Egypt participation in IAEA nuclear energy conference

Egypt is participating in the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna to strengthen international cooperation regarding the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Dr. Sherif Helmy, Chairman of Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority, is attending the conference as part of a delegation led by Ambassador Mohamed Nasr to exchange expertise and support the development of the national nuclear program, specifically the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant project.

During the conference, Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Esmat, affirmed that the peaceful use of atomic energy is an “inherent right for all nations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.” Esmat provided updates on the El Dabaa project, noting progress such as the installation of the first unit’s reactor pressure vessel and the manufacturing of turbines and steam generators.

In a significant diplomatic outcome, the IAEA General Conference adopted a resolution proposed by Egypt to apply the agency’s safeguards system to all nuclear facilities in the Middle East. The resolution was supported by 112 member states, with nine abstentions and no opposing votes. Through this proposal, Cairo called for the international community to fulfill legal obligations and address deadlocks regarding disarmament.

Egypt continues to emphasize the importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in maintaining regional peace. The nation is also looking toward the seventh session of the United Nations Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, scheduled for November 2026 in New York, as a key opportunity to promote a weapons-free zone.