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Qatar

Qatar attaches great importance to proper use of radiological energy

Published: 05 Aug 2018 - 11:56 pm | Last Updated: 03 Nov 2021 - 07:30 am

The Peninsula

DOHA: A regional workshop on the employment and training strategy for radiation regulatory authorities, organised by the Ministry of Municipalities and Environment in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), began yesterday.

In his address at the opening of the workshop, Assistant Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and the State of Qatar’s National Focal Point with the IAEA, Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Al Sada, praised the Agency’s active role and its continuous effort in enhancing security and radiological and nuclear safety and in promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy, QNA reported.

The aim of this workshop is to provide practical guidance to officials on the development of the employment and training strategy by providing practical guidance and recommendations to the regulatory bodies on their regulatory structure and management and training and qualify their staff to support them in discharging their responsibilities and functions in an independent and effective manner, take into account the need for a phased approach according to the national circumstances and the radiation risks associated with the facilities and activities in the State, Al Sada said.

Safety Expert at the IAEA, Dr Ibrahim Abdelrahim Shaddad, said at the opening session that the workshop aims at enhancing the Member States regulatory bodies’ understanding of how to organise their work and providing them with competent qualified personnel to carry out their supervisory functions efficiently and effectively, as well as providing guidance on how to develop and implement an integrated management system for core operations that help the regulatory body in performing its functions, as well as for the management and support operations required for the operation of the system and the development of programs to train and qualify employees.

On the sidelines of the opening session, Dr Shaddad told Qatar news agency (QNA) that Qatar attaches great importance to the proper use of radiological energy, noting the close and important cooperation between Qatar and the IAEA in several projects dealing with radiation safety, environment, agriculture and others for human and animal protection. He added that those who worked in this field in the country and other participants from Asian countries will benefit greatly from the outputs of this activity by training and qualifying them to promote work in the field of radiation protection, raise the efficiency of the regulatory bodies for radiation work and to ensure the safety of radiological uses completely.

Director of the Radiation and Chemicals Protection Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Aisha Ahmed Al Baker, said that the Ministry is responsible for monitoring the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in Qatar, noting that the main responsibilities of the Department are to supervise all radiological practices in the country in all fields, industrial, medical, research and security, ensure the application of the best international standards for security and radiation safety and nuclear in Qatar, supervise the circulation of radioactive sources and workers and regulate the circulation at all stages from its entry to the state, transfer, storage, use and its disposal by re-exporting them to home country to protect the human and the environment from the harm caused to it without hindering its beneficial and safe use.