IAEA Technical Assistance and Cooperation Committee (TACC)
Meeting Commencing 23 November 2015
Agenda Item 3 – Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Activities in 2015
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
Australia thanks the Director of the Office of Internal Oversight Services for his report "Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Activities in 2015" which provides the results of the five programme evaluations conducted in 2015; his explanatory remarks and the technical briefing held on 4 Nov. 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 in detail.
Mr Chairman,
Australia is pleased that the OIOS 2015 evaluation found that the Technical Cooperation Programme is highly valued, as the Programme serves as the primary mechanism for achievement of the Agency’s fundamental objective (as described in Article II of the IAEA Statute) “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world”.
Australia encourages the Technical Cooperation Programme to accept and implement OIOS’s overarching recommendations. Specifically, to increase linkages with other organisations; to focus more on outcomes not just on outputs; to increase interdepartmental coordination within the Agency and to implement practices which ensure best value procurement.
Mr Chairman,
With specific regard to the report, our delegation is pleased to see that the “Status of Implementation of Recommendations from TC Programme Evaluations from 2011 to 2014” is tabulated in Annex 6, and are also pleased to note that during 2015 no recommendations from OIOS’s evaluations of Technical Cooperation related activities were rejected by the Secretariat. However, we believe that documents such as this report should be free-standing and were disappointed that the reasoning behind rejection of seven of the 2012 - 2013 recommendations were not specified in this report. We accept that recommendations may occasionally be rejected by the Secretariat for a variety of reasons. However, it is important that appropriate explanation is provided so that Member States may have confidence the Secretariat is responding appropriately to the oversight process. So, we request the Secretariat to provide reasoning for rejected recommendations in future reports.
Mr Chairman,
With these comments, Australia takes note of the Office of Internal Oversight Services’ report Evaluation of Technical Cooperation Activities in 2015.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.