Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Reza Najafi who has been recently appointed to chair the Group of 77 (G-77), as the largest Third World coalition in the United Nations, made the remark as part of the G-77 statement addressed to the Agency’s Board of Governors on Monday in Vienna.
“Member States are responsible to ensure the implementation of the highest nuclear safety standards, and the success of strengthening nuclear security requires full cooperation of all these countries,” Najafi said.
The Iranian ambassador also highlighted the role of the IAEA in coordinating international efforts and improving the level of nuclear safety across the world as well as providing technical assistance.
While stressing the significance of developing the culture of safety, Najafi said “many Member States, particularly the developing countries in the G-77, are calling on the Agency to assist them with their nuclear-safety related programs which includes specialized and technical education in the fields of nuclear security, radiotherapy and nuclear radiation management.
He also touched upon the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster caused by a tsunami in 2011, adding “the G-77 and China are of the opinion that the release of the IAEA’s reports and other related documents has a fundamental role on all levels for boosting nuclear safety in the world.”
The Group of 77 (G-77) was established on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries, including Iran, that were signatories of the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries" issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. The Group of 77 aims to provide the means for the developing world to promote its collective economic interests and enhance its joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues. Iran currently holds the chairmanship of the group for a one-year term.
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