Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has pledged its commitment to nuclear safety and security by depositing legal instruments and therefore becoming a party to various international treaties under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Energy and Power Development Minister Zhemu Soda handed over the instruments to IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at a short ceremony held as part of the annual Treaty Event alongside the 65th Regular Session of the General Conference today, Monday 20 September 2021. Said Gross:
These legal instruments embody the commitment of your country to do the right thing. We must acknowledge Zimbabwe as a nation coming to the IAEA and saying that it is going to be part of a system of collaboration, of cooperation in cases of nuclear accidents, international assistance when it comes to the protection of nuclear material.
We are ready to help Zimbabwe, to keep giving your country the assistance that it needs. This Agency is for everybody who needs improvement in cancer therapy, agriculture, water management, so many aspects that nuclear science can improve the lives of Zimbabwe’s citizens.
Zimbabwe, which uses nuclear technologies in health, agriculture and research, joined the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), as well as the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.
The Head of the Zimbabwean Delegation will be also signing the Additional Protocol to the country’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement in the presence of IAEA’s Director-General on Tuesday. Zhemu said:
Zimbabwe fully supports the work of the IAEA in the area of peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, several aspects of which have been incorporated within the Zimbabwe National Development Strategy (2021-2025) and our broader Vision 2030 – the development trajectory which will lead to the attainment of upper-middle-income status by the year 2030.
For many years now, Zimbabwe has enjoyed a productive and much appreciated cooperative relationship with the IAEA and has benefited immensely from technical cooperation, guidance and advice across a broad range of issues.
