java script is required for this page
Agenda Item 3: Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) .....
Home      >  Agenda Item 3: Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) Project

Agenda Item 3: Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) Project

International Atomic Energy Agency

TACC (November 16-17, 2020)

Agenda Item 3: Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) Project

Statement by Sh. Jaideep Mazumdar, Ambassador and Permanent Representative

Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) Project

 

Madam Chair

1. We associate ourselves with the Statement made by the distinguished Ambassador of The Philippines on behalf of G-77 and China and would like to add the following remarks in our national capacity.

2.  At the outset, we express solidarity with all Member States of the Agency who have been affected and continue to be affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The resurgence of this pandemic in increasingly virulent form in many countries including in our host nation underlines the relevance and importance of the agenda item before us.  India is engaged in bilateral and multilateral cooperation in building capacity to combat the pandemic, sharing best practices, supplying medicines and medical equipment as well as personal protective equipment. This is because we believe that international cooperation is essential in both - countering the current pandemic as well as anticipating and countering future pandemics that are unfortunately inevitable.

3.  We commend the initiative of the Director General in providing assistance to Member States in their efforts to tackle the effects of the pandemic, including through the nuclear derived techniques and related equipment.  To this end, the ZODIAC initiative focuses on combating the ongoing pandemic as well as preparing us for future pandemics. It would augment the existing IAEA nuclear science & technology applications & structures and technical cooperation programme projects to assist Members States in building and strengthening resilience to future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases by making available access to equipment, technology packages, expertise, training and certification support.

4.  We are convinced of the importance of ZODIAC and India reiterates her support for this initiative.  We will nevertheless have to keep in mind that ZODIAC will be the largest single project in the history of the Agency. Several of the principal pillars of this multi-year project are front loaded in terms of financial requirements. This will be a challenge in these frugal times.

5.  As we move forward, continued dialogue between the Agency and Member states will be imperative to resolve some of the challenges mentioned by various delegations who have spoken. We appreciate the Agency’s willingness to engage with member states and share detailed information. As we have said before, the world today is confronted with a health peril that is unprecedented. There can be no more consequential use of resources today than in doing what will address this and future pandemics. The human misery and economic collapse seen worldwide is testimony to this. We are of the view that while duplication of effort needs to be avoided, concern about overlapping mandates is of less consequence than the importance of maximizing the use of all capacities and capabilities that exist for this purpose.

We appreciate, the agency’s report on the ZODIAC Project contained in document GOV/2020/37.

We look forward to engaging with Member States and with the Secretariat for the roll-out of this project which we believe is of far reaching import.

I thank you, Madam Chair.

External website that opens in a new window
External website that opens in a new window
External website that opens in a new window
External website that opens in a new window
External website that opens in a new window
External website that opens in a new window
External website that opens in a new window
 
Facebook Twitter YouTube