16 October 2013, Vienna - Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA participates in a Topical Meeting on Comprehensive Approaches to the Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle which is being held at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna from 16 to 18 October 2013.
Delegates of Member States that are Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management met at the IAEA headquarters today to follow-up on issues related to comprehensive nuclear fuel services discussion as an agreed follow up item from of Fourth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention, which took place in Vienna in May 2012.
The delegates will discuss different approaches to the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, with the overall aim to enhance global nuclear safety through practical and efficient approaches for the long-term management of spent fuel. A special attention will be given to proposals of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) adopted at the last Review Meeting, particularly a proposal on ‘consideration of the Comprehensive Nuclear Fuel Services’.
During the 4th Review Meeting, fifty-four Contracting Parties reviewed national reports describing how the respected Member States’ obligations under the Joint Convection are being implemented. The UAE participated for the first time in the Review Meeting of the joint convention held in 2012 and made public its First National Report on Compliance with Obligations of the Joint Convention on Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management as well as answered to forty-one questions asked by other Parties, mostly focusing on UAE plans and long-term strategies.
In its National Report, the UAE Government outlined its efforts and measures taken on compliance with the obligations of the Joint Convention.
There are currently 69 Parties to the Convention. The United Arab Emirates has been a Party to it since 2009.
Background
The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, the first legal instruments to directly address these issues on a global scale, was opened for signature on 29 September 1997. The Convention entered into force on 18 June 2001.
The aim of the Convention is to achieve and maintain a high level of safety standards in facilities for the disposal of spent fuel from nuclear power plants and radioactive waste. Also, it pursues the establishment and maintenance for long term measure to safeguard against potential hazards with radiological impact in such disposal facilities.
Resources to download:
UAE First National Report to the Joint Convention:
Summary Report of Fourth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties:
