The Islamic Republic of Mauritania deposited the instruments of accession to 3 international safety Conventions on 19 September 2011: the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident; the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.
At the short ceremony conducted in the background of the IAEA General Conference, Ba Housseynou Hamady, Health Minister of Mauritania, called the accession to these Conventions as an important step forward for Mauritania.
"Ten months after the Fukushima nuclear accident, we would like to express our continuous commitment to nuclear safety," he said.
Ms. Peri Lynne Johnson, Director of the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs, accepted the instruments of accession on behalf of the Agency.
A Treaty Event is being organized by the IAEA's Office of Legal Affairs from 19 to 20 September 2011 within the fringes of the 55th annual General Conference. It is designed to promote the universal adoption of international treaties related to nuclear safety, security and liability for nuclear damage.
At the IAEA's June 2011 Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, the Ministers adopted the Declaration on Nuclear Safety. They stressed that these Treaties, for which the IAEA is depositary, should be universally adopted, implemented and reviewed to strengthen nuclear safety, emergency preparedness and radiation protection of people and the environment.