Lawmakers
Thursday ratified the country’s membership of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), in a motion tabled by the Minister for Environment and Climate
Change, Pa Ousman Jarju.
He
said the IAEA is a specialised agency of the United Nations, created in 1957 as
the ‘world’s Atom for Peace’ organisation to promote safe, secure and peaceful
nuclear technologies.
He
said it comprises 167 member states as of November 2015, although established
independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the
IAEA Statute.
The
IAEA reports to both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, he said.
“The
IAEA generates and collects data on illicit trafficking and nuclear security
incidents, through coordination with states and other international
organisations.”
In
fulfillment of the above, he added, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and
its line ministry would work with the Ministry of Defence, research
institutions and other security agencies to monitor and enforce nuclear chemical
safety.
Minister
Jarju added that The Gambia has endorsed several IAEA protocols, which include:
Comprehensive safeguard agreement (CSA), 1978, the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zone Treaty (Pelindaba), 1996; Additional Protocol (AP), 2010, and Small Quality
protocol (SQP), 2011.
This
has obliged the country to meet reporting obligations to IAEA, and a team of
experts in Radiation Safety and Nuclear Security visited The Gambia, from 9 to
11 January 2012, to conduct an advisory mission in order to evaluate the
current status of the legislative and regulatory infrastructure, for regulatory
control of radiation sources at national level and provide guidance in the
areas where deficiencies were identified.
The
programme arrangements were made by the NEA, which was identified as the lead
institution with regard to IAEA issues in The Gambia and also provided
premises, as well as logistical and technical support for the conduct of the
mission.
Seconding
the motion was the National Assembly Member for Kombo South, Hon. Abdou Colley,
who said the objective of the IAEA is to seek to accelerate and enlarge the
contribution of Atomic Energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the
world.
This
is also to conduct its activities in accordance with the purposes and the
principles of the United Nations, to promote peace and international
cooperation and in conforming with the policies of the United Nations for the
establishment and safeguard throughout any international agreement into such
policies.
The
National Assembly Member for Banjul South, Hon. Alhagie Sillah, contributing to
the debate about the effects of nuclear weapons said, among other things, that
there were no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq.
Yet
the United States went on to attack Iraq, which had “created ISIS and other
terrorist groups”.
“If
you look at the documents it is also preventing other incidents that have
happened in the world. For example, when atomic bombs were dropped on
Hiroshima, those people are still going through the aftermath of it and the
effects of the atomic waste,” he added.
