Vietnam attends the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency

From 6 to 10 March 2023 in Vienna, Austria, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held its regular meeting, attended by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, the 35 member states of the Board, IAEA member states and international organisations as observers. The Vietnamese delegation was headed by Ambassador Nguyen Trung Kien, Governor and Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the IAEA, and included Major General Ha Van Cu, Commander of the Chemical Corps of the Ministry of National Defence and Director General of the National Action Centre for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), as well as representatives of the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security and specialised units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Over five working days, Ambassador Ivo Sramek, Head of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic and Chair of the IAEA Board of Governors, presided over an agenda focused on reviewing the IAEA Director General’s draft reports on nuclear security, nuclear safety and nuclear science and technology applications in 2022; the main trends and concerns of the international community, as well as the IAEA’s implementation priorities in these areas in 2023; and the implementation of safeguards agreements between the IAEA and certain countries such as Iran, Syria and the DPRK. In addition, in light of recent complex developments, this Board meeting also considered and discussed emerging issues such as the security and safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and the trilateral security partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (AUKUS). The meeting also discussed a number of IAEA personnel matters, including the appointment of the IAEA Director General for the 2023–2027 term.

Overview of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, March 2023

In his opening statement, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi outlined the IAEA’s key tasks in 2023, most notably the outcome of his working visit to Iran just ahead of the Board meeting concerning the implementation of obligations under the safeguards agreement and the prospects for resolving outstanding safeguards issues. Furthermore, in view of the increasingly complex developments on the ground around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine and the IAEA team of inspectors there, Director General Grossi affirmed that he would not be “deterred” by the difficulties and committed to continuing negotiations to establish a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the plant in order to prevent any nuclear accident that might result from military action. Director General Grossi also stressed that nuclear science applications would remain a focus of the IAEA, with particular attention to providing essential support to the people affected by the recent earthquake disaster in Türkiye and Syria.

The Vietnamese delegation delivers a statement at the meeting

During the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation actively took the floor and participated in discussions under many agenda items, contributing together with other Board members to the finalisation of the draft reports on nuclear security, nuclear safety and nuclear technology applications for 2023. Vietnam also reaffirmed its consistent policy of supporting all three main pillars of the IAEA, namely nuclear safety and security, safeguards, and the peaceful uses of atomic energy; highly appreciated the IAEA’s initiatives to promote the application of nuclear science and technology in civilian activities for peaceful purposes; affirmed its support for the central role of the IAEA, emphasised the responsibility of states and supported a balanced approach to ensuring nuclear safety and security; shared concerns over current complex security developments; and upheld the principles of dialogue and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

The Ministry of National Defence delegation at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting

On the sidelines of the meeting, the NACCET delegation will also hold working sessions with leaders and representatives of international organisations and important partners to promote cooperation in the peaceful application of nuclear technology, such as the IAEA Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, the IAEA nuclear laboratories at Seibersdorf (Austria), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO);…

The IAEA Board of Governors meets four times a year, in March, June, September and November. Vietnam was elected a member of the IAEA Board of Governors in September 2021 for the two-year term 2021–2023./.

VOV.vn