Rabat – Morocco has been elected vice-president of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors for the 2025-2026 term, represented by Azzeddine Farhane, Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna.
The country’s candidacy, presented on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (Vienna Chapter), received unanimous backing from all 134 member states of the group.
The Board of Governors also elected, by acclamation, Australia’s ambassador Ian David Graining Biggs as president for the current year, along with Romania’s ambassador Stelian Stoian as vice-president for the Eastern Europe group.
In his remarks following the vote, Farhane expressed gratitude for the broad support shown to Morocco.
Even as it navigated a difficult global context, he emphasized Morocco would spare no effort to preserve what he called the “Vienna spirit of consensus” and to advance dialogue, negotiation, and compromise.
Representatives of the G77, the African Group, and the European Union, along with most IAEA member and observer states, extended congratulations to Morocco.
The election was described as a recognition of Morocco’s growing role in multilateral diplomacy, its promotion of South-South cooperation, and its pursuit of compromise-driven solutions.
The IAEA Board of Governors, alongside the General Conference of Member States, is one of the agency’s two main decision-making bodies.
It reviews the IAEA’s financial statements, budget, and program, and issues recommendations to the General Conference.
It also examines membership applications, approves safeguard agreements, authorizes the publication of safety standards, and nominates the IAEA’s Director General, subject to General Conference approval.
Morocco’s latest appointment follows its previous milestone in 2020, when the country chaired the 64th session of the IAEA General Conference for the first time.
Last week, member states of the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development, and Training in Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) unanimously chose Morocco to host the 37th meeting of the body’s Technical Committee in 2026.
The decision, announced during the 69th regular session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, sets the stage for the event to be held at Morocco’s National Center for Energy, Nuclear Science and Technology (CNESTEN).
