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PERMANENT MISSION OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES TO THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA

Monthly Newsletter

In this issue:

In Focus

IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano visits UAE– pp. 1-2

Inside Stories

------------------

In Focus

2014 Nuclear Security

Summit in The Hague –

p.1 -3

Other Stories

UAE Presents its 2nd

National Report to the 6th

Review Meeting of the

Convention on Nuclear

Safety – p. 4-5

International Advisory

Board meets in Abu

Dhabi to review the UAE

nuclear power

programme progress –

p. 6

UAE shares its practices at

the International Experts‟

Meeting on severe

accident management –

p. 7

UAE stakeholders discuss

the importance of

nuclear safety and

security culture –p. 8

UAE Ambassador

welcomes the CNS

delegations at the UAE

Permanent Mission – p. 9

What’s New in Media Room?

IAEA produces a film on

UAE Nuclear Power

Programme – p. 10

UAE Permanent Mission

joins YouTube – p.10

Upcoming events – p.10

Vol.3, Issue 3 March 2014

World Leaders Commit to Reduce Continuing

Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

In this Issue

High level delegation from the United

Arab Emirates (UAE) led by His Highness

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al

Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi

and Deputy Supreme Commander of

the Armed Forces joined world leaders

in the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS),

held on 24-25 March in The Hague,

Netherlands.

The Nuclear Security Summit is a high

level international forum focusing on

prevention of nuclear terrorism and

securing materials that could be used

to build nuclear weapons. The 3rd

Summit in The Hague brought world

leaders to assess the progress achieved

2014 Nuclear Security Summit

Fifty-eight world leaders, four international organizations,

thousands of delegates and journalists assembled in The Hague

to come to a common understanding of the threat posed by

nuclear terrorism, to agree on the effective measures to secure

nuclear material, and to prevent nuclear smuggling and

terrorism at the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands.

Tel: +43 715 0028

Fax: +43 715 0028 - 5555

E-mail: general@uae-iaea.org

Web: www.uae-iaea.org

PHOTO: ©NSS2014

since the Washington Summit in 2010

and Seoul Summit in 2012.

During the Summit, UAE Government

reassured allies of its continued

commitment to the Summit‟s shared

goals of nuclear disarmament, nuclear

non-proliferation and peaceful use of

nuclear energy.

“Terrorism in general, and nuclear

terrorism in particular, represent the

most important challenges facing the

world today, which requires our diligent

joint action in order to be able to ward

off all forms of this threat,” said His

Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin

Zayed in his statement to the Summit.

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In the context of the Summit the UAE government submitted a

National Progress Report, which outlines its efforts toward

achieving the NSS objectives through strengthening measures on

nuclear security at the national level and by means of

international cooperation.

The UAE progress Report summarizes measures taken by the

Government in establishing a legal framework on preventing

nuclear terrorism based on international standards in the areas of

global nuclear security regime, nuclear materials, radioactive

sources, transport security, national capacity building,

information security, combatting illicit trafficking, national

regulatory regime on nuclear security and safety, as well as

International cooperation, particularly stressing the important role

of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in this area.

"The UAE has taken an active part in the security summits since

2010. These international meetings have made a number of

achievements, highlighting the challenges posed by nuclear

terrorism which have forced many states to take measures to

secure nuclear and radioactive material against the danger of

terrorism," the Crown Prince emphasized.

Reference Documents of NSS 2014

UAE National Progress Report here <<

Results of NSS 2014 here <<

Joint Initiative on Strengthening Nuclear

Implementation here <<

‘Gift Baskets’ & other initiatives here <<

2014 The Hague Communiqué here <<

2012 Seoul Communiqué here <<

2010 Washington Work Plan here <<

Outcomes of 2014 Nuclear Security Summit

Each Summit is aimed at achieving new progress on

safeguarding nuclear material. The first summit was

concerned with making political agreements, while the

follow-up in Seoul focused on the advancements made

in implementing those agreements. The third NSS has

centered its focus on the results achieved and the future

plans.

PHOTO: ©NSS2014

The third Summit has reached new agreements in

the areas of:

reducing the amount of dangerous nuclear

material in the world that terrorists could use to

make a nuclear weapon (highly enriched

uranium and plutonium);

improving the security of all nuclear material

and radioactive sources (including low-

enriched uranium), that can be used to make a

„dirty-bomb‟;

improving the international exchange of

information and international cooperation.

These new agreements are built on the results of

earlier summits held in Washington (2010) and

Seoul (2012). (continued on page 3)

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In addition to the general agreements

reached by all 53 participating countries,

extra commitments to strengthen nuclear

security implementation were made by a

number of country groups.

A group of 35 countries, including the

UAE, have pledged to adopt

international security measures and

guidelines on the protection of nuclear

security materials into their national laws.

Particularly, an initiative to incorporate

the International Atomic Energy Agency‟s

guidelines on the protection of nuclear

material into national legislations has

been signed by 30 countries, including

the UAE.

It also was agreed by countries to allow

international experts to assess their

national security procedures for nuclear

material.

On the sidelines of The Hague Summit,

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al

Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi met

with number of leaders to discuss

bilateral relations and strategic

cooperation.

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al

Nahyan met with Dutch King William-

Alexander, President of United States

Barack Obama, as well as Prime Minister

of England David Cameron.

The UAE delegation to the 2014 Nuclear

Security Summit was led by H.H. Sheikh

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan‟s and

included H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed

bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign

Minister, and other high-level UAE

officials .

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAE

Foreign Minister meet Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the

Netherlands at the opening of the Nuclear Security Summit in

The Hague, 25 March (Photo credit: AFP Photo)

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meets Dutch King Willem-

Alexander during the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague in

the Netherlands (Photo: WAM )

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Convention on Nuclear Safety: UAE Presents its 2nd National

Report to the IAEA 6th CNS Review Meeting

Nuclear safety has been given principle consideration from the very beginning of the development

of the UAE’s nuclear power programme. In its first National Report to the 5th CNS Review Meeting in

2011, the UAE outlined its policy decisions and the measures taken to launch the UAE’s peaceful

nuclear power programme. Since then, the UAE has moved forward with the establishment of

legislative, regulatory, and administrative measures, as well as other steps taken by the UAE

Government to fulfill its obligations as a Contracting Party to the Convention on Nuclear Safety

(CNS). Especially in the given context of the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the UAE extensively

carried out activities over the past two years to learn from its lessons, and has outlined an improved

safety framework in the second National Report presented to the 6th CNS Review Meeting.

On 28 March, the UAE delegation

presented the 2nd National Report

to the 6th Review Meeting of the

Contracting Parties on the

Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS)

at the headquarters of the

International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) in Vienna, Austria.

The Review Meeting took place from

24 March to 4 April, assembling

delegations from 75 countries that

are Contracting Party to the

Convention, to discuss measures

taken by their governments to

enhance safety framework.

The Convention on Nuclear Safety

aims to legally commit participating

States operating land-based nuclear

power plants to maintain a high level

of safety by setting international

benchmarks to which States would

subscribe.

The UAE‟s Permanent Representative to the IAEA,

Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, and other senior officials

from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR)

and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC)

presented the UAE National Report on compliance with

the Convention, which opened panel discussions with

delegates from Contracting Parties.

The UAE delegation received a number of questions from

the contracting parties covering various areas of

regulatory and policy development in the UAE nuclear

safety framework during the panel discussions.

H.E. Hamad Alkaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA presents the

National Report on compliance with the Convention on Nuclear Safety to the 6th

Review Meeting, 28 March, IAEA headquarters Vienna

The National Report describes measures the UAE has

taken to fulfill its obligations as a Contracting Party to

the Convention, with particular focus on the lessons

learned from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi

nuclear power plant in Japan.

The Report also includes a summary of the actions

taken by the UAE government to support the IAEA‟s

Nuclear Safety Action Plan.

(continued on page 5)

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The UAE National Report is the result of a collective

effort of various national organizations including the

national regulatory body, the Federal Authority for

Nuclear Regulation (FANR); the operator, the Emirates

Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC); and other leading

organizations.

“The 6th Review Meeting is an important platform to

highlight the contribution the UAE has made to global

nuclear safety in particular since the Fukushima

accident. As the UAE moves forward with the

development of its peaceful nuclear energy

programme, the country is keen to participate actively

in the CNS review meetings by providing insight on

how to strengthen the Convention” highlighted

Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi.

The UAE National Report has been reviewed by

Contracting Parties to the CNS prior to the Review

Meeting and has received 111 questions all of which

have been answered in detail and made available to

parties.

The UAE‟s first National Report was

presented to the 5th CNS Review

Meeting in April 2011, which focused

on policy decisions and the

measures taken to launch the UAE‟s

peaceful nuclear energy

programme.

Since the 5th Review Meeting, the

UAE nuclear programme made a

significant progress with the start of

the construction of its first two

nuclear reactors at Barakah site,

Western Region of Abu Dhabi, which

is extensively described in the

second National Report.

H.E. Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi explains UAE’s progress on the

implementation of the Nuclear Safety Convention, IAEA HQ,

28 March

Dr. William Travers, FANR Director General briefs the

Contracting Parties on UAE’s regulatory framework on

nuclear safety, IAEA HQ, 28 March

Background

The Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) was adopted in

Vienna on 17 June 1994. The Convention obliges Parties to

submit reports on the implementation of their obligations for

"peer review" at meetings of the Parties to be held at the IAEA.

This mechanism is the main innovative and dynamic element of

the Convention. There are currently 76 Parties to the

Convention. United Arab Emirates has been a Party since 2009.

Full text of the UAE‟s 2nd National Report to the 6th Review

Meeting is available here >>

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International Advisory Board Meets in Abu Dhabi to Review the UAE

Nuclear Power Programme Progress

Established by the UAE Government, the International Advisory Board (IAB) aims at enhancing

the transparency of the country’s peaceful nuclear programme. Twice in a year, the

International Advisory Board meets to review the progress of the UAE Nuclear Power

Programme.

The Eighth meeting of the International Advisory Board (IAB) for

the UAE nuclear power programme took place in Abu Dhabi on

10-11 March, headed by the Chairman of the IAB Dr. Hans Blix.

The International Advisory Board is a body mandated to provide

an independent assessment of the United Arab Emirates‟

Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme.

H.E. Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, UAE Permanent

Representative to the IAEA briefed the Board of the IAB on UAE

Government‟s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy

Agency. The Board received multiple briefs from main

stakeholders including the Federal Authority for Nuclear

Regulation (FANR) and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

(ENEC).

The latest IAB Reports are available on the Board‟s website

http://www.uaeiab.ae/publications.php

UAE Ambassador

Hamad Alkaabi

briefs the IAB

Semi-Annual

meeting of the

IAB in Abu Dhabi,

2010

(Photo: IAB)

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UAE Shares its Practices at the International Experts Meeting on Severe

Accident Management

Post Fukushima Efforts: Accident Management

From 17 to 20 March, more than 200 nuclear experts from

forty-eight IAEA Member States assembled at the IAEA

headquarters in Vienna, to share and learn practices on

nuclear crisis management.

An International Experts’ Meeting on Severe Accident

Management in the Light of the Accident at the Fukushima

Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the seventh in a series of

expert meetings plays an important role in facilitating the

implementation of IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety.

The meeting discussions focused particularly on the issues

related to improvements made to severe accident

management programmes in light of the Fukushima Daiichi

accident, as well as on the regulatory oversight and

enforcement of such programmes, and how to effectively

integrate on-site and off-site response plans, including a

consideration of required training and equipment.

A group of UAE experts from the national regulatory body,

the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR); and

the operator, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

(ENEC), shared experiences of their entities as each

national stakeholder has carried out a wide-range of

UAE expert from national nuclear regulatory

authority shares the country’s experiences on

lessons learned and applied in the safety design

of the national nuclear power programme.

Actions Taken in UAE after the Fukushima Daiichi Accident

Nuclear regulator FANR sent immediate request to nuclear

operator ENEC to provide a plan describing how ENEC will apply

lessons learned from Japan‟s nuclear accident (April 2011);

ENEC established Safety Review Task Force Initiatives to evaluate

the implementation of applicable lessons learned from the

Fukushima accident, and thus to enhance safety features of the

proposed nuclear power plant at the Barakah site;

FANR requested ENEC to undertake an assessment to determine

how recent experience at Fukushima and lessons learned so far

may be applied to address any potential safety issues at the

proposed Barakah Nuclear Power Plants Units 1 and 2;

A detailed report compiling the results of the assessment, including

matters related to nuclear safety and radiation protection from

ENEC was provided to FANR by 31 December 2011;

The “Safety Assessment Report for Barakah Nuclear Power Plants

(Lessons Learned from Fukushima Accident)”was reviewed by

FANR as part of ENEC‟s Construction License Application (CLP) for

Barakah Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 & 2. Later FANR made public

its Safety Evaluation Report of an Application for a Licence to

Construct Barakah Units 1 & 2, available at www.fanr.gov.ae

website;

The IAEA conducted an Integrated Regulatory Review Service

(IRRS) mission in January 2012, to assess the UAE‟s regulatory

framework.

UAE submitted its 2nd National Report to the IAEA 6th Review

Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear

Safety (CNS).

All national stakeholders continue implementation of the IAEA

Nuclear Safety Plan;

measures on the enhancement of severe accident

management resulting from lessons learned from the

accident at Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

The UAE government has described in details in its 2nd

National Report to the IAEA 6th CNS Review Meeting, the

post-Fukushima measures taken as part of its arrangements

and regulatory requirements concerning the design and

construction of nuclear installations for the national nuclear

power programme.

Plenary of the IEM at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, 17 March

(Photo: IAEA)

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Technical Cooperation to Meet National Needs

UAE Stakeholders Discuss the Importance of Nuclear Safety and Security Culture

The United Arab Emirates set its date for

operation of first nuclear reactor in 2017.

As the country is still embarking on a

nuclear power programme, the

government is developing a

comprehensive approach to its nuclear

safety and security culture. From 11 to 13 March, UAE national

stakeholders participated at the IAEA

workshop on Safety and Security Culture in

Pre-operational Phases of a Nuclear Power

Project held from 11 to 13 March in Abu Dhabi.

More than 52 senior officials from UAE

organizations engaged in nuclear power

programme joined a three-day workshop to

discuss the concepts of safety and security

culture and means to develop within their

organizations.

FACTS & FIGURES

In 2014, the scope of UAE‟s Technical

Cooperation with the IAEA goes through 7

national TC projects;

Areas of national TC projects involve

nuclear energy, nuclear safety and security,

radioactive waste management, water

and the environment, nuclear knowledge

development and management

The implementation of UAE‟s national TC

projects has succeeded with the highest

implementation rate of 96.32% in 2013 in

accordance with the IAEA TC Department‟s

assessment.

Participants of the National Workshop on Safety and Security

Culture, Abu Dhabi

The main course of the workshop addressed issues relating

to the frameworks for safety and security culture, roles and

responsibilities in cultural improvement efforts as well as

Integrated Management System (IMS) in relation to

cultural aspects.

IAEA experts from the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety

and the Division of Nuclear Security provided in-depth

knowledge combining two interrelating areas within

nuclear power such as safety and security.

The workshop was organized within the framework of UAE-

IAEA Technical Cooperation project on “Supporting the

Development of National Nuclear Power Infrastructure for

Electricity Generation – Phase II”, to provide the national

counterparts with technical expertise. The workshop

addressed the understanding of the concept of both

safety and security culture, and covered profoundly areas

of:

Safety culture and its normative framework;

Security culture and its normative framework;

Roles and responsibilities in cultural improvement

work;

Integrated Management System in relation to

cultural aspects;

Safety & Security culture in the national nuclear

programme.

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UAE Ambassador Welcomes the CNS Delegations at the Permanent

Mission in Vienna

A reception hosted by H.E. Ambassador Hamad

Alkaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the

IAEA welcomed respected delegates to the

IAEA 6th CNS Review Meeting for an informative

social break at the UAE Permanent Mission

offices on 28 March.

Distinguished guests attending the reception

congratulated the UAE on submission of tis

second National Report on compliance with the

CNS and the solid progress the UAE government

achieved in development of its peaceful

nuclear programme.

Guests included senior officials of the Agency

and delegates to the Review Meeting, and the

UAE delegation.

Guests at the UAE reception on the occasion of the CNS Review

Meeting, UAE Permanent Mission premises

Permanent Mission of the United Arab

Emirates to the International Atomic

Energy Agency hosted a reception for

the respected delegates of the IAEA

6th Review Meeting of the Contracting

Parties to the Convention on Nuclear

Safety (CNS) at its premises in Vienna.

Ambassador Alkaabi in discussion with Mr André-Claude

Lacoste, the Chairman of the 6th CNS Review meeting

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24 March – 4 April, 6th Review Meeting

of the Contracting Parties to the

Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS),

Vienna, Austria

8-10 April, 35th Meeting of the

Commission on Safety Standards (CSS),

Vienna, Austria

31 March- 2 April Meeting between

GCC and IAEA to review Regional

Nuclear Emergency Plan, Vienna,

Austria

12 April, 8th Ministerial Meeting of the

Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

Initiative (NPDI) in Hiroshima, Japan

14-17 April, 6th Meeting of Working

Group 1 and Working Group 2 of the

Comprehensive Fukushima Report,

Vienna, Austria

28-30 April, ARASIA Board Meeting on

Technical Cooperation, Vienna,

Austria

27-29 April, IAEA National NORM

Workshop for the Abu Dhabi National

Oil Company (ADNOC), Abu Dhabi,

UAE

Upcoming Events

What’s New in Media Room?

IAEA Produces a Film on UAE Nuclear Programme

A five minutes film produced by

the IAEA Public Information

Division will introduce you with

UAE‟s rationale behind the

decision to embark on a nuclear

power.

It will take you in a journey to Abu

Dhabi to witness first-hand

progress in construction of the

nation‟s first nuclear power plant

and conversations with leading

experts involved in implementing the nuclear energy programme.

The film is available on:

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/multimedia/videos/nuclearpower/110214/u

ae/

UAE Permanent Mission joins YouTube

Our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/UAEMissionVienna

As part of its social media engagement, the

Permanent Mission joins the YouTube, video-

sharing website. The Mission‟s YouTube

channel provides video updates on UAE‟s

cooperation with the IAEA, and associated

activities, interviews with national and

international leading nuclear experts, media

coverage, and others.

About the Permanent Mission

The UAE has been a member to the IAEA since 1976. The

Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acts as the main liaison between the

UAE government and the IAEA in Vienna, Austria.

The UAE Permanent Mission was established in 2008. Its objective is

to represent the interests of the UAE Government at the IAEA and

to facilitate the UAE‟s engagement and cooperation with the IAEA

in the areas of nuclear safety, nuclear security, non-proliferation

and safeguards, technical cooperation, and implementation of

relevant international obligations.

Permanent Mission of the United Arab

Emirates to the International Atomic

Energy Agency, Vienna

Chimanistrasse 36,

1190 Vienna, Austria

Tel: (+43 1) 715 00 28

Fax: (+43 1) 715 00 28 – 5555

E-mail: general@uae-iaea.org

Website: www.uae-iaea.org

Follow us: @UAE_IAEA @UAE_IAEA

UAE Permanent Mission to IAEA