Governmental delegates from more than 100 States have taken steps to further strengthen global nuclear cooperation through programmes and activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Meeting in Vienna at the IAEA General Conference, which concludes today, States adopted resolutions on a range of topics. They included resolutions related to Agency programmes in nuclear safeguards, nuclear and radiation safety, and technical cooperation for sustainable development.
During the week, the Conference approved the appointment of Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei of Egypt as the Agency's next Director General, effective 1 December 1997, and conferred the honorary title of Director General Emeritus on the outgoing IAEA Director General, Dr. Hans Blix of Sweden, for his sixteen years of distinguished leadership.
Additionally, a number of States signed new conventions that were opened for signature at the General Conference to underpin the global safety framework for nuclear energy, and a Model Protocol that incorporates new safeguards measures to strengthen the IAEA's capability to verify the exclusively peaceful nature of States' nuclear programmes.
Strengthening the IAEA's Safeguards System. The General Conference emphasized the importance of further strengthening the Agency's international safeguards system, expressing the conviction that IAEA safeguards can promote greater confidence among States and thus contribute to strengthening their collective security. It supported decisions of the IAEA Board of Governors to increase the Agency's capability to detect undeclared nuclear activities. The Conference requested all States having IAEA safeguards agreements to accept additional measures provided for in the Model Protocol that was adopted by the IAEA Board in May 1997, and to sign additional protocols promptly. (Up to 3 October, six States had signed a Protocol additional to their safeguards agreements.) Also the Conference supported the negotiation of additional protocols or other legally binding agreements with nuclear-weapon States incorporating those measures provided for in the Model Protocol that each nuclear-weapon State has identified as capable of contributing to the non-proliferation and efficiency aims of the Protocol. >/p>
Strengthening IAEA Technical Co-operation Activities. The Conference requested the Director General to pursue with Member States efforts to strengthen the Agency's technical co-operation activities. It stressed the need for effective programmes aimed at improving the scientific and technological capabilities of developing countries in peaceful applications of nuclear energy - including both the applications of nuclear methods and techniques and the production of electricity. It emphasized that these programmes should contribute to achieving sustainable development in developing countries.
Nuclear Inspections in Iraq. The Conference commended the Director General and the Agency's Action Team for their strenuous efforts to implement Security Council resolutions 687, 707, 715, and 1051, and requested them to continue their efforts to fulfill their mandate. It called upon Iraq to cooperate fully with the Action Team in meeting its requests for information and in achieving the complete and long-term implementation of the relevant resolutions. It stressed Iraq's obligation to hand over to the Action Team without further delay currently undisclosed nuclear-weapon-related equipment, material and information and to the allow the Action Team immediate, unconditional and unrestricted rights of access, in accordance with Security Resolution 707.
Safeguards in the DPRK. The Conference expressed its concern over the DPRK's continuing non-compliance with its IAEA safeguards agreement, and called upon the DPRK to comply fully with it. It urged the DPRK to take all steps the Agency may deem necessary to preserve all information relevant to verifying the accuracy and completeness of the DPRK's initial report on the inventory of nuclear material subject to safeguards until the DPRK comes into full compliance with the agreement. The Conference commended the Agency for its efforts to monitor the freeze of specified facilities in the DPRK as requested by the United Nations Security Council.
Safeguards in the Middle East. The Conference requested the Agency's Director General to continue consultations with the States in the Middle East to facilitate the early application of full-scope IAEA safeguards to all nuclear activities in the region as relevant to the preparation of model agreements, as a necessary step towards the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) in the region.
Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear Materials. The Conference welcomed the Agency's activities in the fields of prevention, response, training and information exchange in support of efforts against illicit trafficking, and supported continuing work over the coming year in accordance with relevant conclusions of its Board of Governors. The Conference further welcomed the confirmation by participants in the Denver Summit of June 1997 of their commitment to implement the programme for preventing and combating illicit trafficking in nuclear material agreed at the Moscow Nuclear Summit in April 1996.
Nuclear, Radiation, and Waste Safety. The Conference adopted several resolutions to strengthen international cooperation in this field. One resolution, on the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, appealed to all States to sign and subsequently ratify, accept, or approve it, so that it may enter into force as soon as possible. (Up to 3 October, twenty-one States had signed the Joint Convention.)
A second resolution, on the International Initiative for the Chernobyl Sarcophagus, noted steps that have been taken by a number of countries and organizations to transform the sarcophagus to an environmentally safer condition over the long term (the sarcophagus is the shelter enclosing the remains of the reactor destroyed in the 1986 Chernobyl accident). The Conference encouraged all States to participate in and support the International Pledging Conference on the Chernobyl Sarcophagus to be held in New York in November 1997.
A third resolution, on the safety of transport of radioactive materials, requested the IAEA to prepare for its Board of Governors a report on legally binding and non-binding international instruments and regulations concerning the safe transport of radioactive materials and their implementation.
A fourth resolution, on the Convention on Nuclear Safety, stressed the Agency's role as a driving force in nuclear safety through its programmes, and appealed to all States to sign and accede to the Convention.
Plan for Producing Potable Water Economically. The Conference underlined the urgent need for regional and international cooperation in helping to solve the serious problem of potable water shortages. It noted that seawater desalination using nuclear energy is technically feasible and in general cost effective, and requested the Agency to continue its work and consultations in this field with interested States and competent organizations.
Isotope Hydrology for Water Resources Management. The Conference requested the Agency to continue efforts directed towards fuller utilization of isotope techniques for water resources development and management in developing countries, including measures to control groundwater and surface water pollution; and to ensure that national and international organizations dealing directly with water resources management are fully informed of the role of isotope techniques.
IAEA Budget for 1998 and Target for Technical Co-operation Fund. The budget resolution approved expenditures in 1998 of about US $221.4million. The Conference further approved the target amount of US $71.5 million for voluntary contributions to the Agency's Technical Co-operation Fund in 1998.
Representation on the IAEA Board. In a resolution pertaining to Article 6 of the IAEA Statute, the Conference recognized there is a widely held view among Member States on the need to expand the size and composition of the Agency's Board of Governors and took note of progress achieved in this regard. It requested the Board to submit its report on a finalized formula for approval by the General Conference at its 42nd regular session next year.
Staffing of the IAEA Secretariat. Two resolutions were adopted. One requests the Director General to intensify efforts to increase the number of staff members from developing countries, particularly at senior and policy-making levels, as well as from Member States that are not represented or are under-represented in the Secretariat. The second resolution requests the Agency to pursue a target of equal representation of women at all levels of Agency employment, and it called upon the Director General to further integrate the Platform for Action developed at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women into the Agency's relevant policies and programme.
by US President Eisenhower at the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1953. Mr. Fischer assesses the main achievements and setbacks in the IAEA's history and what can be learned from them.
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