IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety
Vienna, Austria
20-24 June 2011
Conference ID:
42466
(CN-200)
ANNOUNCEMENT
A. Background
On 11 March 2011, a nuclear accident took place at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) in Japan, caused by a devastating earthquake and tsunami of unprecedented severity. In many countries public confidence in the safety of nuclear power plants has been shaken. The IAEA responded to the accident with a number of actions: the Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) of the IAEA was activated; specialized expert missions were dispatched to Japan to assist in understanding the accident and to provide assistance and expertise; on the initiative of the Director General, the IAEA Board of Governors convened to discuss the IAEA response to the accident; and the IAEA Secretariat provided regular briefings for Member States and the international media.
Against this backdrop, on 30 March 2011, the IAEA Director General called for a Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, with broad support from Member States.
B. Objectives of the Conference
The overall objective of the Conference is to draw on the lessons from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP in order to strengthen nuclear safety throughout the world.
The specific objectives of the Conference are:
- to make a preliminary assessment of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident;
- to assess national, regional and international emergency preparedness and response capabilities in light of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident, with a view to strengthening them;
- to discuss safety implications and identify those areas of the global safety framework which may need to be reviewed with a view to strengthening them and to launch a process to that effect; and
- to identify lessons learned and possible future actions.
C. Scope and Format of the Conference
The Conference will provide an opportunity to undertake, at the ministerial and senior technical level, a thorough preliminary assessment of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident to date and discuss broader issues relating to nuclear safety, including emergency preparedness and response. The Conference will also discuss the IAEA’s central role in nuclear safety issues and how best to mobilize the IAEA’s unique breadth and depth of experience and expertise in coordinating efforts to ensure that the most robust nuclear safety standards are applied as broadly as possible internationally.
The Conference will consist of a Plenary Session and three Working Sessions.
The Plenary Session will include statements by Ministers and other Heads of Delegation of Member States and international organizations. The Conference is expected to adopt a Ministerial Declaration.
Working Sessions will include presentations by leading national and international experts as keynote speakers and panellists, which will be followed by discussions with participating delegations.
The Summaries of each Working Session will be presented at the Closing Plenary Session on 24 June 2011.
D. Registration
All participants in the Conference should be registered online in advance. The procedure for registration is similar to that used for IAEA General Conference registration. Please click HERE to go to the online registration web page.
E. Working Languages and Interpretation
The working languages of the Conference will be Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, and statements made in any one of these languages during the meetings of the Conference will be interpreted simultaneously into the others. In order to assist the interpreters, delegates are kindly asked to provide the Conference Secretariat with a written text of their statements in advance.
F. Accommodation
A list of hotels which offer a reduced rate for IAEA conferences is available on the Conference web page.
G. Visa
Designated participants who require a visa to enter Austria should submit the necessary application to the nearest diplomatic or consular representative of Austria at least 4 weeks before entry into Austria. Please note that Austria is a Member State of the Schengen Area and therefore persons who require a visa will have to apply for a Schengen visa. In States where Austria has no diplomatic mission, visas can be obtained from the consular authority of a Schengen Partner State representing Austria in the country in question.
H. Conference Secretariat
Conference Secretariat Address:
International Atomic Energy Agency
Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100
1400 Vienna, Austria
Telephone No.: (+43 1) 2600 0
Email: official.mail@iaea.org
Conference President:
H.E. Mr Antonio Guerreiro
Resident Representative of Brazil to the IAEA,
Governor for Brazil on the Agency s Board of Governors
Chairpersons for Working Sessions:
Working Session One:
Mr Mike Weightman
HM Chief Inspector
Nuclear Directorate, Health and Safety Executive,
United Kingdom
Working Session Two:
Ms Alumanda Dela Rosa
Director, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute,
The Philippines
Working Session Three:
Mr Richard Meserve
Chairman, International Nuclear Safety Group (INSAG)
United States of America
IAEA Scientific Secretaries:
Plenary Sessions:
Mr Miroslav Lipar
Division of Nuclear Installation Safety
Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
Working Session One:
Mr Pal Vincze
Division of Nuclear Power
Department of Nuclear Energy
Working Session Two:
Ms Elena Buglova
Incident and Emergency Centre
Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
Working Session Three:
Mr Gustavo Caruso
Division of Nuclear Installation Safety
Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
IAEA Conference Organizer:
Ms Karen Morrison
Conference Services Section
Division of Conference and
Document Services
IAEA-CN-200
Telephone No.: (+43 1) 2600 21317
Email: k.morrison@iaea.org
I. Conference Venue
IAEA Headquarters, Vienna (Conference rooms to be announced later on the Conference web page)
J. Conference web page
Please, visit the IAEA conference web page regularly for new information regarding the Conference:
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Meetings/Announcements.asp?ConfID=42466
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