Statement by Armando Rodríguez Batista, Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment of the Republic of Cuba, to the plenary session of the 69th General Conference of the IAEA
Mr. President,
The Cuban delegation congratulates you on your election to chair this session of the 69th General Conference of the IAEA, as well as the other members of the Bureau, and reaffirms our continued willingness to contribute to the success of this Conference.
Mr. Chairman,
In a world beset by converging crises, where global military spending exceeds $2.7 trillion, we denounce the prioritization of nuclear weapons over sustainable development and reiterate Cuba's commitment to transparent, verifiable, and irreversible nuclear disarmament.
We reaffirm the importance of the IAEA's work as guarantor of the nuclear non-proliferation regime under the NPT and reject actions that undermine the credibility of the agency's global verification system.
In this regard, Cuba has expressed its strongest condemnation of the bombing by Israel and the United States of nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran last June, which violated the international nuclear security regime and the IAEA's rules and safeguards, as well as constituting a serious violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
In an international context marked by multidimensional crises and growing polarization, strengthening multilateralism and cooperation is essential.
We reaffirm the importance of strengthening the work of the agency in three main areas: the successful establishment of strategic partnerships with specialized agencies that help it meet its objectives for the development and peaceful use of nuclear technologies in accordance with the 2030 Goals; prioritizing technical cooperation over geopolitics, expanding regional agreements such as ARCAL (which has been contributing to Latin America and the Caribbean for 41 years) and with new initiatives that help combat some of the most pressing problems in our society with nuclear techniques, such as Atoms4Food, Atoms4NetZero, and NutecPlastics; and finally, the creation of training programs such as the Marie Curie and Lisa Meitner fellowships, to balance capacity building by highlighting the role of women in nuclear sciences.
We would also like to highlight the support of the Cooperation Department as an essential mechanism for countries in the global south to access nuclear technologies with social impact. Together, we have developed the areas of nuclear medicine, especially cancer control, food security, and environmental protection, in which Cuba has not only benefited, but also made contributions and shared its experiences.
Mr. Chairman,
In the legal and regulatory sphere, we are pleased to report that we have updated and are implementing the new Decree Law on the use of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation, thereby aligning our national legislation with all the commitments made by the country and updated international recommendations on nuclear and radiological safety, safeguards, physical security, and civil liability.
This year, we presented and defended our National Report to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and Radioactive Waste Management before the contracting parties, and the Nuclear Safety Convention Report was submitted for review, demonstrating once again our transparency in these processes.
We made progress in preparations for the IRRS mission that we will receive in 2027, which will evaluate our regulatory system in an integrated manner.
The integrated work of the National Regulatory Authorities is being consolidated, as reflected in the reconciliations prior to the release of all new nuclear legislation.
My delegation would like to make special mention of the Ibero-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies and extend our greetings to this association of regulators, which has been in existence for more than 25 years and whose work, complementary to that of the International Atomic Energy Agency, promotes the highest levels of radiological protection, nuclear safety, and physical security in all practices involving radioactive materials in the Ibero-American region. Our Office of Environmental Regulation and Safety is a member of this association, along with the other regulatory bodies in the region. An example of my country's support is its first financial contribution to the FORUM, even in the midst of the difficult economic situation we are facing.
Cuba rigorously and transparently honors its commitments in the area of nuclear safeguards, supported by a robust legal system and a coherent state policy that reaffirm the exclusively peaceful use of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation.
Mr. Chairman,
The unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US on our country constitute an obstacle to peaceful nuclear development, in flagrant violation of the spirit of Article 4 of the NPT, prevent the acquisition of equipment and reagents, and obstruct international cooperation. This blockade policy, which has been strengthened to unprecedented levels in recent years, together with the unjustified inclusion of our country on the spurious list of states that allegedly sponsor terrorism by the US government, has been widely rejected and condemned by the international community.
Despite this, Cuba maintains appropriate levels of nuclear, radiological, and physical security, and with adequate capabilities for radiological emergency preparedness and response, offers collaboration to countries that need it, cooperates with the IAEA, and obtains results, because the use of nuclear energy is not a privilege, it is a right that contributes to development, and we will therefore continue to support an international technical body that is objective and at the service of humanity.
Thank you very much