IAEA Board of Governors
Agenda item 5: Nuclear Security Report 2024
10 September 2024
National statement by H.E Ambassador Ian Biggs, Governor and Resident Representative of Australia to the IAEA
Thank you Chair,
Australia aligns itself with the joint statement delivered by Kazakhstan on the International Conference on Nuclear Security 2024 and wishes to make the following statement in our national capacity.
Chair,
Australia acknowledges the important work performed by the IAEA under the Director General’s committed leadership on nuclear security and the Nuclear Security Report 2024 reaffirms its clear and long-standing mandate in strengthening nuclear security frameworks globally.
Chair,
The importance of nuclear security and the collective role of each Member State in advancing nuclear security has never been more imperative, and we commend the Agency’s work in facilitating regional and international efforts. This is evident in the Agency’s work regarding nuclear security in Ukraine, in response to Russia’s illegal, unjust and unprovoked invasion, including at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
Chair,
Australia is committed to strengthening international norms and legally binding instruments in the field of nuclear security. We recognise that the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), and its Amendment, are foundational to the laws and institutions that support strong and sustainable nuclear security around the world and urge Member States that have not yet done so to accede to the amended CPPNM.
Chair,
Australia remains an active member of the Nuclear Security Guidance Committee. The development of nuclear security guidance publications provides essential and comprehensive information to nuclear security authorities and practitioners globally.
We remain interested in innovative approaches to make the contributions of the NSGC even more impactful. In this regard, the 25th meeting of the NSGC saw a joint session with the Radiation Safety Standards and the Transport Safety Standards Committees. The fruitful discussions of the joint session highlighted
the growing interface between nuclear security and nuclear safety. We support further joint sessions of relevant committees to progress important discussions on these issues.
Chair,
Earlier this year, Australia hosted twenty countries and three UN agencies for an IAEA regional nuclear security workshop for Pacific and Indian Ocean Islands States. The event provided a forum to facilitate the sharing of information and good practices, as well as practical cooperation among Pacific and Indian Ocean Island States, the IAEA, and other international partners.
Australia also made a financial contribution to the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Fund to support the development of regulatory frameworks for radiation safety in the Pacific. This is in alignment with our continued commitment to outreach and capability development in our region.
Chair,
Central to capacity building and training is the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre (NSTDC). We welcome the opening of the NSTDC and look forward to supporting Member States by participating in the Centre’s training and knowledge sharing activities.
Finally Chair,
Australia continues to place great importance on the Incident and Trafficking Database. The Database is a valuable resource for the exchange of information on nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control. Australia encourages all Member States to actively share incident reports and lessons learnt through the ITDB.
With these comments, Australia takes note of the draft Nuclear Security Report 2024.