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13. September 2022

JOINT STATEMENT DELIVERED BY AMBASSADOR RAPULANE MOLEKANE, GOVERNOR/RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, AT THE IAEA BOARD OF GOVERNORS, 13 SEPTEMBER 2022, VIENNA, AUSTRIA 

AGENDA ITEM 6: STRENGTHENING THE AGENCY'S ACTIVITIES RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS

ReNuAL/ReNuAL 2

Chair,

I have the honour to address the Board of Governors on behalf of the Co-Chairs of the Friends of ReNuAL, South Africa and Germany.

The Nuclear Applications Laboratories remain central in helping fulfil the Agency’s peaceful uses mandate and continue to support Member States with training, services, and applied research to address challenges in food and agriculture, human health, environmental management, and the use of nuclear instrumentation.

Since unanimously acknowledging that the Seibersdorf laboratory facilities were in need of renovations and modernisation, thus, launching the ReNuAL project in 2014; we are proud that through the generous extrabudgetary and in-kind support from Member States and others, the ReNuAL project has delivered:

  • A new Insect Pest Control Laboratory building; 
  • The Dosimetry Laboratory’s new medical linear accelerator facility;
  • The Yukiya Amano Laboratories building; and
  • A new energy centre and other site infrastructure upgrades.

We, therefore, thank DDG Mokhtar and the ReNuAL project team for the comprehensive informal technical briefing presented to Member States on September 6 providing an important review and updates on the project budget, timelines and resource requirements for ReNuAL 2.

The project has greatly enhanced the capabilities of the Laboratories in Seibersdorf to help Member States meet their development needs through nuclear science and technology, whether it be to address climate change, transboundary and zoonotic diseases, cancer control, or other key development challenges in the frame of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and as Co-Chairs, we express our appreciation to the 28 Member States that have pledged approximately €20 million to ReNuAL2 so far - reflecting the importance they attach to the laboratories and the modernisation effort.  We also acknowledge and welcome the project team’s efforts to manage costs in the context of a challenging construction market and for indications that the project may soon be in a position to move forward with construction. 

ReNuAL2 is the final phase of this initiative and includes three critically needed elements: construction of a new laboratory building; refurbishment of the Dosimetry Laboratory, and replacement of the laboratories’ ageing greenhouses, all of which are particularly relevant to addressing major current challenges including climate smart agriculture, food insecurity, and environmental management.

Chair,

The Co-chairs of the Friends of ReNuAL stand ready to help mobilise the remaining financial resources needed to complete the project, with a view of realising the ReNuAL vision by the end of 2024.  In this regard, we call on all Member States in a position to do so, to continue efforts to help us mobilise these resources and to consider an early contribution, in particular, the € 5.5 M still needed for the new greenhouses.

There remain a few empty spaces on the ReNuAL 2 donor display, presenting an opportunity to have your country plaque included there for all to see when they visit the future new laboratories building in Seibersdorf and if you haven’t visited the Nuclear Applications laboratories in Seibersdorf recently, I strongly encourage you to do so, particularly as the Laboratories turn 60 this year.

In closing, we invite Member States to join the September 26 ReNuAL 2 side event on the margins of the General Conference, where new contributors will be honoured with a plaque on the donor display.

Thank you, Mr. Chair

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