Bern, 29 May 2023
The UN Security Council will meet on 30 May 2023 to discuss the protection of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. The safety of the nuclear power plant is threatened by hostilities. At the meeting in New York chaired by Federal Councillor Cassis, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, will brief the Security Council on the current situation and present the principles for ensuring safety on site.
The UN Security Council led by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will address protection of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in presence of Ukraine. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the front line near the city of Enerhodar in south-eastern Ukraine. Combat operations are a direct threat to the nuclear power plant, and a nuclear accident would have far-reaching humanitarian and environmental consequences not only for Ukraine but also for the European continent.
After Director General Grossi crossed the front line on 1 September last year to establish a permanent IAEA presence at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, he has led efforts aimed at securing the protection of the plant during the conflict, engaging in months of intense negotiations with both Ukraine and Russia to prevent a potentially severe nuclear accident.
The safety of civilian nuclear power plants in conflict regions is a key issue for Switzerland. For months, thus Federal Councillor Cassis has been in close contact with IAEA Director General Grossi regarding the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya. Grossi will brief the UN Security Council on 30 May and present it with principles on how to ensure the nuclear power plant’s safety. The aim of the Council meeting on 30 May is to encourage the parties involved to comply with the IAEA’s nuclear safety principles, in order to avoid the danger of a nuclear catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
Nuclear safety in Ukraine and the situation around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant have been discussed several times in the UN Security Council since the onset of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
In consultation with the other Council members and through direct contacts via various diplomatic channels in recent weeks, Switzerland has advocated, that Russia and Ukraine deal with the IAEA’s principles in the UN Security Council.
Source – Swiss Government