STATEMENT BY MISS LIM PEI SHAN DELEGATE TO THE 68th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON AGENDA ITEM 88 REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY 5 NOV 2013

1          Thank you Mr President.

2          Singapore thanks the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the IAEA’s comprehensive annual report.  Singapore has consistently supported the three pillars of the IAEA’s work – safety and security; science and technology; and safeguards and verification. 

Mr President,

3          Singapore is committed to all global non-proliferation efforts.  We note the productive and constructive meeting between IAEA Director General, Yukiya Amano, and Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, on 28 and 29 October 2013 in Vienna. We hope that the follow-up meeting between Iran and the IAEA on 11 November 2013 will yield genuine progress.  While Singapore supports the right of all sovereign states to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, this must be in accordance with the provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).  We therefore urge Iran to comply with its obligations under the NPT, relevant United Nations Security Council and IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and assure the international community that its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes.  We also call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to refrain from further violations of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, to return to the NPT regime and resume its cooperation with the IAEA.

4          It is regrettable that three states remain outside the NPT.  Singapore urges all states that have yet to accede to the NPT to do so without delay.

Mr President,

5          While there has been much emphasis on non-proliferation, we must not forget that disarmament is one of the three pillars of the NPT.  The goal of global nuclear disarmament will remain elusive if Nuclear-Weapon States do not take concrete steps to implement Article VI of the NPT.  Nuclear-Weapon States need to take the lead in reducing their nuclear arsenals in a transparent and verifiable manner, and ending qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons.  It is crucial for concrete progress to be made in nuclear disarmament in the lead up to the 2015 NPT Review Conference. 

6          As we work towards complete nuclear disarmament, Singapore strongly supports the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones as a confidence-building measure.  Within our region, we seek to preserve Southeast Asia as a zone free of nuclear weapons.  We therefore call on the Nuclear-Weapon States to accede to the Protocol of the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone Treaty, as early as possible, without reservations.  Singapore also hopes that the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and all other Weapons of Mass Destruction will be convened without further delay.

Mr President,

7          We acknowledge the IAEA’s ongoing efforts to work with Member States on the implementation of the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety post-Fukushima.  An Emergency Preparedness and Response Expert Group (EPREG) was also established early this year.  Singapore is pleased to contribute to this Group.  Such efforts will help the international community to be better prepared should another emergency occur.

8       We encourage the IAEA’s cooperation with regional organisations to promote the IAEA’s standards on nuclear safety and security.  Singapore welcomes recent developments regarding the establishment of the ASEAN Network of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies or Relevant Authorities, or ASEANTOM. This initiative by Thailand aims to enhance regulatory cooperation to promote greater nuclear safety, security and safeguards within the ASEAN Community.  With Brunei Darussalam’s recent membership of the IAEA in September 2013, all ten ASEAN countries are now members of the IAEA.  We hope that this will open the door to closer future cooperation between the IAEA and ASEAN.

9          We also welcome the IAEA’s contributions in tackling global problems such as food security, water and energy shortages, health and climate change.  These are the tangible benefits of the IAEA’s work in promoting the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology.  One key example is the contribution of the IAEA’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre in addressing the growing problem of ocean acidification.

10        In conclusion, I reaffirm Singapore’s continuing support of the Agency’s work.  We will continue working with the IAEA to promote capacity building, particularly amongst developing countries.  We are pleased to co-sponsor the draft resolution on the Report of the IAEA.  

11        Thank you, Mr President.

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