Klimat- och miljöminister Romina Pourmokhtaris tal vid IAEA:s 68:e generalkonferens
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Klimat- och miljöminister Romina Pourmokhtaris tal vid Internationella atomenergiorganets (IAEA) 68:e generalkonferens i Wien den 17 september 2024. Det talade ordet gäller.
Thank you, Mr President,
Let me congratulate you, Ambassador Ham Sang Wook, on your appointment as President of the General Conference. You can count on my delegation’s support. Sweden is aligned with the statement of the European Union. The following remarks are in my national capacity.
Mr President,
By 2045 Sweden is committed to have net zero emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Since decades Sweden has had a close to fossil-free electricy production, thanks to a large share of nuclear power and hydro power.
To meet a increased demand for fossil free electricity, the Swedish Government has launched several initiatives to enable the rapid expansion of nuclear power in Sweden.
These initiatives include the establishment of a Nuclear new-build coordinator to advise the Government in achieving a rapid new-build development, an inquiry to review the licensing process for new reactors, alterations in the Environmental Code to allow building of new reactors, and a strengthening of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority to effectively review and develop regulations and licensing processes for existing and new nuclear power.
The Government’s objective is to expand new nuclear power by at least 2 500 MW installed capacity by 2035 and a massive expansion beyond that.
The importance of nuclear power for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is recognized globally. At COP28, more than 20 countries launched the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy. The Declaration recognises the key role of nuclear energy in achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and keeping the 1.5-degree goal within reach.
We need to continue strengthening international collaboration to harness the potential of civil nuclear energy and triple nuclear energy globally – while ensuring the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. The IAEA plays a vital role in all these aspects.
Mr President,
Rapidly expanding nuclear power globally is a key tool to avert the climate crisis. To allow this, standardisation is necessary. Sweden welcomes the Director General’s Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative, with its possible implications for the development of SMRs.
Mr. President,
The Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to cause immense suffering. Russia is waging war against one nation, Ukraine, but it violates the rules of international law that underpins the security of all of us. These violations are further aggravated by the fact that Russia is a nuclear-weapon state, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a designated member of the IAEA Board.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, there have been countless breaches of the Agency’s seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security in armed conflict. The only sustainable way to end this situation is for Russia to implement the resolutions of the General Conference and the Board, return control of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities to the rightful owner and end its brutal war of aggression.
Mr. President,
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Sweden has contributed approximately 3.2 billion euros in various types of support to Ukraine. In May 2024, the Government approved a financial framework amounting to 6.5 billion euros during the period from 2024 to 2026. Funds allocated annually for nuclear safety and security cooperation with Ukraine have more than doubled since February 2022, and Sweden recently decided to contribute 47 million Euros to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Moreover, Sweden made an extrabudgetary contribution earlier this year of 1.7 million euros in support of the agency’s safety and security assistance missions in Ukraine.
Sweden, as co-lead of the Working Group for Radiation and Nuclear Safety within the framework of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, we welcome the understandings on nuclear safety and security that were reached at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held in June. We encourage all Member States to build on these to promote a just peace in accordance with international law. Mr President,
Sweden renews its call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fulfil its international commitments and undertake the complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme, and immediately cease all related activities, in accordance with United Nations Security Council and IAEA General Conference resolutions. Sweden remains committed to supporting a peaceful dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.
Mr President,
Iran’s escalating nuclear trajectory has led to a rapid deterioration of the situation and questions regarding Iran’s intentions. Meanwhile, since early 2021, Iran has limited the Agency’s verification authority to the bare minimum under its NPT safeguards agreement. Moreover, Iran has failed to provide technically credible explanations regarding the outstanding safeguards issues.
Sweden reiterates its call on Iran to reverse this dangerous course, to reengage diplomatically in a meaningful way and to provide the Agency with the verification authority it needs to verify the correctness and completeness of Iran’s declarations and draw soundly based safeguards conclusions. An indispensable step towards restoring confidence is the resumption of the Additional Protocol.
Sweden appreciates the Agency’s professional, impartial and objective verification in Iran, and has made a further extrabudgetary contribution of 2 million Swedish Kronor to support that work.
Mr President,
In the current, severely deteriorated security environment, it is more important than ever to protect the integrity of the international disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. This applies to the NPT where the Agency’s safeguards system plays an indispensable role in upholding global security. Sweden stresses that comprehensive safeguards agreements with additional protocols constitute the contemporary standard for IAEA safeguards pursuant to Article III of the NPT.
In Sweden’s view, it is important that States adopt an approach that highlights the interplay of nuclear safety and nuclear security, along with safeguards, in order to better reflect their commonalities, but also situations where safety and security consideration may be at conflict. Such an integrated approach to nuclear safety and security makes it possible to optimize the balance of measures to fulfil the common objective of protecting people and the environment. Sweden recognises the essential role that the IAEA plays and we are pleased to continue to contribute to the Agency’s activities in this area.
A system for the final disposal of spent fuel from nuclear reactors is now underway in Sweden. In recent years, the Swedish Government has granted licensing decisions for a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel, for a fuel encapsulation plant, as well as for an extension of the repository for low- and intermediate level waste.
Mr President,
Sweden welcomes the active cooperation on cancer treatment between the Agency and the Elekta company, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding during the Director General’s visit last year. We are pleased that a Swedish company can play a leading role in the Agency’s important work to contribute to Member States’ socio-economic development.
We welcome progress towards gender parity at the IAEA, and encourage the Agency to continue promoting the mainstreaming of gender into all its policies and organizational practises.
Mr. President,
Sweden fully supports the Agency’s work to enlarge the contribution of nuclear energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world, and we stande ready to do our part to make it happen.
Sweden is looking forward to an even more active collaboration with the Agency in the coming years. In Sweden’s view, nuclear power is of special importance as it offers humanity a glimpse of hope in a dire situation of escalating climate change. We must now pace up the expansion of nuclear power globally in order to achieve the climate goals.
In this transformation, the Agency has a fundamental role to play in keeping safety standards up to date, and in assisting interested Member States build the competence and necessary nuclear safety, security and safeguards infrastructures they need to adapt and utilize nuclear power for a fossil-free future.
Thank you Mr President!
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