ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 30. A resolution “On restoring the sovereign equality of member states in the IAEA” initiated by Kazakhstan was adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes at the 67th session of the IAEA General Conference held in Vienna, Trend reports.
The resolution aims to address the issue of equal representation of member states in the Agency's governing bodies (regional groups, main policy-making bodies), as well as in the Agency's related consultative processes.
The resolution also calls on IAEA member states to promptly ratify the amendment to Article 6 of the Agency's Statute, which provides for an expansion of the membership of the Board of Governors and the adoption of a list of members by geographical area. Kazakhstan ratified this amendment in 2019.
The resolution initiated by Kazakhstan creates the basis for ensuring more equitable and democratic approaches to the participation of member states in the activities of the IAEA.
As part of Kazakhstan's efforts to restore sovereign equality in the Agency, for the first time in the history of the IAEA, Kazakhstan codified a list of 17 countries that are not members of regional groups. This list was enshrined in an official document of the Agency on August 10, 2023 and included in the General Conference resolution as the basis for building further work within the framework of the created “Group of Friends of Arealess Member States” chaired by Slovenia.
The Kazakhstan resolution was co-authored by 56 countries representing all geographical zones of the IAEA.
The main co-authors of the Kazakhstan resolution were the following countries: all EU countries, the US, the UK, China, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Singapore, Japan, Nepal, Türkiye, etc.