STATEMENT BY MR HUANG ZI, DELEGATE TO THE 77TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBY ON AGENDA ITEM 89, ON THE REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, PLENARY, 9 NOVEMBER 2022

Mr President,

1 Singapore commends IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi and his staff for their commitment in carrying out the Agency’s mandate in safeguards verification, advancing technical cooperation and capacity building, as well as fostering scientific research on and promoting the peaceful uses of atomic energy. 

2 Singapore fully supports the mandate and the work of the IAEA and is pleased to continue co-sponsoring the resolution “Report of the IAEA” this year.  The IAEA remains a reliable and important partner for the international community, and has delivered on its mandate despite the protracted disruptions caused by COVID-19 and against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions.  I would also like to take the opportunity to express Singapore’s appreciation for the indispensable role played by IAEA experts in ensuring nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. 

3 Allow me to make three brief points regarding the important work of the IAEA:

4 First, the IAEA lies at the center of the international non-proliferation regime, given its position as the sole competent authority responsible for verifying States’ fulfillment of nuclear safeguards obligations.  The IAEA has also been a trust-builder, an honest broker, and a substantive repository of technical knowledge.  Singapore calls on all States Parties to complement the IAEA’s work by honouring the obligations under their respective Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements with the Agency, and where applicable, the Additional Protocol. 

5 Second, the IAEA sets global standards for nuclear safety and security, and supports Member States in rigorously implementing them. Singapore welcomed the IAEA’s first Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission to Singapore in October 2022, and looks forward to further cooperation on our country programme framework 2021 to 2025.  

6 Singapore supports the IAEA’s efforts in refining and strengthening nuclear safety and security standards. We reiterate the importance of the IAEA’s Seven Pillars of Nuclear Safety and Security which Director-General Grossi outlined in March this year. Singapore is pleased to support the Supplementary Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources, and the Supplementary Guidance on the Management of Disused Radioactive Sources to the IAEA’s Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources.   We also look forward to the IAEA’s enhanced capacity to support States in these areas once the Agency’s Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre in Seibersdorf is completed.  Singapore supports the publication of the IAEA Nuclear Security Plan 2022 to 2025, as well as the IAEA’s efforts to address the interfaces between nuclear safety and security. 

7 Third, the IAEA plays a pivotal role in driving progress on nuclear scientific research and technologies.  Given the renewed global interest in harnessing nuclear energy, the establishment of the IAEA’s Agency-wide Platform on Small Modular Reactors and their Applications is an important step towards realising the potential benefits of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.  We are also heartened that the IAEA has leveraged its nuclear science expertise to contribute to the global fight against COVID-19 through its ZODIAC initiative, which will contribute to strengthening the preparedness and capabilities of Member States to rapidly detect and respond to future outbreaks of such zoonotic diseases. 

8 Singapore supports the inalienable right of all States Parties to the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in accordance with Article IV of the NPT. Singapore will press on with our efforts to contribute to the IAEA’s technical cooperation mandate through the Singapore-IAEA Third Country Training Programme, as well as the ASEAN-IAEA Practical Arrangements.  We will continue to support the IAEA in making IAEA capacity building and technical cooperation programmes available and accessible to developing countries, especially Small Island Developing States.   

9 As a member of the IAEA’s Board of Governors for 2022 to 2024, Singapore stands ready to work with Director-General Grossi and his staff to effectively discharge the Agency’s mandate.

10 I thank you, Mr President. 

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