IAEA: Morocco Committed to Strengthening International Nuclear Safety Architecture, Ambassador

Morocco remains fully committed to working with its regional and international partners to contribute to strengthening the international nuclear safety architecture, Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative in Vienna Azzeddine Farhane, said on Monday in Vienna. Speaking at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held on September 9-13, Farhane said that Morocco, as a State Party to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, seeks to continuously improve the nuclear safety of its peaceful nuclear applications, while strengthening cooperation with international and regional regulatory bodies. In this regard, the diplomat stressed the value of experience sharing through the establishment of synergies between African regulatory bodies and the creation of solid cooperation frameworks to reinforce national capapbilities. Farhane underscored that last November, Morocco hosted IAEA’s Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission (IRRS), which recognized Morocco’s transparency and commitment to continuous improvement for nuclear safety. The IRRS also highlighted the significant progress made by Morocco in establishing an effective and consistent regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety, he added. Additionally, the IRRS recognized Morocco’s promotional and supporting actions aiming at enhancing nuclear and radiation safety among countries in the region, continued Farhane. In this respect, the Ambassador specified that Morocco remains ready to share its experience with African countries in the organization of this mission, as well as in the dialogue with IAEA in the field of strengthening the regulatory infrastructure for nuclear and radiation safety. More than 80 participants from 20 African countries took part in various capacity-building activities in the field of nuclear and radiological safety in Rabat over the past year, detailed Farhane, reiterating the Kingdom’s commitment to continue sharing its experience. In addition, Morocco is determined to upgrade the regulatory framework and improve its nuclear and radiological safety, he said, noting that over the past two years, the Kingdom has accelerated the process of reviewing and updating the regulatory legal framework in accordance with IAEA safety standards. In November 2022, Morocco hosted the IAEA emergency preparedness review mission , which commended the solid basis for Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) arrangements implemented and noted a number of commendable practices that go beyond the expectations set in IAEA safety standards, the diplomat concluded.