SAMPLE POSITION PAPER

Republic of Liberia
Represented by: Danielle Rain Bacallan
De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde

Position Paper for the International Atomic Energy Agency

The issues before the International Atomic Energy Agency Plenary are: The Fukushima Crisis:
Mainstreaming Climate Change in the Nuclear Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Framework and
The Nuclear Situation in Iran. The Republic of Liberia focuses on the cooperation of the international
community in maintaining nuclear peace and security.

I. The Fukushima Crisis: Mainstreaming Climate Change in the Nuclear Disaster Risk
Reduction and Response Framework

With power plants running on fossils fuels releasing a large volume of greenhouse gases, which are
blamed for global warming, the development of nuclear energy has long been considered a potential tool
for mitigating climate change. However, the continuing alarming environmental effects of the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear disaster, which was due to an earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011,
remain to be a growing concern for the international community. International efforts to address this issue
and to provide long-term solutions in mainstreaming climate change in the context of nuclear disaster risk
reduction and response have already been made. These include the 5th Review Meeting of the Convention
on Nuclear Safety (CNS) on 4-14 April 2011, the 2nd Extraordinary Meeting of the Convention, which
was held at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, on
27-31 August 2012, and the Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, which was held on 15-
17 December 2012 at the Fukushima Prefecture itself.

As a result of these high-level meetings on the CNS, the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety was
established to strengthen and promote nuclear safety internationally. The Fukushima Ministerial
Conference on Nuclear Safety was also established to also address this highly important issue. In the
perspective of having an international strategy for disaster risk reduction (DRR), the 2005-2015 Hyogo
Framework of Action (HFA) was also created, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon likewise has a
Five-Year Action Agenda, which focuses, among others, not only on addressing climate change but also
on the implementation of national disaster risk reduction plans. In light of the accident at the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the IAEA will also be conducting the International Experts’ Meeting on
Severe Accident Management on 17-20 March 2014 to promote the sharing of knowledge among nuclear
experts as well as to propose solutions regarding the issue.

The Republic of Liberia stresses the importance of cooperation and building resiliency in the face of
disasters as well as of minimizing vulnerability for future nuclear catastrophes and major environmental
problems, including climate change, which is mainly due to human activities. To effectively address both
issues of nuclear safety and climate change, the Republic of Liberia along with the African Union
suggests the establishment of an International Nuclear Disaster Preparedness Plan, which should also take
into consideration the various impacts of climate change. This plan will be implemented under the
auspices of the IAEA with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and all
IAEA member-states will be required to (1) minimize vulnerability to nuclear disasters by implementing
all existing technical best practices related to nuclear safety; (2) address potential impacts of climate
change to nuclear plants, such as the projected rise in sea levels and the increasing frequency of powerful
typhoons; (3) be guided with the goals and principles of the HFA, especially its “Priority Action 5” which
aims to strengthen “disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels;” (4) take into consideration
the provisions of the UN Secretary General’s Five-Year Action Agenda; (5) implement stricter safety
standards and regulations and increase the frequency of IAEA inspections in all nuclear power plants to
ensure that everyone is in compliance; (6) cooperate with local governments agencies in conducting
safety seminars, campaigns and as well as training programs that will educate the local population on
nuclear disaster preparedness. Liberia strongly emphasizes the need for much closer cooperation and
firmer commitment from all countries to address these issues on nuclear safety and climate change, which
have the potential to affect not just IAEA member-states and those with nuclear power plants but the
whole international community.
II. The Nuclear Situation in Iran

The nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran has attracted the attention and scrutiny of many
members of the international community because, while it claims that it’s nuclear program is mainly for
peaceful purposes like medical research and technical advances, many countries believe that Iran actually
intends to develop nuclear weapons. This is despite the fact that Iran is a member of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and it had ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons, which is more commonly known simply as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), in 1970. Since
2006, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the IAEA have been giving its full attention to
the Iran nuclear issue and have adopted several resolutions, including but not limited to S/RES/1803 and
S/RES/1929. The IAEA, for its part, has also published quarterly reports on this issue and has released the
Iran Safeguards Agreement and some succeeding documents related to its effective implementation.
Regardless of these past actions to address the nuclear situation in Iran, however, this issue remains to be
a priority for the continued security of the international community.

The Republic of Liberia, apart from ratifying the NPT and its principles, has also made efforts towards
promoting international peace and maintaining the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons by signing and
ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT).
Along with other members of the African Union (AU), Liberia is a signatory and have ratified the African
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty or The Treaty of Pelindaba. The primary aim of this treaty is to
prohibit research, development, manufacture, stockpiling, acquisition, testing, possession, control, or
stationing of nuclear explosive devices by Parties to the Treaty, as well as assistance to others in such
activities, or seeking or receiving assistance in such activities. Way back in 1970, the Middle East
Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (MENWFZ) agreement was also proposed and its principles and provisions
were similar to those of the Nuclear Weapons Free Zones (NWFZ). The agreement, however, failed to
push through because Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria we’re found to be non-compliant to the obligations of
the NPT and to the IAEA safeguards. A conference regarding this agreement was initially scheduled in
2012 to be hosted by Finland but it was later called off.

To effectively address the issue on the nuclear situation in Iran, the Republic of Liberia with the support
of the African Union (AU) encourages the establishment of the Initiative to Reconsider the Middle East
Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (IRMENWZ). This initiative will be under the auspices of the IAEA and it
will have the following primary objectives: (1) To call upon all states in the Middle East and Asia to
reconsider the establishment of the proposed MENWFZ and to fully adopt the guidelines and principles
of the NWFZ; (2) To bring together representatives from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, ASEAN,
South Pacific, Central Asia and Mongolia--which are all part of the NWFZ--to help encourage the Middle
Eastern states to pursue the establishment of the MENFWZ through forums; (3) To promote compliance
to the obligations and principles of the NPT and to encourage Israel to once again reconsider membership
to the NPT; (4) To further strengthen relations of all Middle Eastern states with the IAEA; (5) To
continue the worldwide strides in the promotion of the utilization of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes;
and (6) To closely cooperate with the UNSC for the effective implementation of this initiative. Liberia
believes that with the establishment of this initiative, IRMENFW will be able to prolong the peace deal
between Iran and the P5+1 by regulating the development of nuclear energy with the NPT. The Republic
of Liberia believes that this will also promote and maintain regional peace and international cooperation
while achieving long-term nuclear security not only in Iran and the rest of the Middle East region but also
in the whole international community.
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