IAEA Technical Cooperation & the NPT?

Si vis pacem para pacem - If you want peace prepare for peace.

« Previous | Next »

by Paulo M. C. Barretto & Ana Marķa Cetto

Page 2 of 3

Efforts to assist Member States are impressive. Since its inception in 1957, the Agency has provided direct assistance valued at more than $1.3 billion to participating Member States, of which over $600 million has been disbursed in the last 10 years.

The assistance has come from voluntary contributions - which constitute the basis of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Fund (TCF) created as the main financing mechanism. An annual target for TCF contributions is set for two years in advance following consultations with Member States, who are asked to pledge contributions against their share of the target.

It should be noted that the IAEA is the only organization in the entire UN system that has its own resources and a programme for direct support to its Member States. In addition to the Agency's own staff, including both technical experts and project managers, thousands of experts recruited among Member States every year are directly involved in the Agency's technical cooperation projects.

The TCF system worked well until the mid-1980s, when pledges and payments started to decrease, attaining a low of 65% of the target in 1992. This alarming situation has improved since then - in the last three years the rate of attainment averaged 80%, still much below the figure set by the Member States themselves, and in 2004 it increased to 87.6%. The target for 2005 has been set at $77.5 million, with an expected rate of attainment of 90%.

In addition to TCF contributions, countries can donate extrabudgetary resources for projects that have been approved by the IAEA Board, but cannot be covered by the TCF. In this case the donor country has the right to select the project or projects and countries of interest to them.

The recent trend has been an increase in extrabudgetary resources, which rose to $11.8 million in 2003. Further, the countries receiving support are steadily increasing their own shares in the form of government cost-sharing, which in 2003 accounted for approximately $4 million. Additionally playing an important role are "in-kind" contributions of experts and facilities provided by project participants.

These trends are an explicit recognition of the fact that, to the extent that resources permit, the IAEA is fulfilling its mandate to extend the benefits of the nuclear technology to all interested Member States. Hence, at the multilateral level we can say that the system supporting peaceful nuclear uses has satisfactorily worked, with an increasing number of countries benefiting from it.

IAEA Technical Assistance

Countries increasingly seek IAEA technical assistance for activities related to safety and security of nuclear and radiological materials. The IAEA, for example, supported missions to Georgia to recover and secure radioactive sources.?

Barriers & Benefits

When preparing its programme of technical cooperation, the IAEA does not differentiate between NPT and non-NPT Member States. Projects are assessed exclusively in terms of their technical soundness and practical feasibility, the stated government priorities, the country's own commitment to the project, and the potential benefit for the country.

The situation for extrabudgetary funding used to be different as many important donor countries showed a clear preference for States Parties to the NPT. Being party or non-party to the NPT was indeed an important issue during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s before the Treaty reached near universality.

Over the last five to ten years, more controls and barriers have been introduced to the transfer of materials, equipment, information and nuclear technology in general, and in particular for the areas related to nuclear power and its fuel cycle. These controls and barriers have arisen from proliferation concerns and also, more recently, a required higher standard for safety and environmental protection.

The IAEA is increasing its engagement in safeguards and security activities. At the same time, the number of Member States requesting support in the form of technical cooperation continues to rise. These changes combined pose a challenge to the Agency's mission to extend the benefits of nuclear technology to all its interested Member States.

While the Agency's technical cooperation activities are open to all Member States, guidelines state that resources should be allocated primarily to meet the needs of developing countries. (See IAEA document INFCIRC/267).

« Previous | Next »

Page 2 of 3