The five-day workshop is attended by 50 participants from 14 Arab countries, under the supervision of trainers from U.S.
Bahrain was represented by several ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health.
The workshop was inaugurated by the CEO of the Supreme Council for Environment Dr. Adel Khalifa Al-Zayani and its Deputy CEO Dr. Mohammed Mubarak Bin Dinah in the presence of Dhaw Saad Mesbaah, the Head of the Scientific Committee at the (AAEA) the coordinator of the session, and the Director of the International Nuclear Materials Protection Programme of US Department of Energy.
Dr. Zayani praised the national trends adopted by the participating countries to continuously develop and modernise the local capabilities so that they can deal with any dangers related to radioactive materials and radiation-generating devices.
Al-Zayani highlighted that the Kingdom of Bahrain, since joining the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in September 2009, as well as joining the (AAEA) in the same year, has proceeded with steady steps to move beyond the requirements to qualify for addressing the serious responsibilities related to dealing with radioactive materials and radiation-generating devices.
Al-Zayani said that the Supreme Council for Environment is preparing a law concerning radiation to ensure the proper management and control of these materials in the Kingdom, and to be in conformity with the terms and requirements of international treaties, agreements and conventions that deal with radiation.
Professor Dhaw Saad Mesbaah, Head of the Scientific Committee highlighted the concern of the (AAEA) to keep pace with developments in the field of radiation at the international level, and thus its drive to raise the levels of readiness and preparedness for all Arab member countries.
Director of International Nuclear Materials Protection Programme of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory pointed out that the goal of the session was to match the level of performance of the devices in participating countries with the best practices in the field of combating illicit trading in nuclear materials.
He also highlighted the proper and safe handling with cross-border material either through export or smuggling.