Statement by Minister Takehiro Kano at the IAEA Board of Governors Meeting starting on 6 March 2017
平成29年3月7日
Agenda Item 3: Strenghtening the Agency's activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications: Nuclear Technology Review 2017
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Japan acknowledges with satisfaction that tangible outcomes in peaceful uses of nuclear technology have been achieved through Director General Amano’s initiative “Atoms for Peace and Development.” Nuclear Technology Review (NTR) 2017 compiles technological developments and the latest data in both nuclear power and non-power applications, and we welcome the NTR as the useful document that helps the Member States enhance their understanding of nuclear science, technology and applications.
The adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement at the COP 21 have created momentum for tackling the global issues. The IAEA has the potential to further contribute to socio-economic development through the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear technology, and Japan continues to actively support the IAEA’s activities in this area.
Mr. Chair,
One example of good cooperation with the Agency is the new partnerships between universities and other research institutions in Japan and the IAEA. In 2016, four Japanese institutions including three universities and one research institution concluded new practical arrangements with the NA Department, in the areas of environmental monitoring, human health, and food and agriculture. We hope that these partnerships will enhance our collaboration with the Agency in these areas through promotion of joint R&D and capacity building activities.
Japan has provided continuous support to the Agency’s various activities mainly for capacity building through the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI). We have made over 26 million US dollars of PUI contribution in total. We will continue to provide our PUI support to the Agency so that the Agency can better assist Member States in their priorities for socio-economic development in both power and non-power areas.
As the latest contribution, we allocated 725 thousand US dollars to the NA-TC joint project called“Supporting the Preparation and Recovery of Civil Infrastructures in Case of Natural Disasters in Asia and the Pacific”last month. This project aims to transfer the techniques called Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to enhance the capacity for recovery and rehabilitation in the aftermath of natural disasters. The use of NDT in case of natural disasters is yet another reminder that nuclear technology can be utilized in broad areas to improve human safety and welfare. This support will contribute to the capacity building in Asia and Pacific region prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
Mr. Chair,
Japan believes that it is important for the Agency to strengthen its resource mobilization by building new partnerships with other development stakeholders, as its activities relate closely to the implementation of the SDGs, a shared goal of the broader international community. At the same time, it is also important for the Agency to improve its effectiveness and efficiency in utilizing limited available resources by enhancing inter-departmental coordination and results-based management.
In this regard, we welcome the establishment of “Partnership for Resource Mobilization and Coordination Committee” within the Secretariat to enhance its efforts for resource mobilization and one-house approach.
We also hope that the Secretariat will support the Member States set their national priorities more actively to help them achieve the SDGs and focus more on activities with greater impacts. In this respect, we are pleased that the Secretariat issued the draft Programme and Budget and other relevant documents which take into account the important linkage between the Agency’s activities and the SDGs. We will consider our involvement in and additional support for the Agency’s activities, fully taking into account their linkage with the attainment of the SDGs.
Mr. Chair,
Japan recognizes that the ReNuAL project plays an important role in the promotion of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in all Member States. We appreciate in particular the leadership role of co-chair of Friends of ReNuAL, Ambassadors of South Africa and Germany in terms of resource mobilization and awareness-raising. Japan thus far has allocated approximately 5 million US dollars to the ReNuAL project to support the project’s on-time completion. We believe that it is vitally important to complete the current ReNuAL project on schedule and within budget, namely, 31 million euro. We appreciate the latest progress report contained in the document GOV/INF/2017/1 and the technical briefing provided by the Secretariat. We will closely monitor the implementation of the project and would like to request the Secretariat to continue to report its progress to the Member States as appropriate.
With regard to the ReNuAL+, we note that it was confirmed at the last technical briefing that there is a clear distinction between ReNuAL and ReNuAL+ in terms of funding and implementation. For further development of the project, Japan emphasizes the importance of getting additional support from greater number of Member States, and also encourages the Secretariat’s further efforts in strengthening partnerships with various stakeholders including private entities.
With these comments, Japan takes note of the Agency’s NuclearTechnology Review 2017 contained in GOV/2017/2.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Japan acknowledges with satisfaction that tangible outcomes in peaceful uses of nuclear technology have been achieved through Director General Amano’s initiative “Atoms for Peace and Development.” Nuclear Technology Review (NTR) 2017 compiles technological developments and the latest data in both nuclear power and non-power applications, and we welcome the NTR as the useful document that helps the Member States enhance their understanding of nuclear science, technology and applications.
The adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement at the COP 21 have created momentum for tackling the global issues. The IAEA has the potential to further contribute to socio-economic development through the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear technology, and Japan continues to actively support the IAEA’s activities in this area.
Mr. Chair,
One example of good cooperation with the Agency is the new partnerships between universities and other research institutions in Japan and the IAEA. In 2016, four Japanese institutions including three universities and one research institution concluded new practical arrangements with the NA Department, in the areas of environmental monitoring, human health, and food and agriculture. We hope that these partnerships will enhance our collaboration with the Agency in these areas through promotion of joint R&D and capacity building activities.
Japan has provided continuous support to the Agency’s various activities mainly for capacity building through the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI). We have made over 26 million US dollars of PUI contribution in total. We will continue to provide our PUI support to the Agency so that the Agency can better assist Member States in their priorities for socio-economic development in both power and non-power areas.
As the latest contribution, we allocated 725 thousand US dollars to the NA-TC joint project called“Supporting the Preparation and Recovery of Civil Infrastructures in Case of Natural Disasters in Asia and the Pacific”last month. This project aims to transfer the techniques called Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to enhance the capacity for recovery and rehabilitation in the aftermath of natural disasters. The use of NDT in case of natural disasters is yet another reminder that nuclear technology can be utilized in broad areas to improve human safety and welfare. This support will contribute to the capacity building in Asia and Pacific region prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
Mr. Chair,
Japan believes that it is important for the Agency to strengthen its resource mobilization by building new partnerships with other development stakeholders, as its activities relate closely to the implementation of the SDGs, a shared goal of the broader international community. At the same time, it is also important for the Agency to improve its effectiveness and efficiency in utilizing limited available resources by enhancing inter-departmental coordination and results-based management.
In this regard, we welcome the establishment of “Partnership for Resource Mobilization and Coordination Committee” within the Secretariat to enhance its efforts for resource mobilization and one-house approach.
We also hope that the Secretariat will support the Member States set their national priorities more actively to help them achieve the SDGs and focus more on activities with greater impacts. In this respect, we are pleased that the Secretariat issued the draft Programme and Budget and other relevant documents which take into account the important linkage between the Agency’s activities and the SDGs. We will consider our involvement in and additional support for the Agency’s activities, fully taking into account their linkage with the attainment of the SDGs.
Mr. Chair,
Japan recognizes that the ReNuAL project plays an important role in the promotion of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in all Member States. We appreciate in particular the leadership role of co-chair of Friends of ReNuAL, Ambassadors of South Africa and Germany in terms of resource mobilization and awareness-raising. Japan thus far has allocated approximately 5 million US dollars to the ReNuAL project to support the project’s on-time completion. We believe that it is vitally important to complete the current ReNuAL project on schedule and within budget, namely, 31 million euro. We appreciate the latest progress report contained in the document GOV/INF/2017/1 and the technical briefing provided by the Secretariat. We will closely monitor the implementation of the project and would like to request the Secretariat to continue to report its progress to the Member States as appropriate.
With regard to the ReNuAL+, we note that it was confirmed at the last technical briefing that there is a clear distinction between ReNuAL and ReNuAL+ in terms of funding and implementation. For further development of the project, Japan emphasizes the importance of getting additional support from greater number of Member States, and also encourages the Secretariat’s further efforts in strengthening partnerships with various stakeholders including private entities.
With these comments, Japan takes note of the Agency’s NuclearTechnology Review 2017 contained in GOV/2017/2.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.