On 28 March 2014, the UAE presented its 2nd National Report during the 6th Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties on the Convention on Nuclear Safety at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria.
The Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) is an international treaty, which sets international benchmarks for participating Member States that operate land-based nuclear power plants to commit them to maintain a high level of safety against the set benchmarks.
The Review Meeting is taking place from 24 March to 4 April, assembling delegations from 75 countries that are Contracting Party to the Convention to discuss measures taken by their governments to enhance safety framework.
The UAE National Report describes the measures the UAE has taken to fulfil its obligations as a Contracting Party to the Convention including the lessons learnt from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The Report includes a summary of the actions taken by the UAE to support the IAEA’s Nuclear Safety Action Plan.
The UAE National Report is the result of a collective effort of various national organisations including the national regulatory body, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR); the operator, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC); and other leading organisations.
The UAE’s Permanent Representative to the IAEA, Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, assisted by senior officials from FANR and ENEC presented the UAE National Report at the IAEA Headquarters, which was subject for discussion and peer reviews by the contracting parties.
“The 6th Review Meeting is a great opportunity to highlight the contribution the UAE has made to global nuclear safety in particular since the Fukushima accident. As the UAE moves forward with the development of its peaceful nuclear energy programme, the country is keen to participate actively in the CNS review meetings by providing insight on how to strengthen the Convention” said Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi. “The feedback we received from the parties was very positive, UAE good practices were recognized in the development of the regulatory infrastructure and no gaps were identified “he added.
The UAE National Report has been reviewed by Contracting Parties to the CNS and has received 111 questions all of which have been answered in detail and published.
Background:
The Convention on Nuclear Safety was adopted in Vienna on 17 June 1994. Its aim is to legally commit participating States operating land-based nuclear power plants to maintain a high level of safety by setting international benchmarks to which States would subscribe.
The Convention obliges Parties to submit reports on the implementation of their obligations for "peer review" at meetings of the Parties to be held at the IAEA. This mechanism is the main innovative and dynamic element of the Convention. There are currently 76 Parties to the Convention. United Arab Emirates has been a Party since 2009.
The UAE’s first National Report was presented to the 5th CNS Review Meeting in April 2011, which focused on policy decisions and the measures taken to launch the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy programme.
Since the 5th Review Meeting, the UAE nuclear programme made a significant progress with the start of the construction of its first two nuclear reactors at Barakah site, Western Region of Abu Dhabi.
In the course of this progress in the UAE’s national nuclear energy programme, the second National Report presents a major milestones accomplished within the programme in the areas of safety assessment of the UAE nuclear facility, lessons learnt from Fukushima Daiichi accident and applied in safety design of UAE’s nuclear plants, progress made in national capacity building as well as efforts made in the development of effective emergency preparedness and response.
The National Report also outlines actions taken in response to recommendations made during the 5th Review Meeting with respect to human resources development; building and maintaining a culture of safety; and development of approaches to emergency planning and response.
The UAE has also submitted a national report in relation to the Extraordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the CNS held in 2012 focusing on Fukushima lessons learned.
Full text of the UAE’s 2nd National Report to the 6th Review Meeting is available here: http://uae-mission.ae/Editor/UAE%20National%20Report%20CNS%206RM.pdf
