With IAEA assistance, the Union of Comoros has finalized the draft of the country’s comprehensive national nuclear law. The IAEA recently hosted a meeting for senior officials of Comoros, the archipelagic country off Africa’s east coast, to highlight the importance of joining and implementing the legal instruments adopted under IAEA auspices, with a focus on those that the country is not yet party. Furthermore, it provided an opportunity to discuss and finalize the country’s draft of the national nuclear legislation.

Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the IAEA Technical Cooperation (TC) Division for Africa stressed the importance of having a comprehensive legal framework for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear technology. He noted that “a robust legal framework is a first step towards ensuring cooperation in several areas, including IAEA initiatives: Rays of Hope, which seeks to increase access to cancer care globally, and the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) initiative to prevent and mitigate future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases.

At the closing session, Wolfram Tonhauser, Head of the Nuclear and Treaty Law Section at the IAEA, said, “We trust that you now have a better understanding of the benefits of becoming party to key nuclear law conventions. We understand that the documents of adherence to three safety conventions and the final version of the draft law will be formally presented to the National Assembly in April 2022.”

Mohamed Ahamada Baco, Vice-President of the Assembly of the Union of Comoros, expressed his appreciation for the Agency’s assistance in the development of new nuclear legislation. “The discussions with the IAEA team helped us better understand the complexity of the provisions of the law, as well as the risks and benefits associated with the nuclear field. We are indeed now more confident to present the finalized text during the next session of the National Assembly.”

On the margins of the meeting from 14 to 18 March at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Comoros deposited the instruments of acceptance of the revised African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA), as well as the  Revised Supplementary Agreement Concerning the Provision of Technical Assistance by the IAEA (RSA).

The meeting was implemented within the framework of the IAEA Legislative Assistance Programme under the Agency’s TC Programme.