IAEA TACC Meeting – Agenda Item 2 – Technical Cooperation – The Agency’s Proposed Program for 2023
U.S. Statement as Delivered by Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Louis L. Bono
Vienna, Austria, November 14, 2022
Chair,
The United States welcomes the Director General’s report on the Agency’s Proposed Technical Cooperation Program for 2023, as contained in GOV/2022/56. We commend the Department of Technical Cooperation, and the leadership of Deputy Director General Liu, for the work with Member States to implement core TC program activities, in cooperation with other Agency departments and international organizations.
The United States recognizes the vital role that TC projects can and do play in improving the lives of people around the world. These projects address the national and regional development priorities of Member States and help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We are committed to helping strengthen that role.
We welcome Agency efforts to mobilize support for the new flagship initiatives Rays of Hope, NUTEC Plastics, and ZODIAC, which can further increase access to the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology, so that those benefits are felt by more people.
In 2022, the United States contributed over $23 million to the IAEA for the Technical Cooperation Fund (TCF), over $10 million to the IAEA for the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI), and considerable inkind contributions to support training, fellowships, and cost-free experts in support of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Over $3.8 million of our PUI funds were allocated to TC projects in 2022 alone, and additional funds were allocated to the Nuclear Applications in Science and Technology, Nuclear Energy, and Nuclear Safety and Security Departments to complement TC activities. As announced in September, we also made available over $6 million for TC activities coordinated under the regional cooperation frameworks for Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, also known as AFRA and ARCAL.
U.S. PUI contributions have funded TC projects requested by Member States across a wide range of fields. These projects help fight disease-bearing insects that threaten human health and food supplies. They help combat malnutrition, build critical medical facilities, and conduct essential environmental studies. The projects have helped countries around the world build the necessary national legislative and regulatory infrastructure to support civil nuclear power with the highest standards of safety, security, and nonproliferation.
We appreciate the Agency’s continued efforts to extend the benefits of technical cooperation, particularly in life-saving fields such as human and animal health, to reach those countries most in need, especially the least developed countries. We encourage other Member States to meet their TCF targets and National Participation Costs on time, which, as noted in the Director General’s report, is crucial so that the IAEA has the funding it needs to implement the TC Program.
We encourage the IAEA to continue its efforts to strengthen implementation of a results-based management approach to TC projects, consistent with the recommendations of the Director of the Office of Internal Oversight Services. This approach will help improve efforts to integrate outcomes and impact monitoring in the Agency’s programs so that the programs address the needs of Member States. We note the importance of the Program Cycle Management Framework, or PCMF, in providing a platform for the planning, design, and review of TC projects. We support the Agency’s plan to upgrade this platform to enhance the project planning and management interface and improve the security of the system.
In addition, the United States commends the work of the Department of Safeguards and the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security in reviewing TC projects so that they adhere to relevant standards and requirements. This work enables the international community to share more widely the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
With these comments, the United States is pleased to join consensus in supporting the proposed TC program for 2023 and other recommendations contained in GOV/2022/56, and in sending to these recommendations to the Board for approval.
Thank you, Chair.