Vienna — Morocco showcased at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its contributions to nuclear research and African professionals' training in the peaceful use of nuclear technology,
On the occasion of the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation, held in Vienna on November 26-29, Morocco was the only African and Arab country to have a booth, at the Agency's headquarters, alongside the United States, China, Brazil, Germany, Ecuador, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea.
Set under the theme "Sharing Morocco's experience in nuclear science to strengthen national capacities in Africa," the booth features various actions undertaken by Moroccan scientific institutions to share know-how with African countries, in line with the High Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to promote knowledge sharing as the best pillar of South-South cooperation.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi seized the opportunity to welcome the partnership with Morocco, which covers a number of key development sectors, including agriculture and health, stressing that Morocco's expertise in nuclear sciences is a strong asset for local and regional development.
For his part, Morocco's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Azzeddine Farhane pointed out that the booth testifies to Morocco's long-standing commitment to active South-South cooperation, under the High Guidelines of His Majesty the King, for sharing experience and strengthening African national capacities in all fields, in favor of the African continent's development.
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In turn, Director General of the National Center for Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (CNESTEN) Hamid Marah stressed that Moroccan scientific institutions are at the service of Africa, and seized the opportunity to present a scientific work entitled "Nuclear Sciences and Techniques at the Service of Sustainable Water Resource Management in Morocco".
This book compiles over twenty-five years of work by the CNESTEN, the General Directorate of Hydraulics and the Hydraulic Basin Agencies, in the field of water resource management, with the aim of ensuring responsible exploitation, thanks to the integration of nuclear and isotopic applications.
Set up as a cooperation between Morocco's Permanent Mission in Vienna and the IAEA, the booth is run by the CNESTEN, with the participation of the main national institutions involved, namely the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR), the Ibn Sina Hospital, the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST), the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), and the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA).
In addition to Messrs Grossi, Farhane and Marah, the booth's inauguration was attended by Ivorian Minister of Agriculture, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of Health Pierre Dimba, as well as Permanent Representative of Côte d'Ivoire to the International Organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Yacouba Cisse.
The ceremony was also attended by senior IAEA officials, the President of the African Group in Vienna, the Ambassadors accredited to the Austrian capital, and Directors General of AMSSNuR and CNRST, Said Mouline and Jamila Alamie, respectively.
