Mr President, Mr Secretary-General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
"The best way to predict the future is to build it." It's a truth worth keeping in mind, especially when political divisions, climate change, war, hunger and disease seem to overshadow our efforts.
We have the tools to deal with these challenges. We have the knowledge, the technology, the funding, the diplomacy and strong international institutions.
The IAEA serves its 180 Member States with life-saving and life-affirming nuclear science and technology tools. These directly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Health comes first. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we sprang into action, using our equipment and expertise to provide fast and reliable testing against COVID using portable RT-PCR, or "labs in a suitcase".
We launched what has become the largest emergency operation in IAEA history in nearly 130 countries. In doing so, we reached tens of millions of people. For some countries, these kits were the first, and sometimes only, equipment available to them to conduct reliable testing against COVID-19.
Building on this and previous experience in supporting the fight against Ebola, avian flu and Zika virus, we launched the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) in the same year. Under ZODIAC, we trained people from more than 95 countries in the fight against zoonotic diseases. Laboratories in developing countries received equipment for serology and molecular diagnostics or genetic sequencing. Many of these laboratories are now being used in the fight against Mpox.
The IAEA has more than six decades of experience in radiotherapy and medical imaging. But the cancer crisis is hitting low- and middle-income countries particularly hard at the moment, and I am committed to working with our Member States to make a greater impact. That is why, at the African Union Summit in February 2022, with the strong support of the World Health Organization (WHO), we launched the Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All project. It is in Africa that the cancer care gap is most striking: more than 20 African countries do not have a single radiotherapy machine. So far, 86 countries have approached the IAEA for support under the Rays of Hope programme and concrete actions have been initiated in more than 30 countries.
As part of our new initiative NUTEC: NUclear TEchnology for Controlling Plastic Pollution, 86 countries around the world are involved in monitoring microplastics in the seas using nuclear and isotopic methods. This will help them put in place better-informed policies to combat plastic pollution that threatens the ocean, its plants and animals, and therefore the communities that depend on them for their livelihoods. Some 39 countries are involved in recycling plastics using radiation technology, four of which are moving towards establishing pilot-scale facilities. This will enable them to reduce plastic waste and move towards a circular economy. The global marine monitoring network continues to grow, with 99 countries now benefiting from capacity building efforts.
In October 2023, the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the Atoms4Food project. It offers tailored approaches to food and agriculture, which has been the area of support most sought by our Member States for many years. Atoms4Foods supports countries in using innovative nuclear techniques to increase agricultural productivity, reduce food losses, ensure food security, improve nutrition and adapt to the challenges of climate change. This supports farmers and the fight against deadly malnutrition.
Without energy there is no development. Nuclear power provides about a quarter of the world's low-carbon electricity. Much more is needed if we are to meet the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. In the first-ever global assessment, agreed at last year's COP28 conference in Dubai, signatory countries to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change called for the accelerated deployment of low-carbon energy technologies, including nuclear power. Yesterday's adoption of the Pact for the Future in Action 26 reaffirmed the inalienable right of all countries to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination, in accordance with their respective commitments.
Currently, in addition to the 415 nuclear reactors operating in 31 countries, 62 reactors are under construction in 15 countries, mostly in Asia. The IAEA assists countries, many of which are developing, either to expand their civil nuclear programmes or to start them safely. We are working with industry and regulators on small modular reactors (SMRs) that will make the cost of entry into the nuclear power club more affordable.
The IAEA also plays an important role in maintaining international peace and security.
Under the mandate of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), we conduct nuclear arms control and ensure that the increased amount of nuclear material worldwide does not lead to the clandestine proliferation of nuclear weapons. There is material for thousands of nuclear warheads around the world. Thanks to a robust international safeguards regime and our inspection system, which did not stop even during the COVID pandemic, the number of nuclear weapons in the world is much smaller than feared before the IAEA was established and the NPT came into force.
The IAEA assists states in creating and implementing nuclear-weapon-free zones, which already cover large areas of the world. These are important steps towards a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Our work in Iran, Syria, other countries in the Middle East and on various continents contributes to international stability through nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear technology.
Since February 2022, a large-scale conventional conflict has been raging in a country with an extensive civilian nuclear programme. Ukraine used to generate more than half of its electricity from nuclear power plants. Since the early months of the war, the IAEA has focused on helping Ukraine prevent a radiological or nuclear accident that could have a serious cross-border impact. Today, the IAEA has advisory and assistance missions stationed at all five of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, including Zaporozhye, which is right on the front line. After months of deliberations and consultations, on 30 May 2023, I outlined five concrete principles to help ensure the nuclear safety and security of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant at the UN Security Council. It received strong support from Council members.
The IAEA continues to monitor the safe discharge of water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and is engaged in consultations with neighbouring and coastal countries that have a strong interest in the process. Our independent analyses and published data on the discharges offer facts that dispel misunderstandings and fears about the process.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I firmly believe in supporting the ability of everyone, regardless of gender, to fully benefit from and contribute to the work of the IAEA.
Conviction requires action. When I took office as Director General of the IAEA five years ago, one of my first steps was to set the goal of achieving gender equality by 2025 and to put in place policies to achieve a more diverse workforce.
Five years ago, women made up less than 30 % in the agency. Today, their share exceeds 48 %.
Recognising the need to continue to help future generations, I also launched the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) in 2020. This promotes diversity as well as scientific and technological innovation by supporting women in nuclear careers. Since its launch, hundreds of women from more than 120 countries have been awarded scholarships with generous contributions. They have studied in more than 70 countries and have also taken advantage of internship opportunities in many areas of the field. Our follow-up programme, named after scientist Lisa Meitner, enables early and mid-career people to develop their careers through opportunities such as site visits.
The IAEA is a key multilateral actor involved in the implementation of the Pact for the Future. Thank you.
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