Intervention of the Cuban delegation to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. June 9-13, 2025.
Item 3: Strengthening the Agency's technical cooperation activities.
Mr. Chairman,
Cuba values the meritorious activity undertaken by the IAEA in the field of technical cooperation, which has an unquestionable relevance for the fulfillment of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, mainly for developing countries. In this regard, we highlight the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Program that took place in November 2024.
Technical cooperation as a fundamental pillar of the Agency allows, among other issues, to strengthen the access and participation of States to the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, especially of developing countries, ensuring, in turn, the principles of nuclear safety and safeguards.
Cuba has strengthened its participation in these activities and maintains a close relationship with the Division of Technical Cooperation for Latin America and the Caribbean, which has made possible the adequate implementation of our National Programmatic Framework, updated in September 2024.
My delegation recognizes the noble work of the Agency in the implementation of the Rays of Hope, Zodiac and recently Atomos4Food initiatives. Regarding the latter, we are pleased to be one of the first 25 countries to join. We also highlight the results in my country of Nutec-Plastic, which has a direct impact on marine monitoring and evaluation and on the recycling of plastics. It has also made it possible to strengthen the Center for Environmental Studies in Cienfuegos, an IAEA collaborating center, and to improve Cuba's participation in the training of other States, mainly those belonging to the Caribbean.
Cuba's progress in the implementation of its country program has been possible despite the severe limitations caused by the unjust and illegal application of an ironclad economic, commercial and financial blockade for more than six decades and the inclusion in the unjustified list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, measures that significantly affect the implementation of technical cooperation projects and hinder the work of the IAEA.
We reject the application of unilateral coercive measures, which limit the participation of developing States in technical cooperation activities promoted by the Agency and restrict their right to equal access to the use and benefit of nuclear energy.
Mr. Chairman:
Allow me to emphasize that, in the correct implementation of the Agency's Technical Cooperation Programs, compliance with the principles of geographic distribution, multilingualism and gender equality must be guaranteed. Therefore, we urge the Secretariat to continue to monitor these aspects and support for capacity building, resource distribution and the adaptation of the Technical Cooperation Program to the needs of the States.
Finally, we encourage the promotion of triangular cooperation projects and programs, aimed at improving the access of developing countries to more and better resources for the implementation of technical and scientific initiatives.
Thank you very much.