Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The following countries align themselves with this statement: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine.

At the outset, the EU and its Member States would like to commend the work of the Chief of Ethics and her staff. Fostering and strengthening a culture of mutual respect, accountability, transparency and integrity will help create and sustain a safe working environment that empowers all staff members to deliver at their full potential. We warmly welcome the Agency’s commitment at all levels to continuously strengthen the Ethics Function and its mandate. This sets a positive example for many other organisations in the United Nations system.

The EU and its Member States greatly appreciate the activities of the Ethics Function in its area of competence and continue to support the “speak-up” culture to address unacceptable behaviour. In this respect, the “Upstander” training of the Ethics Function plays a key role to effectively prevent and respond to micro-aggressions, harassment and sexual harassment. We believe that comprehensive internal training to prevent all forms of harassment is not only a key responsibility, but also a sharp tool to promote a culture of respect and safety for all Agency staff.

We note with interest the increasing use of the dedicated website “Ethics at the IAEA” and of the Ethics Chatbot. This shows that IAEA staff is comfortable with seeking support from the Ethics Function, including through digital means. Furthermore, we appreciate the integration of the Ethics Function in all aspects of the Agency’s work, including in initiatives such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme.

The EU and its Member States highly welcome the continued “tone-at-the-top” approach promoted by the Ethics Function to send a strong signal of leadership commitment to an ethical work environment. The personal engagement of the Director General and the Deputy Directors General in promoting this initiative demonstrates to all Agency staff the importance of fostering a respectful work environment. Furthermore, the Agency’s Whistle-blower Policy, which protects staff from retaliation when reporting misconduct in good faith, is also crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability and addressing all acts of fraud and corruption in a determined manner.

We commend the close collaboration of the Ethics Function with internal stakeholders, namely the Division of Human Resources, the Office of Internal Oversight Services and the Office of Legal Affairs in the development and delivery of new modules of the mandatory training programme for senior managers under the “Accountability in Managerial Action” initiative. Finally, we welcome the publication of four “Everyday Ethics” guidance notes in 2024, dealing with topics of strong interest to the Agency staff. Providing staff with the necessary tools to intervene when encountering unacceptable behaviours is essential to fostering a safe and respectful workplace atmosphere.

We recall that discrimination, racism, sexual harassment and abuse of power on any level are unacceptable. We therefore encourage the Chief of Ethics and the Ethics Function to continue their valuable efforts to foster a culture of integrity, accountability and ethics.

Thank you, Chair.