International Conference on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources: Maintaining the Continuous Global Control of Sources throughout their Life Cycle
Abu Dhabi, UAE
27-31 October 2013
Conference ID:
43047
(CN-204)
ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
A. Introduction
Radioactive sources are extensively used for beneficial purposes around the world in medical, industrial, agricultural, research and educational applications. Ensuring their safety and security has been a matter of global attention over the last decade and significant improvements have been made in this respect. However, accidents with significant consequences still occur, and there remain security concerns. It is time to review the current situation and to identify the means of maintaining the highest possible level of safety and security of radioactive sources throughout their lifecycle and everywhere in the world.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has established requirements and guidelines for the safety and security of radioactive sources that are set forth in the relevant publications in the IAEA Safety Standards Series and the IAEA Nuclear Security Series. The IAEA assists its Member States in implementing these requirements and guidelines in a number of ways, and in coordination with other bilateral or multilateral initiatives.
In September 2003, the IAEA Board of Governors and the IAEA General Conference approved a revised version of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources (hereafter referred to as “the Code”). During the ten years that have passed since then, 113 States have written to the IAEA Director General to express their intention to work towards implementing the provisions of this Code, and many activities have taken place at the national, regional and international levels to promote the Code and to put it into practice.
At a conference held in Dijon, France, in September 1998, the need for a coordinated international approach to the safety and security of radioactive sources was discussed for the first time. A conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2000 focused on the responsibilities of senior regulators dealing with this matter. A large international conference convened in Vienna, Austria, in March 2003 discussed specific issues related to the security of radioactive sources in the light of growing concerns following the events of 11 September 2001. A conference in Rabat, Morocco, in September 2003 dealt with promoting the establishment of sustainable national infrastructures for radiation safety, including control over radioactive sources. A conference in Bordeaux, France, in June–July 2005 focused on the first measures taken by States to improve the safety and security of radioactive sources by implementing the provisions of the Code, and called for the establishment of a formalized process of information exchange between States in order to further facilitate implementation of the Code.
The formalized process duly developed by the IAEA Secretariat for this purpose was agreed upon by States in 2006. This process has since been implemented through two open-ended meetings to share experience and lessons learned in implementing the Code and its associated Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources (hereafter referred to as “the Guidance”) that were held in Vienna, Austria, in June 2007 and May 2010, as well as through regional workshops and topical meetings.
The 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in March 2012, encouraged States “[to] reflect into national practices relevant IAEA Nuclear Security Series documents, the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources and its supplementary […] Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources; and [to] establish national registers of high-activity radioactive sources where required”.
The Fourth Review Meeting of the Contracting parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management held in Vienna, Austria, in May 2012, addressed specific issues related to the management of disused sources, orphan sources and contaminated scrap metal and recommended that States improve the reporting of safe management of disused sealed sources under the Joint Convention.
B. Objectives
The conference will deal with all aspects of safety and security of radioactive sources, including:
• Reviewing progress made in implementing, at the global level, the Code and the requirements and guidelines set out in relevant publications in the IAEA Safety Standards Series and the IAEA Nuclear Security Series since the Bordeaux conference in 2005, and sharing experience, lessons learned and good practices;
• Addressing remaining challenges and constraints with regard to ensuring the safety and security of radioactive sources throughout their life cycle, in particular with regard to the long term management of disused sources;
• Considering the future impact of new technologies on safety and security;
• Maintaining a high level of awareness and support for the safety and security of radioactive sources on the part of policymakers and other stakeholders; and
• Improving coordination of efforts to assist States to develop sustainable programmes for the safety and security of radioactive sources.
C. Topics
The conference will address the following topics:
1. Ten years of implementation of the Code: achievements, challenges and lessons learned;
2. Institutional, legal and regulatory framework for the safety and security of radioactive sources;
3. Developing sustainable approaches to strengthen the safety and security of radioactive sources (national, bilateral and multinational endeavours) in the light of successful initiatives;
4. Ways of controlling better the movement of radioactive sources throughout the world, including import and export controls, and the return and repatriation of disused sources;
5. Global industry practices and trends with regard to the design, use, recycling and disposal of radioactive sources, the development of new and alternative technologies, and associated safety and security challenges;
6. Long term safe and secure management of, and funding for, disused sources, including legacy sources;
7. Management of emergencies and safety- and security-relevant events involving radioactive sources;
8. Integration of safety and security for the effective control and protection of radioactive sources in different facilities and activities;
9. Strategies and use of new information technologies for communicating with the general public on issues related to the safety and security of radioactive sources.
D. National Reports
In addition to submitting papers on the topics listed in Section C, participants from all States are encouraged to prepare a national report to share their experiences and lessons learned in implementing the Code and the Guidance.
This conference will in effect serve as the third open-ended meeting of technical and legal experts to share information on States’ implementation of the Code and its supplementary Guidance. The previous open-ended meetings took place in 2007 and 2010 in accordance with the formalized process established in 2006.
Participants may choose to discuss any relevant issues in their national report, including, but not limited to, the topics listed below:
a) The infrastructure for regulatory control of safety and security of radioactive sources (paragraphs 8, 18–22 of the Code);
b) The facilities and services available to the persons authorized to manage radioactive sources (paragraph 9 of the Code);
c) Training of staff in the regulatory body, law enforcement agencies and emergency service organizations (paragraph 10 of the Code);
d) Experience in establishing a national register of radioactive sources (paragraph 11 of the Code);
e) National strategies for gaining or regaining control over orphan sources, including arrangements for reporting loss of control over radioactive sources and for monitoring orphan sources (paragraphs 8(b), 12 and 13 of the Code);
f) Approaches to managing sources at the end of their life cycles (paragraphs 14 and 15 of the Code);
g) Experience with arrangements for implementing the import and export provisions of the Code (paragraphs 23–29 of the Code) and its supplementary Guidance;
h)Any other issues relevant to the implementation of the Code and the Guidance, with a special emphasis on the progress made and challenges met over the last three years.
The national report may briefly describe the current status in the country with regard to the aforementioned topics. It may also comment on achievements and success stories, on difficulties encountered and lessons learned over the last three years and/or on areas where improvements are still needed, and set out the future strategies for addressing these matters. National reports should be brief — not more than ten pages in length. They should contain a one-page executive summary and are to be submitted to the Secretariat by 14 July 2013. National reports are not subject to a selection process: they will all be reproduced in unedited form and will be distributed to all participants at registration. National reports will not be selected for oral presentation, but an overview will be presented at the conference.
E. Programme Structure
The opening session will include welcome addresses by representatives of the Host Government and the IAEA, as well as of some cooperating organizations. This session will be further complemented by a keynote presentation.
The opening session will be followed by a series of sessions covering the topics mentioned in Section C. Each session will have a Chairperson and a Rapporteur and will include some invited papers and contributed papers selected by the Programme Committee. Some sessions may include a panel discussion. A summary of the session will be presented by the Chairperson.
Finally, during the concluding session, the President will present the conference findings, conclusions and recommendations on the way forward.
F. Contributed Papers and Posters
Concise papers on issues falling within the topic areas outlined in Section C may be submitted as contributions to the conference. All papers, apart from invited papers, must present original work and they should not have been published elsewhere.
(a) Submission of synopses
Participants who wish to present a paper or poster at the conference must submit an extended synopsis (in English) between 500 and 800 words maximum (i.e. two A4 format pages of single spaced typing or the equivalent, including any tables or diagrams and a few pertinent references). The synopsis should give enough information on the content of the proposed paper to enable the Programme Committee to evaluate it. Introductory and general matters should not be included.
The synopsis must be submitted together with the completed Form for Submission of a Paper (Form B) and the Participation Form (Form A) to one of the competent official authorities of the participant’s country (see Section G), or to an organization invited to participate, for subsequent transmission to the IAEA (preferably via email to: official.mail@iaea.org) to reach the IAEA by
1 February 22 March 2013.
In addition, the synopsis must be sent electronically (no paper copies) to: CN204@iaea.org.
Authors are urged to make use of the Extended Synopsis Template available on the conference web page (see Section P).
IMPORTANT: the synopsis will be considered only if the Participation Form (Form A) and the Form for Submission of a Paper (Form B) have been received by the deadline and through the appropriate official channels.
(b) Acceptance of papers/posters
In order to provide ample time for discussion, the number of papers that can be accepted for oral presentation is limited. If the number of relevant and high quality synopses submitted for selection exceeds the acceptable number, some of them will be selected for poster presentation.
Authors will be informed by 10 May 2013 whether or not their paper has been accepted by the Programme Committee for oral presentation or for presentation as a poster, on the basis of the synopsis submitted.
All accepted synopses will be reproduced in unedited form in the Book of Extended Synopses, which will be distributed to all participants at registration.
Authors of papers selected for oral presentation and invited speakers will be asked to prepare full papers for publication in the proceedings of the conference. They will receive guidelines for the preparation of full papers. The deadline for the submission of these is 1 July 2013.
The Secretariat reserves the right to exclude papers that do not comply with its quality standards and/or that do not apply to one of the topics in Section C above.
(c) Proceedings
The proceedings of the conference will published by the IAEA as soon as possible after the conference.
G. Participation and Registration
All persons wishing to participate in the conference are requested to register online in advance through the conference web page (see Section P). In addition, they are required to send a completed Participation Form (Form A), and, if applicable, the Form for Submission of a Paper (Form B) and the Grant Application Form (Form C) to the competent national authority (e.g. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or National Atomic Energy Authority) or to one of the organizations invited to participate for subsequent transmission to the IAEA (preferably via email to: official.mail@iaea.org).
A participant will be accepted only if the Participation Form is transmitted through the competent national authority of an IAEA Member State or by a non-Member State of the IAEA or organization invited to participate.
Participants whose official nominations have been received by the IAEA will receive further information on the conference approximately three months before the start of the conference. This information will also be posted on the conference web page.
H. Expenditures/Grants
No registration fee is charged to participants.
The IAEA is generally not in a position to bear the travel and other costs of participants in the conference. The IAEA has, however, limited funds at its disposal to help meet the cost of attendance of certain participants. Such assistance may be offered, upon specific request, provided that in the IAEA’s view the participant on whose behalf assistance is requested will make an important contribution to the conference. In general, not more than one grant will be awarded to any one country.
If governments wish to apply for a grant on behalf of one of their participants, they should address specific requests to the IAEA to this effect. Governments should ensure that applications for grants are:
1. Submitted by 1 February 22 March 2013;
2. Accompanied by a duly completed and signed Grant Application Form (Form C);
3. Accompanied by a completed Participation Form (Form A).
Applications that do not comply with the above conditions cannot be considered.
Approved grants will be issued in the form of a lump sum payment that usually covers only part of the cost of attendance.
I. Distribution of Documents
A preliminary programme of the conference will be made available on the conference web page (see Section P) before the start of the conference. The final programme and the Book of Extended Synopses will be available free of charge upon registration at the conference.
J. Exhibitions
A limited amount of space will be offered by the hosts for companies’ displays/exhibits of equipment and services during the conference. Interested parties should contact the local organizer:
Ms Fatema Al Ansari
Manager, Corporate Communication
Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR)
PO Box 112021
ABU DHABI
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Tel.: +971 2 651 6677
Fax.: +971 2 651 6661
Email: fatema.alansari@fanr.gov.ae
K. Working Language
The working language of the conference will be English.
L. Accommodation
Detailed information on accommodation and other administrative matters will be sent directly to all selected participants approximately three months before the conference. This information will also be made available on the conference web page.
M. Visas
Designated participants who require a visa to enter the United Arab Emirates should submit the necessary application(s) to the nearest diplomatic or consular representative of the United Arab Emirates as soon as possible. Please keep an eye on the conference web page for further advice/instructions on this.
N. Key Deadlines
1 February 22 March 2013 Submission of extended synopses including Forms A and B through official channels to the IAEA (official.mail@iaea.org). Advance copy to: CN204@iaea.org
1 February 22 March 2013 Submission of grant applications: Forms A and C through official channels to the IAEA (official.mail@iaea.org)
10 May 2013 Notification of acceptance of papers/posters
1 July 2013 Submission of full paper (only upon request by the IAEA) to: CN204@iaea.org
14 July 2013 Submission of national report on implementation of the Code and the Guidance to: CN204@iaea.org
Persons interested in participating in the conference but not submitting a paper must submit the Participation Form (Form A) through official channels to the IAEA (official.mail@iaea.org) as soon as possible.
O. Conference Secretariat
General postal address of the IAEA Secretariat:
International Atomic Energy Agency
Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100
1400 VIENNA
AUSTRIA
Ref. IAEA-CN-204
Tel.: +43 1 2600 0
Fax: +43 1 2600 7
Email: official.mail@iaea.org or
Scientific Secretaries (IAEA):
Mr Ahmad Al Khatibeh
Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety
Tel.: +43 1 2600 26366
Fax: +43 1 2600 2007
Email: CN204@iaea.org
Mr Carlos Torres Vidal
Office of Nuclear Security
Tel.: +43 1 2600 26642
Fax: +43 1 26007
Email: CN204@iaea.org
Administration and Organization (IAEA):
Ms Martina Khaelss
Conference Services Section
Division of Conference and Document Services
IAEA-CN-204
Tel.: +43 1 2600 21315
Fax: +43 1 26007
Email: M.Khaelss@iaea.org
Subsequent correspondence on scientific matters should be sent to the Scientific Secretaries and correspondence on administrative matters to the IAEA Conference Services Section.
P. Conference Web page
Please visit the IAEA conference web page regularly for new information regarding this conference:
http://www-pub.iaea.org/iaeameetings/43047/International-Conference-on-Safety-and-Security-of-Radioactive-Sources
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