Hilale was speaking Wednesday in Vienna at the first International Conference on Nuclear Law, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Invited by the IAEA in his capacity as Chairman of the Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) of the current 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Moroccan ambassador made his presentation as part of the round table on “non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy”.
He thus alerted to the dangers emanating from gaps in the codification of Nuclear Law, particularly in light of the complex challenges prevailing in a world characterized by wars, regional crises, climate change and delay in the implementation of the 2030 Development Agenda.
The Moroccan diplomat said that non-compliance with the provisions of the said nuclear law in force, will render the existing legal arsenal defective, and will be likely to feed illegitimate aspirations by raising the risk of illicit use of nuclear energy and creating new pockets of nuclear proliferation and potential regional and international crises.
In this regard, the ambassador welcomed the launch of several international initiatives in the field of nuclear security, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the Nuclear Security Summits (NSS), or the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) which was launched in Morocco in 2006.
He recalled that Morocco, as a founding partner of the GICNT, has actively contributed to this initiative, including endorsing its Declaration of Principles and coordinating the Implementation and Assessment Group (IAG) of its Task Force on Response and Mitigation, for the period 2019-2021.
In addition, Hilale stressed that the peaceful uses of nuclear energy are the cornerstone of nuclear law today and therefore, it is time, according to him, “to raise awareness of the fact that nuclear law occupies an omnipresent place in our daily lives and in everything that affects the future of world peace and security”.
“Although Nuclear Law remains largely unknown to the general public, it is, in fact, the key growth engine of tomorrow,” he added, noting that nuclear science and technology fuels such vital sectors as the economy, health, food and agriculture, as well as environmental, energy and security applications. Moreover, they are a viable alternative to fossil fuels, as well as a most promising complement to conventional technologies, especially in Africa, he said.
Organized on April 25 to 29, this first international conference devoted to the pioneering issue of nuclear law was attended by senior officials, diplomats, lawyers and academics experts in the field of nuclear law.
Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse