A top official from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited on Wednesday the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) in Abu Dhabi to discuss the IAEA’s support for nuclear-related activities in the UAE.

IAEA Deputy Director General for Technical Cooperation Dazhu Yang met with FANR senior management officials, led by Deputy Director General for Operations Ian Grant, and officials from the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority.

Committed to international cooperation and transparency in the nuclear field, the UAE currently has seven technical cooperation projects with the IAEA for the 2016-2017 IAEA TC cycle in the areas of nuclear energy infrastructure; radiation, transport and waste safety infrastructure; nuclear emergency preparedness and response; radiation use in health care, cancer management and control; environmental monitoring; and radioactive waste management.

"The UAE greatly appreciates the substantive support we receive from the IAEA," said Grant. "IAEA technical cooperation has been key to the nation’s success in building sustainable infrastructure to protect people and the environment and to meet the country’s international obligations in the use of nuclear- and radiation-related technologies."

In addition to meetings at FANR headquarters today, Yang visited nuclear laboratories at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi to see how the IAEA has contributed to the success of these research facilities. In particular, Yang visited the Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory, a recently completed facility that will support radiation calibration services in the UAE.

The laboratory is scheduled to begin providing its service in 2017 for the users of radiation sources and providers of dosimetry services.

Since joining the IAEA in 1976, IAEA technical support has been available to the UAE through more than 150 TC projects, nationally, regionally, and interregionally. This cooperation has been consolidated with the establishment of the UAE Permanent Mission in 2008, acting as the official National Liaison Office to IAEA.

More recently, an Integrated Work Plan was signed in 2013, providing the framework of cooperation through which the IAEA will work with all stakeholders for the development of the UAE’s nuclear power infrastructure.

FANR and the IAEA hold regular sessions to assess programme progress and effectiveness, and the UAE National TC Programmes scored among the highest implementation rates in recent years, ranking the UAE among the first in the Asia & Pacific region in implementation of TC projects.

Source: WAM