UAE re-elected to IAEA’s Board of Governors

Our Correspondent

The UAE has been re-elected to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, (IAEA) for the period 2020 to 2022 at this year’s annual General Conference of the agency. The move reflects the confidence of the international community in the constructive role of the UAE in the mission and mandate of the Vienna-based organisation, WAM reported quoting a senior UAE official.

The Board of Governors is one of the main policy-making bodies of the IAEA, along with the annual General Conference. The 35-member board examines and makes recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA’s financial statements, programme and budget. It considers applications for membership, approves safeguards agreements and the publication of the agency’s safety standards.
The board also considers ongoing verification reports such as those of Iran’s and North Korea‘s compliance.

The board generally meets five times a year – once in March, June and November, and twice in September.

The UAE had previously occupied the seat from 2016 to 2018, from 2013 to 2015 and from 2010-2012.

Hamad Al Kaabi, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the IAEA, said the UAE’s election to the IAEA’s Board underscores the confidence of the international community in the active role of the UAE in the international nuclear policy-making process. ”The move also underlines the global appreciation for the UAE’s successful efforts and its responsible approach towards the development of a peaceful nuclear energy programme,” he added.

The UAE recently started its first nuclear power reactor, thus developing its peaceful nuclear energy programme in a responsible manner. Unit 1 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant achieved 50 per cent of its electricity production capacity last week. Throughout the development of its nuclear power programme, the UAE ensured it fully complied and adhered to the highest standards of safety, security and non-proliferation. The UAE is the first Arab country to develop and operate a nuclear power plant.

The UAE is a party to all relevant conventions and agreements in the area of nuclear safety, nuclear security, and safeguards. The country has been an active member of the IAEA since 1976 with a long standing policy in support of the Agency’s role in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and facilitating access of peaceful nuclear technology to member states.