At the end of September
2017, South Africa concluded its one-year term at the
helm of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Board of Governors. South Africa's Permanent
Representative to the IAEA, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo,
was elected to serve as Chair of the Board for the
period October 2016 to the end of September 2017. South
Africa is one of the founding members of the IAEA.
The Board of Governors is the major policy-making organ
of the IAEA between its annual general conferences. It
is made up of 35 member states, with South Africa
serving as one of its designated members. The IAEA is a
multilateral body with the responsibility to promote the
safe and secure use of nuclear science and technology
for peace, security and development.
South Africa presided over the IAEA Board of Governors
at a time when the global peace and security environment
has been characterised by heightened tensions and
uncertainties. Although the conclusion of the historic
nuclear agreement in 2015 between the five permanent
members of the United Nations Security Council plus
Germany (P5 +1) promised to de-escalate tensions between
Western countries and Iran over its nuclear programme,
the unequivocal commitment of all signatories to its
effective implementation has become all the more
important. This is especially necessary given that the
IAEA has verified over the past year that Iran has
continued to implement its obligations under the
agreement.
Similarly, the instability on the Korean Peninsula and
concerns with the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea's (DPRK) nuclear programme has continued to be one
of the key topics on the agenda of the IAEA Board of
Governors during South Africa's tenure. In this regard,
South Africa joined the international community in
expressing concern at the DPRK's nuclear weapons
programme. Further, South Africa urged the DPRK and all
parties involved to refrain from any actions that would
further escalate tensions and exacerbate the volatile
situation in the region.
Other important achievements by the Board under South
Africa's leadership included the appointment of the
Director-General of the IAEA; the Medium Term Strategic
Framework, which is a five-year planning and guidance
document for the work of the IAEA; the Programme and
Budget and Technical Cooperation Fund Target, which will
enable the IAEA to support member states, especially
developing countries, in utilising nuclear science and
technology to meet their developmental needs; and the
Five-Year Nuclear Security Plan, which guides the IAEA's
role in coordinating international cooperation and
supporting member states to strengthen their respective
nuclear security regimes.
In discharging its mandate as Chairperson of the Board
of Governors, South Africa always sought to ensure that
the decisions taken by the Board were adopted by
consensus in order to create an opportunity for all IAEA
member states, from across all regions of the world, to
participate on an equal footing when deliberating on
matters of global significance. This principled approach
resonates with South Africa's call for the
transformation and reform of the global system of
governance and is at the core of South Africa's identity
as a nation.
Having successfully concluded its term as Chair of the
IAEA Board of Governors, South Africa remains convinced
now more than ever, that the IAEA has an important role
to play in global efforts to promote international
peace, security and development. It is in this context
that South Africa used its leadership of the Board to
promote a balanced approach in implementing the IAEA's
legal mandate in line with its motto "Atoms for Peace
and Development".
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,
Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has expressed South Africa's
appreciation to the IAEA Member States and the African
Continent in particular for entrusting the country to
lead the IAEA Board of Governors during the past year.
This, according to the Minister, "is yet another
demonstration of South Africa's commitment to
strengthening multilateralism, which is at the core of
our foreign policy and the basis for building a better
South Africa, a better Africa and a better world".
The Minister has congratulated Ambassador Seokolo and
the team in Vienna for their extraordinary work and
achievements during South Africa's Chairship of the
Board and conveyed that they had made South Africa
proud. |