The United Arab Emirates is taking part in the annual week-long General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, at the organisation’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

The UAE delegation, led by Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA and Ambassador to Austria, includes various national stakeholders in nuclear industry such as the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, FANR, Emirates Nuclear Energy Cooperation, ENEC, and Nawah.

The General Conference is the highest policy-making body of the IAEA. It is composed of representatives of all member states of the agency. The General Conference meets annually, typically in September, to consider and approve the agency's programme and budget and to decide on other matters brought before it by the Board of Governors, the Director-General and member states.

Mr. Al Kaabi delivered a key-note speech to the Plenary Session of the General Conference that highlights the strong relationship that binds the IAEA and the UAE. "Nuclear power continues to play an important role and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while delivering large scale energy to support economies and population growth worldwide. The UAE is in the final stages of construction of its first NPP with the commissioning process underway. The construction of my country’s four nuclear power reactors continues to progress well and in a timely manner with overall completion of all four units more than 82 percent. The completion rate of Barakah Unit 1 reached over 96 percent. In making this progress, the UAE recognizes the agency’s indispensable role in supporting the development of its national programme," he said.

"The UAE commends the IAEA for its role in the transfer of knowledge and technology supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, in member states. The Technical Cooperation Programme remains an essential channel for this support. The UAE has received value services through the TC Programme which facilitated the development of the infrastructure and human resources required for a safe, secure and successful nuclear energy programme," added Al Kaabi.

The UAE delegation will take part in different activities scheduled, including the Scientific Forum at the General Conference which will be convened in conjunction with the 61st General Conference, entitled "Nuclear Techniques in Human Health: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment". They will take part in other activities such as meetings of The Cooperative Agreement for Arab States in Asia for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology, ARASIA, as well as an event on the Renovation of the Nuclear Applications Laboratories, ReNuAL. The UAE will have an exhibition to showcase the UAE nuclear energy programme.

Since joining the IAEA in 1976, the UAE has been cooperating with the IAEA based on its national developmental priorities. The cooperation spans across different sectors such as training and capacity building, nuclear energy infrastructure development, as well as use of nuclear applications in healthcare, agriculture, environmental monitoring and others.

The UAE’s cooperation with the IAEA is guided by the UAE Vision 2021 which seeks to make the nation among the best countries through various pillars such as social development and economy. The IAEA-UAE accomplishes some of these pillars through achieving a competitive knowledge economy, first-rate education system, world-class healthcare and sustainable development.