EU Statement at the IAEA's Programme and Budget Committee on the 2023 Internal Audit, Management Services and Investigations Report and the 2023 Programme Evaluation Report,[...]

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EU Statement at the IAEA's Programme and Budget Committee on the 2023 Internal Audit, Management Services and Investigations Report and the 2023 Programme Evaluation Report, May 2024

06.05.2024 Press and information team of the Delegation to UN and OSCE in Vienna

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The candidate countries Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina[1]and Georgia, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia and San Marino, align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States have long valued the work of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). Internal audit, evaluation and investigation services are essential to help increase accountability and transparency. Moreover, they allow Member States to gain more insight into the management and performance of the Secretariat.

We have taken good note of the findings set out in the 2023 Internal Audit report and we thank the Director and his staff for the informal briefing on 19 April. We read with interest the summary report on the audit pertaining to the Division of Operations B of the Department of Safeguards and the one focusing on the Agency's business continuity and disaster recovery, both carried over from the 2022 work plan. The audits of the Staff Assistance Fund and of the cafeteria at the new Seibersdorf premises were also concluded.

A high number of OIOS findings and recommendations - including those pertaining to the Country-Level Evaluation and Audits (CLEA) reviews - relate to cross-cutting topics. We value the continued efforts of the OIOS to identify Agency-wide issues and to provide guidance and support to the Secretariat in order to enhance programme performance and translate recommendations into action. This approach results in an overall improvement of the management of programmes and operations. In a context of a growing number of new flagship initiatives and challenging areas of operation that require significant extra-budgetary means, this is much welcomed. We also appreciate the efforts undertaken by the OIOS to adapt itself to the increasing number and variety of projects managed by the Agency. The upcoming full audit of the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) System illustrates this commitment. We also look forward to - amongst other topics - the report on cyber security and the results of the audit of the global assistance programme to Ukraine and the regional CLEA for Africa later this year.

Chair,

Turning to the Programme Evaluation Report, we would like to thank the OIOS for the exhaustive evaluation of the Agency's use of virtual and hybrid meetings and trainings. As one of the lasting legacies of the pandemic and a go-to option when budgets are tight, the EU fully supports the recommendations pointing towards the need for better performance indicators, more systematic decision making concerning the format, clearer guidance and strengthening the competencies of Agency staff. I am sure we all would welcome even more productive virtual experiences in the future.

The EU also looks forward to the results of the ongoing evaluations regarding the Agency's Gender Equality Policy, the support to Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and the regional projects and programmes. We are encouraged by the overall progress with the implementation of Programme Evaluation Recommendations and we note that there are no more pending recommendations dating from the period before 2020.

The Evaluation Work Plan for 2024 comprises several interesting evaluations. The regional approach for the CLEA exercise in Africa, with a focus on food and agriculture, entails a more efficient working method. A number of programmes driven by important extra-budgetary contributions from the EU and its Member States, such as COMPASS and the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, will also be evaluated.

Chair,

In conclusion, we encourage the Secretariat to continue to give serious consideration to all findings, including those of a systemic and cross-cutting nature. We welcome the good progress achieved with the implementation of recommendations made in previous years.

With these comments, we take note of the Reports under this agenda item as contained in GOV/2024/12 and GOV/2024/13.

Thank you, Chair.

[1]North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.