PRESS RELEASE : First Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference – UK statement on Cluster 3 issues [August 2023]

Chair, sharing the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear technology is a success story of the NPT – albeit one that is often overshadowed.

In this review cycle, the United Kingdom is committed to expanding access to the benefits of peaceful uses, enabling more countries to benefit from nuclear technologies – particularly those that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Chair, the United Kingdom is a strong supporter of the IAEA’s work researching, developing and transferring peaceful nuclear technologies to its member states. The UK continues to contribute to the IAEA’s technical cooperation (TC) programme and the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI). In the last year we have contributed more than £5 million to projects, including modernising of the IAEA Nuclear Applications laboratories in Seibersdorf; supporting the Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowship Programme to encourage women into the nuclear sector, addressing marine plastic pollution; and enhancing the impact of climate change on water availability. We are supporting the Agency’s presence at the COP28 pavilion to demonstrate the contribution that nuclear technology can make to addressing global energy and climate needs.

Chair, despite these efforts, many actors, including development agencies, do not realise that nuclear technologies can be part of the solution to development and climate change challenges. To address this, the UK is proud to be part of a group of States Parties who have come together to create the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses, set out in a new working paper that the distinguished US Ambassador spoke about just now.

The facilitator of the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses, CRDF Global, has partnered with the Water Authority of Jordan, the Ministry of Heath of Ghana and is working with stakeholders in the Philippines to create 3 separate workshop series. We welcomed participants at our 2 events in Amman and Accra which demonstrated the value that bringing different stakeholders together can add – participants made new connections with counterparts, learned about the support the IAEA can provide and co-created potential further work that will contribute to addressing regional development challenges.

We are still in the first year of the Sustained Dialogue and we welcome more partners joining the initiative. We look forward to hosting further events later this year, including in Manila.

We are hosting a side event on the Sustained Dialogue tomorrow, 9 August, at 1:15pm in Room M7. A panel including national representatives, recent workshop participants and the IAEA will discuss how peaceful uses can contribute to delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Chair, Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine undermines public confidence in the peaceful use of nuclear technologies. Russia’s barbaric attacks on Ukraine’s civil infrastructure and its unprecedented and illegal control of the Zaporizhzia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is contrary to all international nuclear safety and security norms. We call again on Russia to immediately return control of ZNPP to the competent Ukrainian authorities, and to fully withdraw from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.

Chair, the UK respects and agrees with the science behind releasing treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi site and we trust the IAEA’s assessment that there will be a “negligible radiological impact on people and the environment”. We welcome the Japanese Government’s continued transparency and close cooperation with the IAEA on this matter to help prevent the spread of misinformation. Chair, we find ourselves in challenging times. Supporting the use of peaceful nuclear technologies and the benefits they provide has never been so necessary. We want to build momentum for concrete action under this pillar and ask States Parties for their support to the Sustained Dialogue for Peaceful Uses to improve and expand peaceful uses assistance.