IAEA Board of Governors
Agenda item 3: Strengthening of the Agency’s technical cooperation activities – Technical Cooperation Report for 2025
8 June 2026
Statement delivered by Mr Christian Deura, Alternate Representative of Australia to the IAEA
Thank you, Chair.
Australia commends the efforts of the Agency to promote the role of nuclear science and technology in addressing global challenges. The Technical Cooperation Programme remains central to supporting social and economic development, particularly in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, and we welcome the important work outlined in the Technical Cooperation Report.
Chair,
Australia remains a strong and consistent supporter of the Technical Cooperation Programme. In 2025, Australia provided over EUR 1,188,000 in extra-budgetary and in-kind contributions, reflecting our ongoing commitment to strengthening capacity, partnerships, and practical outcomes across our region.
We continue to place particular emphasis on the Asia-Pacific, where the Technical Cooperation Programme plays a vital role. In doing so, we underline the importance of ensuring that resources are directed in a manner consistent with the programme’s mandate and intended purpose, primarily to support those countries with the greatest development needs. We also stress that the overall impact of the Programme is shaped not only by the quality of individual projects, but by careful consideration of their distribution and delivery. Against this backdrop, it is important to maintain broad and balanced geographic distribution of TC activities, so that the benefits of Technical Cooperation are shared widely.
Chair,
Australia was pleased to host an international training workshop on isotope hydrology at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights facility in March 2026, delivered under the IAEA Subregional Approach to the Pacific Islands (SAPI) programme through the regional Technical Cooperation project. The workshop brought together water resource practitioners and experts from across the Pacific and partner organisations, including participants from several Small Island Developing States. It strengthened national capacities to apply isotope hydrology techniques to better understand and manage groundwater, surface water, and coastal aquifer systems, critical for water security and climate resilience in the region. Through a combination of technical lectures, laboratory demonstrations and field-based training, participants developed practical skills in isotope sampling, monitoring and data interpretation, while also strengthening regional collaboration and networks.
Chair,
Australia also welcomes the designation of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as an IAEA Rays of Hope Anchor Centre in 2025. This development highlights Australia’s leadership in cancer care and reinforces our commitment to supporting capacity building, training, and knowledge sharing across the region.
Chair,
In 2025, 39 Member States and territories in the Asia and the Pacific region, including seven Least Developed Countries, participated in the Technical Cooperation programme. By the end of 2025, a total of 232 national projects and 56 regional projects were active.
We look forward to continuing to work closely with Member States in our region and beyond to further promote the positive impact of nuclear science and technology.
With these remarks, Australia takes note of the Technical Cooperation Report for 2025.
Thank you, Chair.