The Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Austria, Jesse Chacón, described the election as an international achievement. The country, along with Chile, were elected as members of the Board of Governors for the 2017-2019 period.
The election of Venezuela took place during the sixty-first regular session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held from September 18 to 22, 2017 at the United Nations.
Chacón, during a contact with Venezolana de Televisión, explained that the Board of Governors handles the entire discussion on the nuclear issue of the United Nations. This body has among its powers the elaboration of technical reports on nuclear safety and technical cooperation, as well as the promotion of programs and the verification of application of the safeguard.
Venezuela, as president of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM), organized last week, in the framework of the sixty-first ordinary session of the General Conference of IAEA, an event held on the occasion of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, which takes place on September 26.
The Head of the Venezuelan diplomatic mission commented that this event was conducive to a call to countries on the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons. “The collateral damage of an atomic bomb with the characteristics that the powers today possess could mean the destruction of humanity.”
He called for reflection on the limited progress made in the field of disarmament, compared with the achievements in the area of non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear weapons, for which he criticized the position taken by the nuclear-weapon owning countries, which refused to subscribe the nuclear arms ban treaty signed last September 20 by 122 nations, including Venezuela.
