Statement by Mr Gilbert Oh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations Office and Other International Organisations in Vienna, on Cluster 3: The Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, at the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Geneva, 1 May 2018

Mr Chairman,

1        Singapore strongly supports the inalienable right of all countries to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, science and technology, in accordance with Article IV of the NPT.  In particular, developing countries can benefit from the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology to attain their developmental targets, including the Sustainable Development Goals. 

2        Singapore has been supporting the IAEA’s efforts to help Member States, in particular the Least Developed Countries, gain access to the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology through the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Programme.  Since 2000, Singapore has collaborated with the IAEA to jointly provide technical assistance to developing countries on subjects such as nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, food safety, nuclear law and regulations, radiation protection and emergency preparedness and response. 

3        This partnership with the IAEA was formalised under the Singapore-IAEA Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was signed by IAEA Director General Mr Yukiya Amano during his visit to Singapore in 2015.  To date, Singapore has organised a total of 36 workshops, hosted 111 training fellowships and 25 scientific visits. We will continue to work closely with the IAEA to provide more relevant technical assistance to our partners under this TCTP MOU.

Mr Chairman,

4        Singapore recognises that States’ right to the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology cannot be divorced from the responsibility to uphold nuclear safety and security. The IAEA plays a central role in helping Member States build national and regional capacities in these important fields.  Nuclear incidents have trans-boundary impacts and require coordinated responses.  We should therefore continue to enhance nuclear safety, including by learning from the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, and implementing the principles of the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety.  The threat of nuclear and radioactive terrorism must also be taken seriously even if they are not seen as the most imminent of threats. Nuclear installations are also not immune to cyber-attacks. We must therefore remain committed to continuously maintain and further strengthen nuclear security. 

5        In our region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been enhancing regional cooperation on nuclear-related issues, particularly through the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM).   ASEANTOM also works closely with the IAEA to strengthen nuclear safety capacity in the region.  Recently in March 2018, Singapore and IAEA jointly organised a regional workshop on emergency preparedness and response under the TCTP MOU. This workshop supported ASEANTOM’s efforts in preparing a regional protocol to harmonise regional public communications, as well as assessment and decision-making arrangements in the event of nuclear and radiological emergencies in our region.  We look forward to further strengthening the cooperation between ASEAN and the IAEA.

6        Thank you, Mr Chairman.

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