National Progress Report: Morocco

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Since the 3rd Nuclear Security Summit (The Hague 2014), the Kingdom of Morocco has undertaken the following actions, in line with its commitments, to implement the Action Plan adopted at the1st Nuclear Security Summit (Washington 2010):

Supporting Multilateral Instruments on Nuclear Security:

Morocco continues to support the international instruments aiming at enhancing global efforts for nuclear security:

  • Morocco chaired, in 2005, the 6th Committee of the UN General Assembly and played a significant role in facilitating the consensus for the adoption of the Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). Morocco has been party to this important instrument, since February 23rd, 2010.
  • Morocco has been party to the Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement between Morocco and IAEA, since April 21st, 2011. Morocco continues to fully comply with the IAEA’s inspection reports, and positively considers their recommendations.
  • Morocco updated and submitted, on July 28th, 2015, its last report to the UNSC resolution 1540 (2004) and subsequent resolutions, pursuant to its obligations to implement the resolution 1540.
  • Morocco ratified, on October 18th, 2015, the Amendment of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM), adopted in Vienna on July 8th, 2005.
  • Morocco promulgated, on August 22nd, 2014, the Act 142-12 on nuclear and radiological safety, security and for safeguards. This law aims at harmonizing the national legal arsenal with the relevant provisions of the international conventions on nuclear law.
  • The Decree on the establishment of the” Moroccan Agency on Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security” (Moroccan Regulatory Body) was published on October 26th, 2015.
  • The Director of the “Moroccan Agency on Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security” was appointed at the last Council of Ministers, held in Lâayoune, on February 6th, 2016. He is responsible for setting up this new National Regulatory Authority and implementing the law provisions.

Supporting International Initiatives on Nuclear Security:

As a founding member of the Global Initiative for Combating Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), Morocco continues to implement its statement of principles and terms of reference as amended at the 6th GICNT Plenary Meeting (Abu-Dhabi-UAE, June 2010):

  • Morocco has chaired, since June 15th – 16th, 2011, one of the GICNT three working groups, “the Response and Mitigation Working Group (RMWG)”. The main focus of the RMWG is to examine best practices related to crises or emergencies involving radiological or nuclear terrorist threats or incidents.
  • Morocco organized the Mid-year IAG meeting, in Rabat, on February, 17th-19th, 2015, to facilitate the adoption of the Response and Mitigation Fundamentals Document entitled “Fundamentals for Establishing and Maintaining a Nuclear Security Response Framework: A GICNT Best Practices Guide”.
  • Morocco submitted at the 9th GICNT meeting held in Helsinki, on June 16th–18th, 2015, “the Response and Mitigation Fundamentals Document”. This document, which was endorsed by Helsinki CICNT Plenary meeting, is a collection of key considerations that a country with “limited capabilities” should consider when designing or enhancing its national nuclear and radiological emergency response system.
  • Morocco organized, on January 20th- 21st, 2016, in cooperation with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the European Commission, and the GICNT, the final planning meeting of the Inter-Arab Nuclear Detection and Response Exercise “Falcon”, conducted, in Abu Dhabi, on February 23rd- 25th, 2016.

Contributing to the Global Efforts and the IAEA’s Activities to Strengthen the International Nuclear Security Regime:

Morocco hosted, organized and coordinated with the IAEA, several activities by adopting an integrated and global approach, aiming at strengthening the international nuclear security regime. The areas covered range from training, capacity-building and information-sharing to exercises on nuclear security (prevention, detection, forensics, response and mitigation):

  • Morocco has, also, built its notification, information exchange and assistance request System with the IAEA, pursuant to the relevant dispositions of the “Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident” and “the Assistance in case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency”.
  • Morocco presented the lessons learnt from the exercise ConvEx 3 named “Bab Al Maghrib” at the Competent Authority Meeting, held by the IAEA, in Vienna on May 18th, 2014, and at the International Conference on Challenges Faced by Technical and Scientific Support Organizations (TSOs) in Enhancing Nuclear Safety and Security: Strengthening Cooperation and Improving Capabilities, in Beijing on October 2014.
  • Morocco and Spain organized, with this dynamic, on October 26th- 28th, 2015, in cooperation with the IAEA, a maritime transportation security exercise of radioactive material from the port of Algeciras to the port of Tangiers-Med, named “Gate to Africa”. The context of the exercise program was driven by the political instability in the Sahelo-Saharan region that requires collective efforts, on the bilateral and regional levels, due to terrorism threat.
  • Morocco and Spain took part, in Vienna, on February 2nd-5th, 2016, in the Consultancy Meeting on the Preparation Executive Summary and the Report from the “Gate to Africa” exercises, organized by the IAEA. In the meantime, Morocco presented the lessons learnt in the areas to be improved and to gather good practices. The latter’s will be submitted as      a summary executive exercise to be shared with IAEA members, and as an input to Washington NSS (2016).

Promoting Nuclear Security Culture:

Morocco attaches the highest priority to human resources development and to the promotion of a nuclear security culture, through nuclear security education and training by establishing nuclear security support centers and international nuclear security education network:

  • Morocco updated in 2015 with IAEA its Integrated Nuclear Security and Support Plan (INSSP) for the period 2016-2017.  This plan considers the main actions to be conducted to support nuclear security enhancement. The INSSP covers legal and regulatory framework, prevention, detection, response and human resources development. 
  • Morocco continues to organize and host, at the premises of the National Nuclear Security Support Center (NSSC), training activities on nuclear security to disseminate knowledge and information, as well as to promote international standards on nuclear security for representatives of African and MENA region countries.
  • Morocco organized, in the framework of its Nuclear Security Support Center, several training activities at the national and regional levels. In 2014-2015, the National Training and Support Center of the National Center of Energy Sciences and Nuclear Techniques (CNESTEN) conducted 15 training events (9 national and 6 regional) for 380 participants on various topics related to nuclear security: detection architecture, radioactive sources physical protection, sources security transportation, emergency preparedness and response, nuclear security information management, nuclear forensics, borders control. These trainings were organized, in cooperation with the IAEA, the USA and the Arab Atomic Energy Agency.
  • Morocco (General Directorate for Civil Protection – DGPC) has been hosting, since 2013, a Regional Center of Excellence CBRN for the African countries of the Atlantic coast to share best practices, to enhance collaboration at the regional and sub-regional levels, with the following objectives:
    • To reduce the risk of illicit nuclear trafficking;
    • To raise awareness on chemical, Biological, Radiological and nuclear materials
    • To reinforce capacity building on the use of personal equipments for detection of ionizing rays.
  • Morocco equipped its customs-controlled borders and exit-entry points with devices detecting and identifying nuclear and radioactive materials.
  • Morocco’s National Center for Radiation Protection (NCRP), organized many trainings, in cooperation with the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN) and the Radiological Security Office (ORS) of the US Department of Energy.