Country Profile: Saudi Arabia
BASIC FACTS
Saudi Arabia is a Member Country of the NAM Movement since 1961
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest state in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf region. It is bordered to the north by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait; to the east by Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates; and to the South by Oman and Yemen. As the second largest oil producer in the world, Saudi Arabia is categorized as a high-income economy. In foreign affairs, Saudi Arabia’s ongoing feud with Iran has contributed to tension in the region.
Capital: Riyadh
The King Abdulaziz University for Science & Technology has one nuclear research reactor under construction (LPPR). The Saudi National Atomic Energy Project (SNAEP) was established in 2017 and has plans for two nuclear power plants by 2040. SNAEP has had discussions with China, the United States, and Jordan, and the IAEA regarding uranium mining and exploration, critical nuclear technology, and the overall development of a civil nuclear program/civil nuclear cooperation.They aim to develop a sustainable indigenous program with outside help, so that they may then export nuclear energy to other nations.
TREATIES AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
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Member IAEA (1962)4
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Geneva Protocol (1971)5
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Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) (1972)6
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Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) (1996)7
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Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (2007)8
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Outer Space Treaty (1976)9
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Sea-bed Treaty (1972)10
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Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) (2007)11
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Treaty for the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) (1988)12
AGREEMENTS (In Force):
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Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (2011)
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Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (2009)
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Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (2016)
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Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident (1989)
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Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (1989)
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Convention on Nuclear Safety (2010)
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Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (2011)
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Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (2011)
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Revised Supplementary Agreements Concerning the Provision of Technical Assistance by the IAEA (RSA) (1993)
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Co-operative Agreement for Arab States in Asia for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (the 2017 ARASIA) (2021)
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Agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (2009)
REGIONAL GROUPS
- Member of the Asia-Pacific Group
- Member of the G-77
- Member of OPEC
- Founding member of the Arab League
- Member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
RECENT REPRESENTATION IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
- IAEA Board of Governors for 2019-2020
- Vice-Chair of the UN First Committee in 2014
- Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) since 2014
- Host of the League of Arab States Summit in 2016
LINKS
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations
Nuclear Sciences Research Institute
Saudi National Atomic Energy Project
Ratification of Treaties & Membership in International Organizations Related to Disarmament
Country List (Office of Legal Affairs): Saudi Arabia (iaea.org)