Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV), Azzeddine Farhane, reiterated, on September 26, the Kingdom’s “constant” commitment to supporting the “central” role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in providing technical assistance to member states.
Speaking on behalf of Morocco during the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 67th General Conference, underway until September 29 at UNOV headquarters, Farhane stated that “Morocco has developed a reliable infrastructure in the field of peaceful applications of nuclear technology, thanks to cooperation with the Agency and partner Member States.”
The Moroccan diplomat added that “the Kingdom, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, is committed to the principles of South-South cooperation and African solidarity, and pledges to pursue its actions in support of multilateral efforts and the promotion of initiatives that embody our collective motto: The Atoms for Peace and Development.”
Farhane also emphasized Morocco’s firm commitment to sharing its expertise with its partners and African countries, either bilaterally or in cooperation with the IAEA, to “promote the use of nuclear applications, science, and technology for peaceful motives.”
In a similar context, the Moroccan ambassador recalled that “the Moroccan institutions concerned with implementing the country’s national strategy were the first in Africa to receive distinctions as IAEA collaborating centers for the use of nuclear techniques,” particularly in the fields of water resource management, environmental protection, and industrial applications, as well as for capacity building in the field of nuclear security.
The diplomat added that according to the Agency’s recent years records, Morocco has been one of the leading countries in Africa in offering training, workshops, and courses, and in sharing its technical expertise with over 40 African member states.
The Moroccan ambassador also underlined that at the bilateral level, and within the framework of triangular cooperation with the IAEA, “Morocco has shared its expertise at the regional level and promoted the peaceful use of nuclear applications and technologies in a safe, secure and sustainable manner in several fields,” namely nuclear medicine and medical physics, nutrition, water, agriculture, industry, the environment, energy, as well as nuclear safety, security and safeguards.
The diplomat noted that Morocco has established a “clear and structured” national strategy to promote the safe and secure use of nuclear technology applications, listing, in this regard, the different actions undertaken by the Kingdom at the political and technical levels, to implement this strategy.
In addition, Farhane stated that the official visit of IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, to Morocco in June 2022 gave a strong impetus to constructive cooperation between the Kingdom and the IAEA, recalling that a year following this visit, new areas of cooperation had been opened while existing ones had been strengthened.
Farhane also mentioned the new recognitions granted by the IAEA to the National Center for Energy Sciences and Nuclear Techniques (CNESTEN), The National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST), the National Institute of Oncology (INO) in Rabat, and the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR) during the Agency’s General Conference.
Farhane delightfully reported that these four new recognitions, to be recorded in the annals of the IAEA, “testify to the concrete actions undertaken by Morocco to support knowledge sharing and capacity building of experts, particularly in Africa, in the different fields of nuclear applications, ranging from radiotherapy and water management to nutrition and radiological safety and security.”