UNIS/SGSM/1350
25 September 2023
It is a pleasure to send greetings to everyone participating in the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In these times of turmoil and tension, the IAEA’s role as a bulwark against nuclear proliferation and a driver of international cooperation for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is more critical than ever.
In Ukraine, the war continues to pose grave risk to the safety and security of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. I fully support the IAEA’s five principles for protecting the Zaporizhzhya plant, and I applaud the courageous service of IAEA personnel stationed at the plant. The United Nations will continue to do all it can to ensure the safe rotation of experts operating there and at other nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
In Iran, the IAEA continues its essential role in impartially and expertly monitoring the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, while seeking sustainable solutions to the outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. The JCPOA remains vital to the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, and to regional and international security.
Across the world, the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme supports over 140 Member States – demonstrating how nuclear science and technology can improve lives and catalyze progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The IAEA is an indispensable partner in our collective efforts to secure a better future for all – from fighting diseases and improving food, water and energy security, to mitigating and adapting to climate change and preventing the next pandemic.
I look forward to deepening our cooperation on all these fronts, and I wish you a successful General Conference.
* *** *
"This year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities reminds us that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires living up to the promise to leave no one behind, especially the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide." — António Guterres
"World AIDS Day arrives at a defining moment.AIDS-related deaths have fallen by almost 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and new HIV infections are at the lowest point since the 1980s." — António Guterres
"The Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare is a solemn occasion to pay tribute to those killed or injured by these horrific weapons." — António Guterres
Addressing crimes that affect the environment is key to mitigating and adapting to climate change, highlighted the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at the start of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP 28).
