With 146 Member States Voting in Favour, 2 Against, General Assembly Adopts Resolution Affirming Strong Support for International Atomic Energy Agency
Delegates Also Conclude Resumed Debate on International Court of Justice
The General Assembly today adopted a resolution reaffirming its strong support for the indispensable role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), before concluding its resumed debates on that Agency’s work and that of the International Court of Justice.
The 193-member Assembly adopted the resolution, titled "Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency" (document A/80/L.7), by a vote of 146 in favour to 2 against (Russian Federation, United States), with 1 abstention (Iran).
By the terms of the text, members took note of the report on the Agency’s work in 2024 (document A/80/348), which was presented to the Assembly by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi on 29 October.
They also took note of a range of resolutions adopted by the Agency’s General Committee, on topics ranging from "Nuclear and radiation safety" to "Strengthening the Agency’s activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications" to "Staffing of the Agency’s secretariat".
The Assembly further reaffirmed its strong support for IAEA’s crucial role in encouraging and assisting the development and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses, in technology transfer to developing countries and in nuclear safety, verification and security. It appealed to Member States to continue to support the Agency’s activities.
Delegates Explain Their Votes
Several delegates took the floor to explain their positions, either before or after the vote.
The representative of the United States, while voicing support for IAEA’s core mission, expressed concern over the content of some of the texts adopted at the Agency’s latest General Conference and mentioned in the Assembly’s resolution. Those included a text titled "Women in the Secretariat", which introduces bias in the Agency’s hiring process. Noting that the United States does not endorse the concept of "gender ideology", he disassociated himself from that text, as well as elements of several others that use such terms as "climate change", the "Sustainable Development Goals" and "gender".
Israel’s representative put on record her country’s deep concerns over the "non-consensual and politically motivated" Middle East text adopted by the IAEA General Conference.
Iran’s delegate said he abstained in the vote in view of the resolution’s failure to accurately reflect the outcome of the most recent General Conference.
Delegates React to Each Other’s Claims Made during Debate Preceding the Vote
Some delegations also took the floor to exercise the right of reply in response to other speakers during the debate preceding the vote.
The representative of Ukraine, responding to the Russian Federation, categorically rejected allegations made against his country. Ukraine remains deeply concerned about the situation in its territories occupied by the Russian Federation, including at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has endured repeated and total losses of power over the course of the Russian aggression.
Lithuania’s representative, also responding to the Russian Federation as well as Belarus, voiced deep concern over the establishment of a Belarussian nuclear power plant site near Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius. He cautioned that the site was selected without consultation and raises serious safety questions.
The representative of the United States, also exercising the right of reply in response to Iran, said his country did not take its recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities lightly. That country should focus on fully cooperating with IAEA, as the international community has repeatedly called on it to do, to ensure that its nuclear programme is completely peaceful. "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon," he stressed.
Israel’s representative, responding to Iran’s statement, said her country’s military operation against Iran’s nuclear sites was intended to neutralize an "imminent and existential" threat against her country.
The representative of Belarus, responding to Lithuania’s statement, rejected the latter’s "baseless and biased" accusations about a perceived lack of safety at its nuclear power sites. Belarus will continue to ensure the highest levels of safety in line with international standards, she stressed.
Iran’s representative, meanwhile, denounced malicious allegations made over the course of the debate by the Israeli delegate, as well as decades of broader "propaganda" and "fabricated narratives", which were most recently used as pretexts for military strikes against his country. He also rejected statements made by the European Union, United States and other Western delegations, stressing that Iran’s nuclear programme is now — and always has been — exclusively peaceful in nature.
(For previous coverage of the Assembly’s debate on the work of IAEA, please see Press Release GA/12723.)
In addition, the Assembly concluded its debate on the agenda item titled, "Report of the International Court of Justice", which began on 30 October. (For previous coverage of that debate, please see Press Release GA/12724.)
Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here .