Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you Chair
At this Prepcom, my delegation has already made clear New Zealand’s call for strengthened implementation of the NPT’s nuclear disarmament obligation, and our expectation of compliance with the Treaty’s non-proliferation obligations by all State Parties.
We wish to associate ourselves with Ireland’s remarks on transparency and accountability heard just now, and will speak to these matters in the next part of the Agenda. Review of Pillar 3, on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, also presents States Parties with an opportunity for reinforcing the Treaty.
The applications of nuclear technology are certainly many and varied and New Zealand acknowledges the value of the benefits of peaceful nuclear technology. These activities must continue to be underpinned by the international safeguards system managed by the IAEA and by the broader non-proliferation regime.
Where nuclear power is used, it is critical that it is governed by the highest possible safety and security standards. This applies equally to existing nuclear power plants and to innovative reactor designs such as small and medium-sized modular reactors and transportable nuclear power plants. It also applies to the safe and secure transport of nuclear and radioactive-related material by sea, which is of high importance to New Zealand as a coastal state.
Chair,
The security of radioactive material is just as fundamental for the peaceful use of nuclear technology as other wider safety aspects. New Zealand remains committed to strengthening international security standards, including through our participation in ICONS 2024 and our endorsement of the Joint Statement of the Co-Presidents of that Conference.
All State Parties to the NPT are obliged to secure nuclear and radioactive material. –This extends even to those like New Zealand that possess only small quantities of this material. New Zealand wishes to emphasise the important contribution multilateral export control regimes make to international peace and security in this regard, as well as facilitating legitimate trade and international cooperation.
Chair,
In the context of discussion of nuclear safety and security issues, it is impossible to overlook the unprecedented threat posed by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and its continued illegal occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. New Zealand again calls for the strict observance by all parties of the five concrete principles for the protection of the plant, set out by the Director General of the IAEA, as well as the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security in armed conflict. We again call on Russia to cease its occupation of ZNPP and withdraw immediately from Ukraine’s territory.
New Zealand commends the IAEA’s ongoing role in monitoring the situation at Zaporizhzhia. We also commend the Agency’s science-based monitoring of the discharge of ALPS-treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. As the international authority on nuclear safety matters, we continue to have full confidence in the IAEA’s independent advice and assessments that the release of the treated water is consistent with international safety standards. We welcome the IAEA’s on-going monitoring role at Fukushima and its commitment to the provision of real-time information regarding the release. We also encourage Japan and the IAEA to continue engagement with all stakeholders, including in the Pacific region, as the discharges continue.
Finally Chair, I would like to refer to New Zealand’s membership of the Vienna Group of Ten and register our support for its working paper number 11, which covers the so-called ‘Vienna issues’. It includes recommendations, inter alia, on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, nuclear safety and security, which we draw to Delegates’ attention.
Thank you Chair.