Governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors at
the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, Vienna
4 March 2009
Agenda item 5: Appointment of the Director-General International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA)
Chairperson,
Thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts on the importance of
the election of the next Director-General of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA). Indeed this Board, like no other before, is faced with a
decision that will have a fundamental impact on, and shape the manner in which
the Agency will implement its mandate in the next decade and beyond.
Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei has led the Agency with great dignity, dedication and
professionalism. The next Director General will need to maintain the Agencyâs
impartiality and integrity and build upon its high standard to meet future
challenges and opportunities.
Chairperson,
It is opportune to recall that after the ruin of the Second World War and
the terrible demonstration of the destructive power of the atom, we
collectively resolved through the Charter of the United Nations not only to
save future generations from the scourge of war and destruction, but also to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. In this
regard, we have committed ourselves to, as elaborated in the Charter, employ
international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social
advancement of all people.
In this context President Eisenhower laid out his vision to finding the way
by which "the miraculous inventiveness of man shall not be dedicated to his
death, but consecrated to his life." Out of this vision the IAEA has developed
into the leading international organisation seeking to accelerate and enlarge
the contribution of nuclear energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout
the world, but without contributing to any military purpose.
Being conscious of why we were established we can in unison, and with
determination, take steps to proactively steer the Agency in a direction to
deal with challenges facing us without deviating from its "raison dâêtre".
Chairperson,
We need to recognise that the Agency is not an island, but is influenced by
our common objective to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. Nuclear
disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing processes
that require continuous and irreversible progress on both fronts.
However, I believe that the Agency is not a forum to conduct negotiations to
achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons, but rather plays a unique
complementary role as demonstrated by the Agencyâs role in verifying South
Africa's nuclear disarmament process.
Chairperson,
The Agency is again, as has happened in the past, faced with the reality
that the use of nuclear energy, especially for power generation, is being
seriously considered by Member States, and indeed some have already taken steps
to build new reactors. Every year the agency's membership is growing and more
demands are placed to also enlarge the contribution of nuclear energy to human
development.
I, therefore, firmly believe that the Agency will need to address the
challenges of ensuring the safe and secure use of nuclear energy, enhance its
crucial contribution to the improvement of living standards and the combating
of poverty, which will contribute to strengthen international peace and
security.
I further believe that the agency's safeguards system, which plays an essential
role in verifying that civil nuclear programmes remain peaceful, needs to be
strengthened even further. This system is indispensable to provide the
confidence that would enable States to enhance the contribution of nuclear
energy to health and prosperity.
The enhancement of safeguards as well as measures to ensure the safe and
secure use of nuclear energy needs to be constantly updated and adapted to
changing circumstances and the improvement and development of technology. An
important role of the Director-General is to proactively deal with these issues
and ensure that Member States have all the factual information necessary to
facilitate decisions that would guide the Director General and staff.
We cannot afford another Three-Mile Island or Chernobyl incident, nor can we
become complacent and reactive. We also need to recognise that knowledge
maintenance and competence building in nuclear sciences will remain of high
priority. All our efforts to develop relevant safety standards and nuclear law,
and to ensure their effective and broad application, will be futile if nuclear
education and training is not enhanced.
In this context, the Agency's Technical Co-operation programme remain
central to its activities and developing countries have largely benefited from
the agency's assistance and co-operation, thereby facilitating their
accelerated economic progress and their achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
A future Director-General would need to work to further enhance the work and
improve the efficiency of this programme.
Chairperson,
The Director-General of the Agency should be provided with adequate human
and financial resources to enable the Agency to perform its responsibilities in
an effective manner. We also need to consider and respond appropriately to the
challenges that will impact on the agency's ability to perform its
responsibilities.
We are all too well aware of the reality that resources are limited and
therefore we have to adapt to do more with less and use what we have in the
most efficient manner possible with the least number of personnel. The agency's
budget is driven by programmes that Member States have agreed are important to
pursue. Furthermore, increase in membership, focus on the role of nuclear
energy, including in power generation, will increase demands on the Agency with
regard to all its major programmes.
Although there are promising signals of more resources, the Agency would
continue to be faced with constraints on its financial resources. A zero real
growth budget would remain the desired objective and would need to be
implemented in a realistic manner taking into consideration the demands being
placed on the agency.
It remains of critical importance that the Agencyâs infrastructure,
including its verification infrastructure, should not be allowed to deteriorate
to the point where its complete collapse and subsequent replacement, would be
prohibitively expensive. It is in the interest of the agency's independence and
credibility that its laboratories function at an optimum level.
It remains important to continue to use resources in the most efficient
manner possible and where possible identify savings and actively pursue
efficiency gains, such as through the implementation of integrated safeguards
and the implementation of the Agency-wide Information System for Programme
Support (AIPS) and the International Public Accounting Standards (IPSAS).
As Director-General I would endeavour to facilitate a process to have a
renewed look at issues such as host country agreements to determine what
enhanced role the host government can play in facilitating our work here in
Vienna. Our working methodologies should be kept under review so as to keep
pace with changing circumstances and to enhance efficiency.
Furthermore, there needs to be increased internal co-ordination and synergies
between various departments and different programme managers to facilitate the
efficient use of resources, including those available to technical
co-operation.
It is incumbent upon all of us to promptly pay our assessed contributions,
including the voluntary contributions to the Technical Co-operation Fund and
those in arrears of their regular budget contributions need to be engaged to
implement payment plans to eradicate such arrears.
Although extra-budgetary contributions are welcome, it should be realised
that it is more desirable in the interest of good governance that the regular
budget be adapted to changing priorities rather than creating a reliance on
such funding.
Chairperson,
The agency's human resources are its most valuable asset. Weak and
demoralised staff will negatively affect the implementation of the major
programmes of the Agency and lead to a waste in scarce resources. The agency
invests significant amounts of resources to train specialists, especially in
relation to safeguards and other specialist areas. The Agency needs to ensure
that it obtain from these specialists the best and most sustainable
service.
It is important, in co-operation with the Staff Council, to address issues
affecting staff morale, such as the staff rotation policy, extensions, pay and
internal promotion. Although the Agency is for many not a life long career, it
is important that the Agency has a balanced approach in retaining core
competencies and ensure the continued and responsible turn over of staff.
The staff of the Agency must reflect its diverse membership and gender
balance. The Agency must also cater for staff members with special needs.
However, the overriding principle, in accordance with the Statute, is that
staff numbers should be kept to the minimum and this should continue to guide a
Director General in managing the Agency.
In conclusion,
There have been views expressed about the so-called "political" role of the
IAEA. Suffice to recall that although the Agency has a specific technical role,
it is also mandated to report to the United Nations Security Council. This
unique role differentiates it from other technical international organisations,
and therefore the Agency by its very nature has a political role. However, we
should take care neither to over-emphasise nor ignore this role.
Through an inclusive and consultative leadership, and given South Africaâs
unique experience related to nuclear issues, and our dedication to reach across
diverse groups, I will devote myself to forge a consensus on issues of
importance to the Agency.
I also believe that this experience would contribute to the vision of an
Agency that would transform to enlarge the contribution of nuclear energy in a
world where we move forward in unison, trust and confidence, to use atoms only
for peace.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
5 March 2009
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs (http://www.dfa.gov.za)
