Written Statement from Canada

Seventh Review Meeting of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

June 27 – July 8, 2022

Written Statement from Canada

Mr. President,

The Seventh Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management [Joint Convention] will take place from June 27, 2022 to July 8, 2022. Canada will fully participate in the Seventh Review Meeting of the Joint Convention, continuing to meet our obligations. A main objective of the Joint Convention is to promote a high level of safety in the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste through a peer review process. However, we cannot ignore that we undertake this review as Russia, a Contracting Party to the Joint Convention, continues its appalling and unjustifiable war against Ukraine, including attacks at nuclear facilities.

President Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine constitutes a severe violation of international law, does not respect the principles and intentions of the Joint Convention, and interferes with Ukraine's ability to fulfill its obligations to the Joint Convention. The forceful seizure of facilities at Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plants in Ukraine has directly threatened and continues to threaten the safety and security of these facilities and their civilian staff, and risks provoking a nuclear incident that could have significant human and environmental consequences.

Canada condemns, in the strongest possible terms, Russia's egregious attack on Ukraine and calls on Russian leadership to immediately cease all hostile actions at nuclear facilities in Ukraine and to allow for the competent Ukrainian authorities to regain full control over all nuclear facilities within Ukraine's internationally recognized borders.

Canada continues to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of this ongoing and senseless aggression.

We thank the IAEA for its impartial, professional, and fact-based assessments of the situation and efforts to help ensure the safety and security of nuclear installations in Ukraine, fully respecting Ukrainian sovereignty over its territory and infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. President.