An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts today completed a mission to review national nuclear security practices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The UAE Government requested the two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission.
The IPPAS team reviewed the legislative and regulatory framework for nuclear security. It looked at the physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities, and the security of radioactive material, associated facilities and associated activities. Also discussed was the UAE implementation of the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), which entered into force last May and provides a strengthened framework for protecting nuclear material and nuclear facilities. The UAE ratified the Amendment in 2009.
The team concluded that the UAE has undertaken strong and sustainable nuclear security activities. The team identified a number of good practices in the national nuclear security regime and at the visited facilities, while also making recommendations and suggestions for continuous improvement.
The team, led by Patrick Adams, a senior security advisor of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, also included eight experts from seven states and the IAEA. The team met in Abu Dhabi with officials from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA) and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.
"The UAE’s hosting of this IPPAS mission as it embarks on a nuclear power programme is a welcome demonstration of its commitment to nuclear security,” said Juan Carlos Lentijo, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security.
“In hosting this mission, the UAE demonstrated leadership, and we hope that other states, particularly those embarking on nuclear power production, also will request such missions."
FANR Director General Christer Viktorsson added: “This review will help us ensure a strong nuclear security regime. UAE stakeholders showed their commitment by participating in this review. We intend to continue honouring this commitment by working diligently to implement the IPPAS mission’s recommendations.”
Background
The mission was the 75th IPPAS mission conducted by the IAEA since the programme began in 1995. The UAE was the 47th country which hosted an IPPAS mission.
IPPAS missions are intended to help States strengthen their national nuclear security regime. The missions provide peer advice on implementing international instruments, and IAEA guidance on the protection of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities.
The missions call upon a team of international experts to assess a nation's system of physical protection, compare it with international good practices and make recommendations for improvement. IPPAS missions are conducted both on a nationwide and facility-specific basis.