Waldner: "Nuclear security and energy access for all are central themes for Vienna"
State Secretary on his first official visit to the UN Headquarters in Vienna
Vienna, 17 June 2011 - During his first official visit to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), State Secretary Wolfgang Waldner praised the excellent work of these two international organisations based in Vienna.
Nuclear energy security was one of the major issues discussed during his work meeting with Tibor Tóth, the Executive Secretary of the CTBTO. The worldwide system of monitoring stations of the CTBTO provides reliable information to all member states in the case of a nuclear weapon test. "The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is a supporting pillar of the international security architecture and a significant step toward a world free of nuclear weapons", stressed Waldner.
Moreover, the organisation had produced proof of its capacities in the civil and humanitarian sector in connection with the nuclear disaster in Japan. "Fukushima has clearly demonstrated how important international cooperation can be, especially on issues of nuclear security. CTBTO measurements on radiation in Japan and on the worldwide spread of the radioactive cloud were of inestimable value in supplying the people and the authorities with precise and independent information“, said the State Secretary, impressed by the technological achievements of the organisation. "Austria therefore supports an expansion of these CTBTO capacities", added Waldner.
The State Secretary discussed the issue of access to energy and the growing role of UNIDO in the areas of energy and the environment with UNIDO Director General Kandeh Yumkella. Austria, together with the UNIDO and the International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA) will be organising the Vienna Energy Forum already for the second time between 21 and 23 June 2011, at which several government representatives, experts and representatives of the civil society are expected to participate. "Some 2 billion people do not yet have access to electricity and have thus been cut off from the respective development opportunities" Waldner explained.
The Vienna Energy Forum 2011 will help clarify the role and responsibility of the different stakeholders, especially those of the private business and the state, in improving access to energy and energy services. This large-scale event represents a contribution to the international campaign of the United Nations aiming to provide all people with access to energy services by 2030. "The poorest countries are those suffering the most from climate change and environmental problems. Hence, projects for renewable energies and energy efficiency as well as for environmentally-friendly, sustainable production, constitute a priority in our development cooperation", the State Secretary concluded.
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