Australian Embassy and Permanent Mission to the United Nations
Austria
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia

Agenda Item 3 – Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Activities in 2016

IAEA Board of Governors: 14 November 2016

Statement by Dr Kath Smith, Alternate Resident Representative to the IAEA

Agenda Item 3 – Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Activities in 2016

 

Thank you, Chair.

 

Australia thanks the Director of the Office of Internal Oversight Services for his report "Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Activities in 2016" (GOV/2016/49) which provides the results of the three evaluations of TC-related activities conducted in 2016, as well as his explanatory remarks and the technical briefing held on 25 October. The programme evaluations performed by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) provide an independent and transparent review of the Technical Cooperation Programme, thus enhancing Member State confidence in its efficient and effective delivery.

 

Our delegation has reviewed the report carefully.

 

Chair,

 

Australia notes that the evaluations from 2016 and past reports show a number of common findings. Specifically that Member States:

  • Appreciate the complementarity of the regional and national support provided by the Agency;
  • Acknowledge that regional projects lead to the development of more in-depth national projects and regional networks;
  • Are asking for the development of medium term strategies for countries and regions which ensure collaboration between all stakeholders (in a region, in a specific country and in the Agency) throughout a project, from the design phase, to implementation and finally completion;
  • Suggest that further Agency guidance and training are required for national project stakeholders (especially counterparts and National Liaison Officers); and
  • Want to see the promotion of an outcome-based management culture, from the design phase onwards.

 

Australia encourages the Technical Cooperation Programme to accept and find ways to implement these Member State requests.

 

Chair,

 

Australia notes that the “Status of Implementation of Recommendations from TC Programme Evaluations from 2012 to 2016” is tabulated in Annex 4, and are also pleased to note that during 2016 no recommendations from OIOS’s evaluations of Technical Cooperation related activities were rejected by the Secretariat. However, as we said last year, we believe that documents such as this report should be free-standing. The IAEA reasoning behind rejection of seven of the 2012 - 2013 recommendations should be specified in all reports that refer to their rejection. We request the Secretariat provide reasoning for rejected recommendations in future reports.

 

Chair,

 

With these comments, Australia takes note of the Office of Internal Oversight Services’ report “Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Activities in 2016”.

 

Thank you, Mr Chairman.