According to the Al-Watan daily, Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC) plans to entrust an IT firm with creating an electronic platform for transmitting and exchanging communications in the case of nuclear and radiological emergencies.
The NRRC works to create policies and rules that guarantee control over nuclear and radiological activities, procedures, and facilities. It also establishes rules for nuclear safety, security, and safeguards and verifies their implementation. Finally, it keeps an eye on the export, import, and circulation of nuclear materials and other nuclear and radioactive items and develops specifications for emergency preparedness for these situations.
The main goal of the platform will be to give a unified and effective system for transactional communication, information and data during radiological and nuclear emergency response operations amongst all national agencies that are part of the National Plan for Radiological and Nuclear Emergency Response.
Saudi Arabia gave the largest contribution of $10 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency for the creation of the Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre in Vienna. It was done to show the nation’s global efforts to fight nuclear terrorism, combat illicit trafficking in nuclear materials, strengthen countries’ capabilities in nuclear security, built up the international security system etc.
The NRRC is tasked with the following duties:
It is notable that the NRRC was founded in accordance with a decision of the Council of Ministers on Jamad Al-Thani 25, 1439, and that the commission has organisational ties to the prime minister and public legal personality as well as financial and administrative independence.
