Distinguished Co-Chairs, Excellencies,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina[1]  and Georgia, the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia, align themselves with this statement.

At the outset, let me thank the Co-Chairs, Finland and Ghana, as well as the IAEA Secretariat for laying the groundwork for this important conference in a most inclusive manner.

Your leadership has resulted in the consensual adoption of a Ministerial Declaration. It demonstrates a growing interest among IAEA Member States in the use of nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes, in accordance with their respective needs and priorities.

This Conference provides an excellent occasion for dialogue between countries, international organisations, and other stakeholders, including from the private sector and civil society. It will increase our collective awareness of the IAEA’s research and development capabilities, its Technical Cooperation Programme, and of the role of nuclear, science, technology and applications, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The rich programme and the many side events will help illustrate how radiation and nuclear applications can effectively tackle various development challenges and improve the quality of life and well-being in our societies.

In addition, the conference will, in our view, contribute to increased public awareness of the important work of the IAEA, enabling the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology, as set out in its mandate “Atoms for Peace and Development”.

Excellencies,

The EU is a leading global partner contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We remain committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in all our policies and in close partnership with other actors, with the aim to bridge the growing divide within and between developed and developing countries. The EU and its Member States are the largest donors of Official Development Assistance (ODA) on a global scale. Since 2021, the EU has been rolling out its Global Gateway strategy to meet global infrastructure development needs, notably in the areas of transport, energy, digitalisation, health and education. Between 2021 and 2027, Team Europe will mobilise up to €300 billion of investments for sustainable and high-quality projects, taking into account the needs of partner countries and ensuring lasting benefits for local communities. Following the successful adoption of the Pact for the Future, which we warmly welcome, the 2030 Agenda must remain a top priority in all UN bodies, also here in Vienna.

The EU recognises the significant contributions of radiation and nuclear technology applications to peace, health and prosperity worldwide, particularly in areas such as health and environmental protection, food security and safety, mitigation of the effects of climate change, water management and preservation of cultural heritage. All these areas are directly linked to the 2030 Agenda and the IAEA has an important role to play therein.

The EU reaffirms its longstanding commitment to and support for the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), as also reflected in the significant financial contributions of EU Member States to the TC fund. The IAEA is the main international body for transferring nuclear knowledge and technology to its Member States. Its activities play a pivotal role in helping Member States and particularly developing and least developed countries to address pressing development challenges and to achieve the SDGs. We stress that all TC activities should be needs-based and demand-driven and implemented in coordination with other UN bodies.

Distinguished Co-Chairs,

Promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women is an important horizontal priority for the EU in all multilateral fora. We recall that all UN Member States have committed to achieving gender equality in Sustainable Development Goal 5. The EU will continue to provide strong support to women and girls worldwide. We are proud to be the largest donor to the IAEA’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, to create a new generation of female leaders in nuclear science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We encourage the Secretariat to continue mainstreaming a gender perspective in all IAEA programmes and projects, in particular in all technical cooperation activities.

At this Ministerial Conference, we will present the research capabilities of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. They benefit also third countries. We are pleased to invite you to a side event, entitled “Bridging Continents for Equal Health: EU-South Africa Partnership in Advancing Targeted Alpha Therapy”, taking place on Thursday, 28 November at 13.00. The Joint Research Centre does not only support Europe's scientific and policy needs, but has built an impactful global network. In collaboration with the IAEA, the JRC promotes capacity building through hands-on training and symposiums and supplies at no cost medical radioisotopes of high value to benefit patients worldwide.

I thank you for your attention and wish all participants a successful conference.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.