NON-PROLIFERATION, NUCLEAR SAFETY VITAL I"A TASKS, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS AGENCY'S GENERAL CONFERENCE
Press Release
SG/SM/6708
IAEA/1325
NON-PROLIFERATION, NUCLEAR SAFETY VITAL IAEA TASKS, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS AGENCY'S GENERAL CONFERENCE
19980921 The following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's message to the 42nd regular session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), delivered today on his behalf by Pino Arlacchi, Director-General, United Nations Office at Vienna:It is my pleasure to send greetings to the 42nd regular session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA continues to play a central role in meeting the challenges of our times. Its mandates and tasks remain vital for maintaining world peace, for preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and for ensuring the peaceful and safe use of nuclear technology for sustainable development. Your efforts will have a direct bearing on international peace and prosperity.
This session of the General Conference takes place against the backdrop of a most regrettable setback in hitherto successful global efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Lest we have forgotten, or have become complacent on account of notable achievements, this setback is a powerful reminder that the genie cannot be put back in the bottle, that we must focus on the driving forces behind the acquisition of nuclear weapons, that we must work not only on weapons capabilities, but equally on real and perceived insecurities. We must also reaffirm our course of action: no nuclear tests; no new weaponization or deployment of nuclear weapons; a working system of global and regional security; and nuclear disarmament at the earliest possible date.
Against that background looms large the relevance of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, accompanied by credible IAEA safeguards and verifications. I welcome the significant progress made in strengthening the safeguards system through the Additional Protocols to existing safeguards agreements. It is encouraging that Additional Protocols have been concluded or are being finalized by several countries, and I urge all Member States to do so.
An essential complement to the Non-Proliferation Treaty is the landmark agreement on the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). I reiterate my call to
- - Press Release SG/SM 6708 IAEA/1325 21 September 1998
all countries to sign and ratify the CTBT, and I welcome the steady progress being made by the provisional technical secretariat of the preparatory commission for the CTBT Organization (CTBTO) in fully assuming its tasks.
Substantial improvements have also been made with respect to another central concern: nuclear safety. We cannot afford to neglect the tragic lessons of the Chernobyl disaster, and must ensure that every State conducting nuclear activities has a sound regulatory infrastructure and that every nuclear operator is implementing "best practice" safety culture. I am pleased to note that you will, at this session, address further measures to strengthen international cooperation in nuclear, radiation and waste safety, as well as safety of transport of radioactive materials.
An aspect of safety that has acquired great urgency of late is the illicit trafficking in nuclear materials by criminal elements, who ruthlessly exploit globalization and technological advances. With the valuable assistance of the IAEA, the international community must address this very real threat.
This is all the more important because the fully safeguarded transfer of nuclear technology is an essential element in the use of nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes and sustainable development. In this regard, the Agency's technical cooperation programme for developing countries should be strengthened, since nuclear technology has the potential to make substantial contributions in areas as varied as the eradication of pests in Africa, geothermal energy development in Latin America, child nutrition in Asia and water resource management in the Middle East. These "nuclear" activities should be given the full attention they deserve.
IAEA also has a role to play in encouraging the involvement of civil society in international affairs. Civil society has claimed, legitimately, a greater stake in global issues, both operationally and at the policy level. We need to bring all United Nations organizations closer to the people for whom they were founded. Indeed, our fundamental strength should be the support of the general public.
You have a long and complex agenda. I look forward to cooperating closely with the IAEA on the range of issues before you as together we pursue the goal of a safe and prosperous world for all of humanity. Please accept my best wishes for a successful conference.
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