JOINT STATEMENT OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE FRIENDS OF RENUAL DELIVERED BY MS. MONÉ DYE, COUNSELLOR, AT THE IAEA BOARD OF GOVERNORS, 19 NOVEMBER 2020, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Agenda Item 5: Any Other Business

Madam Chair,

We, the co-Chairs of the Friends of ReNuAL, Germany and South Africa would like to thank Member States for their strong support and commitment as well as their generous contributions to the ReNuAL project over the last number of years.

On September 3, 2020 the Director General provided Member States with a briefing on the comprehensive plans for the updating of the remaining laboratories, informally called ReNuAL 2. This final phase of the project will complete the “reset” of the Nuclear Applications Laboratories at Seibersdorf and fulfill the long-held vision of maintaining laboratories fit for purpose, equipped to respond to the needs of Member States now and well in to the future.

The three main elements of ReNuAL 2 will include:

1. The construction of a new building of a flexible modular design with the working name “FML2”;

2. The Refurbishment of the Dosimetry Laboratory wing of the existing building; and

3. The replacement of the greenhouses.

The total cost of the final project phase in Seibersdorf is estimated to be around 34,5 million Euros of which 9,7 million Euros have already been received.

It is expected that the Project will begin procurement for construction of the FML2 by mid-2021, inline with the target announced by the Director General. We hope to have raised 14,8 million Euros by that time, which will enable construction to begin.

We, the co-Chairs, express our firm intention to continue working with the Secretariat in the further refinement of the details of the project as well as in the determination of the resource requirements for each phase of the project.  

We are keenly aware that national budgets are under a great deal of strain due to the economic constraints brought on by the need to respond to the global pandemic, a situation likely to stretch into the future.

We realise that the timeline for the funding of the FML2 is ambitious and will rely on the continued generous support from as many Member States as possible.

In this regard, we thank the United States for its generous contribution of 5,2 million Euro – announced during the 64^th Session of the General Conference. This is a strong start that will enable ReNuAL2 to start as it will not only fund the refurbishment of the Dosimetry Laboratory, but the remaining 3 million Euros of that contribution will start the FML2 funding.

To date, 43 Member States from every region represented in the IAEA have provided extra budgetary contributions to ReNuAL - thus illustrating the global consensus behind this important project. We encourage all Member States, in a position to do so, to consider further timely contributions toward the completion of this essential project.

We also call on the the Secretariat to continue to build upon its already successful outreach to non-traditional partners for funding, including in procuring in kind contributions. In this regard we also continued to encourage the Secretariat to make full use of the UN Global Marketplace.

The successful completion of ReNuAL will contribute directly to the IAEA´s mandate to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, science and technology, which enables Member States to address socio-economic objectives and challenges.  The Nuclear Applications Laboratories at Seibersdorf is an important tool in this regard and must be maintained to ensure its continued usefulness.

The co-Chairs would also like to take this opportunity to inform the Friends of ReNuAL and Member States of the IAEA that we intend to convene the next meeting of the Friends of ReNuAL  before the March 2021 Board of Governors, where further updates will be provided.

Finally, Madam Chair, the co-Chairs would like to thank Director General Grossi, DDG Mokhtar and the Secretariat for their excellent work in guiding the development and implementation of this crucial project.

Thank you Madam Chair

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