Amano highlights IAEA's broad scope

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Yukiya Amano highlighted the broad scope of the agency's activities, from nuclear safety and security to sustainable development goals, in his introductory statement to the IAEA's board of governors today.

The 35-member board is meeting in Vienna in advance of the IAEA's annual general conference, which begins on 14 September. The board's duties include making recommendations to the general conference on the IAEA's accounts, program and budget.

Amano began his address to the board by detailing the agency's recently published comprehensive report on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, which he described as a "major undertaking". The report, with its five accompanying technical volumes, will be formally presented to IAEA member states during the general conference.

Amano said that he hoped the report would provide a solid knowledge base that will help to improve nuclear safety throughout the world. "Our role is not to tell them what to do, but to help all countries learn more from this nuclear accident," he said.

He described the recent signature of agreements to establish an IAEA bank of low-enriched uranium (LEU) in Kazakshtan as a "significant step forward". The facility will serve as a "supply of last resort", enabling countries to be confident that they will be able to obtain LEU to manufacture nuclear fuel in the event of unforeseen and insurmountable supply disruptions.

Safeguarding Iran

Last month, the IAEA's board authorised the agency to undertake verification and monitoring of Iran's nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and the E3/EU+3 (China, Russia, France, Germany, the UK, and the USA) agreed in July. Amano confirmed in his address that the IAEA continues to verify the non-diversion of Iran's declared nuclear material, and he confirmed that Iran has provided written clarifications of outstanding issues from the "road map" agreed with the agency.

The IAEA is reviewing the information received ahead of submitting its own questions to Iran by 15 September. Amano said that he anticipated that the agency would complete its factual assessment by the 15 December deadline.

Sustainable goals

Although much of the address - and the questions put to Amano in a subsequent press conference - centred on the status of IAEA missions to verify nuclear safeguards in Iran, Amano emphasised the wide scope of activities carried out by the agency and drew particular attention to the anticipated adoption by world leaders of sustainable development goals, or SDGs. The 17 SDGs are expected to be adopted by members of the United Nations at the UN Sustainable Development Summit taking place in New York later this month. These will provide a universal set of goals, targets and indicators against which nations will be expected to frame policies over the next 15 years.

The IAEA director general said he particularly welcomed the fact that the SDGs highlight the key role of science and technology in achieving sustainable development and drew attention to the agency's long-standing contribution by making nuclear science and technology available in areas such as food production, water management, agriculture and cancer control. "Our work deserves greater recognition," he said.

"The IAEA is an organization with multifaceted objectives. There is strong interest in [the IAEA's] Iran activities here in Vienna, but when I travel to other countries, especially to developing countries, the main interest is the transfer of technology through technical cooperation," he said in response to a question on IAEA funding. "Technical cooperation is making a real difference to the lives of ordinary people. I hope - I really hope - that the activities of the IAEA will be properly funded and the IAEA will continue to pursue multifaceted objectives in a balanced manner."

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News