Liberia Commits to the Safe and Secure Uses of Nuclear Technology by Joining Six IAEA Legal Instruments at Once

Pleased to witness 🇱🇷 Liberia strengthen its commitment to global nuclear safety and 🇿🇦 South Africa reinforce regional nuclear cooperation, both today at #IAEAGC by joining key multilateral treaties. Universal adherence is essential for a safe, secure, & peaceful nuclear future. pic.twitter.com/ziZOgOYAnz

— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) September 18, 2024

“Law is the basis of everything we do. We - the IAEA - cannot act, we cannot move, we cannot give you the support you need unless you have a normative structure establishing a solid basis to enable our experts to do their work. There are a number of very important legal instruments that keep you on track with everything, and I am very grateful for your actions today in joining some of them,” Mr Grossi said, addressing the representatives from Liberia and South Africa.

Resident Representative of the Republic of Liberia to the IAEA, Youngor Sevelee Telewoda, deposited five instruments on behalf of Liberia.

The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, adopted in 1986 following the Chornobyl nuclear plant accident, establishes a notification system for nuclear accidents that have an actual or a potential international transboundary release that could affect radiological safety in another country.

The Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, also adopted in 1986 following the Chornobyl accident, sets out an international framework for co-operation to facilitate prompt assistance in the event of nuclear accidents or radiological emergencies.

The Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) aims to commit those parties operating land-based civil nuclear power plants to maintain a high level of safety by establishing fundamental safety principles. The convention obliges parties to submit reports on the implementation of their obligations for peer review.

The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its 2005 Amendment are the main international legal instruments in the area of nuclear security adopted under the IAEA’s auspices. The CPPNM establishes legal obligations regarding the physical protection of nuclear material used for peaceful purposes during international transport; the criminalization of certain offences involving nuclear material; and international cooperation, for example, in the case of theft, robbery or any other unlawful taking of nuclear material or credible threat thereof. The Amendment expands the CPPNM in all these areas.

Rapulane Molekane, Resident Representative of South Africa to the IAEA, deposited an instrument of acceptance of the African Regional Co-operative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) on behalf of South Africa.

AFRA is an intergovernmental agreement established by African Member States to strengthen the contribution of nuclear science and technology to socioeconomic development on the African continent. AFRA, which first entered into force in 1990 and was revised in 2020, provides a framework for IAEA Member States in Africa to intensify their collaboration through programmes focused on the specific shared needs of its members. Its activities cover a wide range of peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology that contribute to the achievement of national and regional development goals. AFRA now has 38 parties.