The IAEA’s 67th General Conference in Vienna

The 67th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference is being held from 25 to 29 September 2023 in Vienna. The delegation of Slovakia is being led by the Chairperson of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic (ÚJD SR) – Dr. Marta Žiaková. The Slovak delegation further consists of representatives of ÚJD SR, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic, Ministry of Health – Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic and the Permanent Mission of Slovakia to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna.

The IAEA Director General, R. M. Grossi, in his opening remarks underlined the important role of the IAEA in continuing and enhancing the vision of the “atoms for peace” as an important part of contribution towards international peace and security, as well as sustainable development. In the context of current developments, he touched upon, inter alia, the pivotal topics on the IAEA’s agenda, including the impact of the war in Ukraine (UA) on the nuclear safety, security and safeguarding of UA nuclear facilities; the growing interest in increasing nuclear power capacity in the context of climate goals through advanced technologies (including small modular reactors – SMRs); and recent progress in the IAEA´s flagship initiatives aimed at supporting Member States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The national statement of Slovakia in the general debate was delivered by the head of the Slovak delegation – Dr. Žiaková who informed about the recent developments in the Slovak nuclear energy programme in connection with the successful commissioning phase of Unit 3 of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant; the dominant position of nuclear energy in the Slovak energy mix and its key role in achieving the SDGs and Climate Plans. With regards to nuclear and radiation safety and security, the successful conduct of the IAEA´s peer review and advisory services missions to Slovakia was mentioned, namely the IRRS mission in September 2022, ORPAS mission in June/July 2022 and the ARTEMIS mission in February 2023. Slovakia´s strong commitment to nuclear and radiation safety, as well as its active engagement in SMR-related topics were also addressed. The remaining part of the national statement focused on the situation in UA in the context of nuclear safety, security and safeguards and the IAEA´s indispensable role in providing impartial assessment and informing the international community of the situation, in particular in relation to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In conclusion, Slovakia conveyed its strong support to the IAEA mandate and the technical cooperation programme.