STATEMENT DELIVERED BY THE CHAIR OF THE AFRICAN GROUP, AMBASSADOR TEBOGO SEOKOLO, GOVERNOR/RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTH AFRICA TO THE IAEA, BOARD OF GOVERNORS, 7-11 SEPTEMBER 2015, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

AGENDA ITEM 6: TECHNICAL COOPERATION

(A) CURRENT APPLICATION OF THE DUE ACCOUNT MECHANISM AND PROPOSED GUIDELINES FOR ITS APPLICATION AS OF 2016-2017

Madame Chairperson,

I have the honor to make the following comments on behalf of the African Group. 

The African Group takes note of the Report by the Director General on “Current Application of the Due Account Mechanism and Proposed Guidelines for its Applications as of 2016-2017’ as contained in the document Gov/2015/10.

The African Group recalls its strong position that the promotional activities of the agency, delivered through Technical Cooperation, are the main statuary functions of the Agency. The Group recalls its strong conviction that the funding of the Technical Cooperation Programme and activities need to be sufficient, assured and predictable.

The African region remains a region with great developmental needs, as well as the region with the largest number of Member states receiving Technical Cooperation due to its wide membership.

Madame Chairperson,

The African Group notes that the current and the proposed guidelines concerning the application of the due account mechanism as contained in the document Gov/2015/10 indicate that Least Developed Countries LDCs are not subject to reduction in their TC projects, nor to limitations in their participation in the Agency’s TC Programme.

The Group wishes to acknowledge, however, that as of the latest available data on the contributions to the Technical Cooperation Fund in 2014, provided through the supplement of the Technical Cooperation Report for 2014, as contained in the document GOV/2015/24, eight African States who are listed as LDC’s have contributed 100% of their target shares of the Technical Cooperation Fund. The vast majority of the African states members of the Agency that are not listed as LDC’s have also contributed 100% of their target share.

This information is an actual confirmation of the African Group of its commitment towards enhancing the Technical Cooperation activities of the agency, and of its strong ownership of the Technical Cooperation projects.

The Group urges all member states to express their commitments towards maintaining and strengthening the Technical Cooperation activities of the Agency through contributing their target share of the Technical Cooperation Fund.

In this Regard, the African Group also acknowledges the leading example of the AFRA Fund, to which African Member States, in the framework of The African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology-AFRA provide contributions in order to effectively self-finance the implementation of the unfunded footnote-a projects approved for implementation. 

Madame Chairperson,

The Director General’s Report states, with regard to the Proposed Guidelines for the Future Application of the Due Account Mechanism, that “a member state categorized as poor or very poor contributor as a result of conditions or events that are beyond its control may be allowed to participate in regional TC projects”.  The Group is of the position that a member state categorized as poor or very poor contributor as a result of conditions or events that are beyond its control will not have its national program affected.

Thank you Madame Chairperson.

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