Morocco Welcomes Increase in Number of States Parties to IAEA Convention on Nuclear Safety

Vienna - Morocco welcomes the increase in the number of States parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Convention on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management which constitutes an important step towards the universalization of these two important instruments of international nuclear law, said on Monday permanent representative of Morocco to international organizations in Vienna, ambassador Azzeddine Farhane. Speaking at the presentation of the "2020 Global Nuclear Safety Report" to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Farhane stressed that the Kingdom takes note with great interest of this report which highlighted the progress of the regulatory infrastructure in Morocco during the IAEA mission in July 2019, the contribution of the Kingdom to the Agency's efforts to build the national capacities of African countries in nuclear and radiological security, as well as IAEA's support for the development of a Master's program in nuclear safety and security in Moroccan universities. Morocco, which ratified the Convention on Nuclear Safety in May 2019, submitted, last December, in preparation for the 8th review meeting of the States Parties to this Convention, which will take place in Vienna from March 23 to April 3, 2020, its first national report on the implementation of this instrument through the development of a national strategy in this area and the updating of the regulatory framework relating to nuclear and radiological safety standards, said the diplomat. The Moroccan delegation intends to contribute positively to this review meeting and remains ready to share its expertise with other countries interested in the Moroccan experience in the drafting process of the first national report on the implementation of this important Convention, he said.

Convinced of the importance of regulatory bodies in the application of nuclear safety and security standards, Morocco organized, in cooperation with the IAEA and other partner countries and institutions, the 3rd International Regulators Conference on Nuclear Security, which took place in Marrakesh from October 3 to 4, 2019, he recalled. This 3rd International Conference organized for the 1st time in Africa and the Arab world, was attended by 380 experts from 96 countries, including 35 African countries, to debate, within the framework of 10 thematic sessions, several questions related to nuclear safety and security.