The September meeting of the Board of Governors, at which the Director-General reports, among other things, on the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the General Conference the previous year on nuclear safety, nuclear security and nuclear science, technology and applications, always takes place before the General Conference (16-29 September 2024). The familiar non-proliferation issues regarding Iran, the DPRK, Syria and AUKUS were also debated in detail again. Once again, a central topic was the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. The conflict in Gaza was also the subject of a series of debates. The agenda also included the item proposed by KAZ on the ‘homeless states’. Somalia was admitted as the 180^th member state of the IAEA.

In his opening statement, IAEA Director General Grossi skillfully positioned the IAEA as an important international player and highlighted its achievements. The general debate, which attracted numerous ministers and high-level representatives, revealed the diverging priorities of the member states. The West is concerned with nuclear safety and security in Ukraine and the safeguards in Iran and the DPRK, while the Global South wants to discuss technical cooperation and technology transfers. RUS and CHN are taking advantage of this and positioning themselves as willing partners and exporters. Furthermore, geopolitical interests are currently overshadowing the common interests in a strong nuclear non-proliferation architecture and the safe and secure development of nuclear energy and nuclear applications. This can be seen, among other things, in the debates on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programmes, on AUKUS, the nuclear facilities in Ukraine, etc.

In substantive terms, Switzerland should maintain its current course and continue to invest in its high level of credibility in the IAEA context. Its balanced political positions and regular voluntary financial contributions are very much needed and appreciated. In the context of the nuclear challenges in Ukraine, it should be carefully examined whether a further contribution to the IAEA missions in Ukraine is possible. The IAEA General Conference remains one of the most important conferences in the multilateral calendar and offers Switzerland high-level access to the delegations present and the IAEA Secretariat.