IAEA Board of Governors Meeting, Agenda Item 5: Nuclear and Radiation Safety
U.S. statement as delivered by Ambassador Jackie Wolcott
Vienna, Austria, September 14, 2020
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The United States takes this opportunity to thank the Director General and Secretariat for their preparation of the nuclear and radiation safety report and the revised Process for Sharing of Information as to States’ Implementation of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources and its Supplementary Guidance, as circulated to the Board of Governors in document GOV/2020/35. The revised Process for Sharing of Information will provide additional help for responsible national authorities to ensure that radioactive sources are used within an appropriate framework of radiation safety and security. Because the Code is well-accepted among Member States, it has been largely effective in its goals despite being non-legally-binding, and we are confident that the revisions to the Process for Sharing of Information as to States’ Implementation of the Code of Conduct will make it even more effective.
We would also like to take the opportunity to encourage the Secretariat to continue its many efforts to improve nuclear safety worldwide. Member States benefit from actively utilizing the Agency’s expertise through, for example, peer review services and technical advisory missions. We encourage our fellow Member States to publish the results of peer review missions in the interest of transparency and to help improve global nuclear safety. We also encourage the Secretariat to carefully consider Member State feedback, with a view to continually improving the quality and responsiveness of its activities, as part of conducting future missions.
Madam Chair, in order to optimize its support for Member States, we encourage the Secretariat to continue to improve its internal coordination, both within and across Departments. Taking steps to further improve coordination can maximize the investments of Member States and enable the Agency to broaden the reach of its services, further strengthening nuclear safety globally. We encourage the Secretariat to continue to explore opportunities to enhance its coordination processes, thereby further advancing transparency and strategic planning. We would also like to take this opportunity to underscore the importance of the Agency continuing to coordinate with Member States before initiating new activities. Increasingly scarce resources demand prioritization of activities in a way that maximizes the impact of Member States’ contributions.
Madam Chair,
With these remarks we take note of the nuclear and radiation safety report, and the revised process for states’ sharing of information under the Code of Conduct and its supplementary guidance.
Thank you.
