion, taking into account our unwavering support for the work of the Agency, my delegation is pleased to co-sponsor draft resolution A/77/L.9, on the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confident of the indispensable role that the Agency plays in nuclear non-proliferation security and its application for peaceful uses and development.

The Russian Federation appreciates the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during the reporting period, confirms its support for draft resolution A/77/L.9, “Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency”, and is one of its co-authors. We pay a great deal of attention to the work of the IAEA, which is an important instrument of international cooperation in the field of the peaceful use of the atom and a unique mechanism for monitoring the implementation by States of their obligations in the field of nuclear non-proliferation. We regard the IAEA safeguards system, which is the monitoring mechanism of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), as an essential element in maintaining the nuclear non-proliferation regime. It is of fundamental importance to preserve the objective and technically verified nature of that verification mechanism of the Agency, based on agreements concluded between States and the IAEA. We support the universalization of the additional protocol to the comprehensive safeguards agreement, on the firm understanding that it is purely voluntary. Maintaining the confidence of IAEA member States in the safeguards system requires ensuring an appropriate level of transparency and a politically non-partisan approach, both to the actual implementation of safeguards and to the conclusions of audits. We are of the view that the IAEA will continue to adhere to a well-considered technical approach when carrying out checks in Iran within the framework of the existing mandate. The professional and impartial approach of the Agency in carrying out such verifications is of particular importance in the interests of ensuring international confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme and restoring the full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action following the United States unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal and Washington’s illegal actions to undermine Security Council resolution 2231 (2015). The IAEA, as the most representative and technically competent organization in the field of nuclear physical security, has a central role to play in international cooperation on that topic. Russia attaches great importance to ensuring and maintaining a high level of nuclear physical security throughout the world, while observing the fundamental principle that the States themselves, which determine its optimal parameters at their own discretion, bear sole responsibility for ensuring nuclear security on their territory. We advocate the universalization of key international legal instruments in that area, in particular the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 amendment. Russia will continue to assist the Agency and contribute to IAEA programme activities in the field of nuclear and radiation safety, the safety of transport of nuclear and radioactive materials, the safety of radioactive waste management, emergency preparedness and response. The IAEA also remains one of the most important instruments of international cooperation in the field of the use of atomic energy. Russia favours broad access for all States of the world that comply with their obligations in the field of nuclear non-proliferation to the benefits of the peaceful atom and the development of international cooperation in that field. We note the work of the IAEA to promote nuclear energy, including in the context of combating climate change. We unfailingly support the activities of the IAEA in promoting nuclear technologies and their application in various spheres of human activity. We note the new initiatives of the Director General of the Agency in that area, designed to make a positive contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We believe that the activities of the Agency must be carried out in strict accordance with its statutory functions. It is important to refrain from artificially introducing into the agenda of IAEA decision-making bodies and into its activities in general issues that go beyond the scope of its Statute. Taking into account the critical role of the Agency, we emphasize the need for its members to treat the IAEA carefully. Participating States should do everything possible to ensure that, in the context of geopolitical turbulence, the activities of the IAEA are not subjected to politicization and are carried out strictly in accordance with the Agency’s mandate. Unfortunately, we have to state that, as today’s meeting shows, a number of delegations instead remain determined to prevent a constructive, substantive discussion of the agenda item and to politicize the discussion. In response to today’s unsubstantiated allegations that Russia is allegedly threatening to use nuclear weapons in the conduct of the special military operation in Ukraine, we emphasize once again that Russian doctrinal guidelines in that area are purely defensive in nature and do not allow for an expanded interpretation. Russia is firmly committed to the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be unleashed. On 3 January, that postulate was confirmed by the leaders of the five nuclear Powers in a joint statement. Commitment to it was reaffirmed in the Russian Federation’s 2 November statement on the prevention of nuclear war. The relevant document was distributed by us as an official document of the Security Council and the General Assembly (A/77/577). We encourage Member States to review it. Today we have again heard many baseless accusations about Russian aggression in Ukraine, which allegedly has been going on since 2014. The real picture of events is starkly different. In the face of rampant national-radical elements in a situation where a bloody coup d’état took place in Ukraine in 2014, with outside support, the realization by the inhabitants of Crimea and Sevastopol of the right to self-determination became the only possible way for them to protect their fundamental rights and vital interests. In the context of today’s attacks, I would like to additionally note that Russia’s position on the issue of nuclear installations in Crimea is set out in IAEA document INFCIRC/876, dated 10 June 2015, and we do not consider it necessary to add anything further. The facilities located in the city of Sevastopol are included in the list of Russian installations where IAEA safeguards are applicable. The Russian Federation is ready to provide access to them upon request. Those installations have nothing to do with the application of safeguards in Ukraine. Based on the results of the referendums held in late September, the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions became new subjects of the Russian Federation. That was done on the basis of the expression of the will of the inhabitants of those regions and in full accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, which stipulates the right of nations to self-determination. With respect to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, units of the Russian Guard continue to protect it in the face of ongoing provocations. We emphasize that the ongoing shelling and attempted sabotage by the armed forces of Ukraine represent the main threat to the security of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. The risk of a man-made disaster at the station is still high. Attacks on the station threaten its physical security as a whole, as confirmed by the IAEA. The armed forces of Ukraine, on the other hand, aim shells at the most vulnerable parts of the plant, deliberately creating the risk of a large-scale radiation accident. We are circulating the statistics of those shellings and attacks as official documents of the General Assembly and the Security Council. We again encourage delegations to familiarize themselves with them. We are forced to note that Kyiv has been pursuing such reckless actions for many months. Russia did everything in its power to ensure the effective and safe conduct of the IAEA mission at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant on 1 September, despite the obstacles and provocations organized by the Kyiv regime. It is important that employees of the IAEA secretariat are currently present at all times at the plant, monitoring the situation and promptly reporting it to Vienna. However, the Kyiv regime has not been dissuaded by the presence of representatives of the Agency at the plant, and attacks and shelling from the Ukrainian side continue. Western delegations refuse to speak plainly and admit that the Kyiv regime has, in fact, turned the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant into a target for nuclear blackmail. The statements of those countries speculating that the shelling is not being carried out by the Ukrainian side are simply contrary to common sense, since the plant is under Russian control. Such a policy is directly encouraging further dangerous actions on the part of Kyiv, and the responsibility for all potential consequences of those actions will fall on Western sponsors. Once again, we underscore that the attacks on the plant must end. The Director General of the Agency, Mr. Rafael Grossi, proposed an initiative to create an operational and physical nuclear safety protection zone around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. In principle, we support it. We are maintaining our dialogue with the IAEA Director General in order to reach a common understanding on the content of the declaration on the protective zone around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. We share his opinion that this should be done as soon as possible. Western States are trying in every possible way to whitewash their wards in Kyiv, not only in relation to the shelling of the plant, but also in relation to other crimes of the Kyiv regime, including its plans to carry out provocations using radioactive material. Upon receipt of the relevant information, we conveyed to the international community in full detail our concerns regarding the plans of the Kyiv regime to create a dirty bomb. We took note of the information on the Agency’s inspections of those facilities. We respect the professional approach of the IAEA management. We note that the analysis of the received materials continues. At the same time, we emphasize that Kyiv has the necessary production base and scientific potential to create a dirty bomb, and those are not limited to the inspected facilities. We presume that such verifications are only the beginning and that the Agency will continue to exercise the closest control over any possible signs of deviations of Kyiv from the implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the Agency and to fully use the possibilities of the Additional Protocol to the Agreement. We call on the IAEA to pay the closest attention to any information on the topic of possible provocations involving the use of a dirty bomb by the Kyiv regime, and if there is even the slightest suspicion that illegal activities are being carried out in the nuclear sphere of Ukraine, to immediately inform the Council of Governors and the States members. As for the insinuations voiced today about the outcome of the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT, we would like to emphasize that the Russian delegation was determined to work constructively and engage with all partners. We acted openly and honestly, demonstrating maximum respect for the positions of other delegations. However, from the very beginning of the Conference, the Western States decided to use it to settle political scores and fulfil their desire to punish Russia at any cost, and thereby deliberately derailed the adoption of the final document. In essence, they chose to politicize the process, which prevented the adoption of the outcome document of the Conference. That was not the first time they had done so. In 2015, the delegations of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, guided by their own self-interested political considerations, blocked the adoption of the outcome document of the previous conference, the ninth Review Conference. They now prefer not to mention this, arguing that Russia allegedly damaged the review process. Despite the destructive actions of the Western delegations, which did not allow the adoption of the final document, we are convinced that during the Conference, the NPT member States were able to conduct a full review of the Treaty and compare positions on all three of its baskets. Most importantly, the role and importance of the NPT as the foundation of the global non-proliferation regime was reaffirmed. We reaffirm our determination to work constructively in the framework of the new review cycle, which should conclude with the eleventh Conference in 2026.

At the outset, I would like to express to the President, on behalf of the Algerian delegation, our most sincere thanks and appreciation for having convened this meeting and to congratulate him on the wise manner in which he is conducting the work of the current session. I would also like to thank Mr. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for introducing the Agency’s annual report (A/77/308 and A/77/308/Add.1). Algeria welcomes the imminent consensus adoption of the draft resolution on the annual report of the IAEA, contained in document A/77/L.9. We also express our appreciation for the efforts of the Agency’s secretariat in preparing the annual report, which includes the outcome of the Agency’s activities and achievements in the main areas related to nuclear technology, technical cooperation, nuclear safety and security, as well as safeguards. Proceeding from its adherence to the inherent and inalienable right to the development and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Algeria attaches utmost importance to the activities of the Agency through its role in ensuring the peaceful and safe use of atomic energy and promoting the applications of nuclear technologies to achieve sustainable development, in particular through the Technical Cooperation Programme, the Agency’s main mechanism for assisting member States and ensuring their development priorities in vital national sectors and various industrial applications, as well as the development and management of nuclear knowledge. In that context, Algeria stresses the importance of the country programme framework 2018-2023 as a tool aimed at deepening technical cooperation between Algeria and the Agency. We also look forward to completing the preparation of our country programme framework for the period 2024-2029, and note the good level of implementation of the activities of the Technical Cooperation Programme with the Agency, facilitated by close technical cooperation with it, especially in facing the difficulties resulting from the global health crisis related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and adapting to its repercussions in a way that allowed us to control its effects on the implementation of the Technical Cooperation Programme. At the regional level, my country’s delegation expresses its satisfaction with the attention paid by the Agency to the African continent in vital areas, especially through the African Regional Cooperation Agreement for Research, Development and Training in the Field of Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA), which makes a significant contribution to promoting and sustaining regional cooperation. That interest is also reflected in the devotion of this year’s session of the Scientific Forum to the problem of access to health care under the theme “Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All”, an initiative that was launched in Addis Ababa on the sidelines of the thirty-fifth Summit of the African Union, convened in February. The initiative is aimed at filling the gaps recorded in the field of cancer care, starting from Africa, where radiotherapy facilities are lacking or insufficient in many its countries. Once again, we welcome that initiative and reaffirm Algeria’s full commitment to supporting the Agency’s efforts in that context and to contribute effectively to the realization of its objectives. We are also ready to provide our expertise and infrastructure in order to achieve the objectives of the initiative and to continue to accompany African countries in that regard, as we have been doing for decades through, among other things, supporting the Agency in the classification of the regional centre designated in the framework of AFRA for nuclear medicine in Algeria as a regional collaborating centre within the context of the Rays of Hope initiative. That initiative complements other prominent initiatives of the Agency, especially the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action, the Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution and the Renovation of the Nuclear Applications Laboratories initiative and its final phases. We especially appreciate the prominent role of those laboratories, which this year are celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of their founding. We support the steps taken by the Agency to renew and modernize them in view of their pioneering role at the core of technical assistance, capacity-building and research efforts for the benefit of developing countries. The peaceful use of nuclear energy and the establishment of facilities related to that field require an appropriate system to ensure nuclear safety and security standards. My delegation appreciates the Agency’s role in that domain, as well as the technical assistance provided to developing countries in order to build their national capacities and strengthen their infrastructure for the physical protection of nuclear installations and materials. Having ratified all the instruments related to nuclear security, and aware that maintaining nuclear security is the responsibility of every State, Algeria has made great progress in strengthening its relevant legislative and regulatory framework, including the adoption of a law with several provisions that regulate nuclear activities, some of which are related to the establishment of a national authority for nuclear safety and security. In conclusion, Algeria considers the Agency’s verification regime to be an essential element of nuclear non-proliferation and reaffirms its full confidence in the Agency’s performance of its legal inspection duties. In that context, my delegation takes note of the progress made in strengthening and improving the effectiveness of the safeguards system and encourages the Agency to continue making efforts in accordance with its Statute and the relevant General Conference resolutions. Algeria also reiterates its support for the Agency’s authority as an institution qualified to handle verification matters, and calls for the globalization of its safeguards system as an effective tool for nuclear non-proliferation.