IAEA Board of Governors
Agenda item 5c: The Safeguards Implementation Report for 2025
9 June 2026
Statement delivered by Dr Sarah Goodall, Alternate Representative of Australia to the IAEA
Chair,
Australia thanks the Director General for the 2025 Safeguards Implementation Report.
We commend the IAEA’s continued progress in cooperation with Member States on measures to strengthen the effectiveness and improve the efficiency of IAEA safeguards. Australia is proud to support these efforts with technical expertise and practical support, including through the Australian Safeguards Support Program which marked its 45th anniversary this year.
Chair,
We welcome the entry into force in 2025 of an Additional Protocol for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the bringing into force this year of a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement for Somalia and Guinea. We also commend those states that have amended their Small Quantities Protocols in line with the decision of the Board in 2005.
Australia continues to support the Agency’s work to encourage States to conclude new safeguards agreements or update existing agreements to modern verification standards. We call on all States that have not yet brought an Additional Protocol into force to do so. We also urge the remaining States with original text SQPs to amend or rescind them as soon as possible, noting that currently the Agency is unable to draw safeguards conclusions for these States.
Chair,
We note with grave concern that the Agency could not draw any safeguards conclusion regarding previously declared nuclear material at key nuclear facilities in Iran, including Iran’s stockpile of high enriched uranium. Australia commends the IAEA’s continued efforts to engage with Iran on safeguards implementation. We reiterate our call for Iran to immediately return to full compliance with its safeguards obligations and allow IAEA verification of all nuclear facilities and material in Iran.
We express our appreciation for the Agency’s in-field verification efforts in Ukraine, enabling it to draw the safeguards conclusion for Ukraine in 2025 despite the extremely challenging circumstances. We again call on Russia to cease its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, immediately withdraw all forces from Ukrainian territory, and return control of all Ukrainian nuclear facilities to the Ukrainian authorities.
Chair,
Australia welcomes the Department of Safeguards’ continued efforts towards gender parity, including in the professional and higher categories and for safeguards inspectors. As in previous years, we encourage the Agency to continue to accelerate these efforts.
We thank the Agency for the information provided on the Department of Safeguards’ utilisation of AI. We fully support the Agency’s use of AI to improve the efficiency of safeguards implementation in a responsible and secure manner. We also welcome the Department’s continuing action to protect the health and safety of its staff in the field.
We welcome the 50th anniversary of the Standing Advisory Group on Safeguards Implementation (SAGSI), the contribution it has made to the development of safeguards implementation, and the privilege of contributing Australian safeguards experts to that group.
Chair,
We note that as in previous years the SIR includes a section on naval nuclear propulsion. [This outlines the Agency’s ongoing consultations with Australia on the safeguards and verification approach for Australia’s NNP program, including an Article 14 arrangement.] The report again makes clear that the Agency’s engagement with States pursuing NNP programs is foreseen in the established legal framework and entirely within the Agency’s mandate. We thank the Director General for continuing to keep the Board apprised of relevant developments. As at previous Board meetings, an update on Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion program will be provided under Any Other Business.
And finally, Chair,
[We ask that the Safeguards Statement for 2025 as contained in GOV/2026/24 and the Background to the Safeguards Statement and Summary be made publicly available.]
Thank you Chair.