International Experts’ Meeting on Radiation Protection after the Fukushima Daiichi Accident: Promoting Confidence and Understanding
Vienna, Austria
17 – 21 February 2014
Conference ID:
46522
(CN-224)
ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
A. Background
Against the backdrop of the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) convened a Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna, Austria, in June 2011. The Conference adopted a Ministerial Declaration which, inter alia, requested the Director General to prepare a draft Action Plan covering all the relevant aspects relating to nuclear safety, emergency preparedness and response, and radiation protection of people and the environment, as well as the relevant international legal framework.
On 22 September 2011, the IAEA General Conference unanimously endorsed the approval of the draft IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety by the Board of Governors. The Action Plan sets out a comprehensive programme of work, in 12 major areas, to strengthen nuclear safety worldwide. One of these areas, headed “Protection of people and the environment from ionizing radiation”, is focused on ensuring the ongoing protection of people and the environment from ionizing radiation following a nuclear emergency.
Another area under the Action Plan is headed “Communication and information dissemination” and focuses on enhancing the transparency and effectiveness of communication as well as improving the dissemination of information. In this connection, the Action Plan calls upon the IAEA Secretariat to organize international experts’ meetings (IEMs) to analyse all relevant technical aspects and learn the lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi accident. This IEM is being organized in support of these actions.
B. Objectives
The objective of this IEM is to provide a forum for Member States to exchange information and experience related to radiation protection, with an emphasis on preparing for and managing the long term consequences of a nuclear or radiological accident. In the light of the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the IEM will focus on the complex technical, societal, environmental and economic issues in radiation protection that have broad application and may need to be addressed during remediation and long term recovery operations following a nuclear or radiological accident.
The meeting will be of interest to a broad spectrum of experts such as decision makers, regulators, operators, contractors, representatives of technical support organizations and young professionals, as well as to other relevant parties, including members of the public.
The IEM will focus on:
• Identifying the key radiation protection issues to be addressed by the international community;
• Enhancing long term strategies in response to nuclear or radiological accidents;
• Assisting Member States in reviewing and updating their radiation protection programmes, as appropriate; and
• Supporting the IAEA’s work in the area of radiation protection.
C. Topics
Accidents at nuclear or radiological facilities can pose substantial challenges to the public, governments, and the global community as well as to the radiation protection profession as such. The Fukushima Daiichi accident highlighted a number of important issues in the area of radiation protection, including the need for timely, factually correct, objective and easily understandable communication with affected populations.
More specifically, the IEM will address the following topics:
• Exposures and Exposure Pathways
- Distribution of radionuclides in the environment and the associated exposures to workers and the public
- Identification and management of sensitive populations (e.g. children, pregnant women)
- Methods for dose assessment — modelling and measurement
• Management of Exposures
- Application of the principles of justification and optimization in remediation
- Control of foodstuffs and commodities, including trade aspects (import and export) and livestock management
- Return strategies, radiation protection criteria and societal values
• Medical and Societal Aspects
- Health surveillance and radiation monitoring programmes for the public
- Medical aspects, including training for health professionals
- Societal issues, including psychological impacts on exposed populations
• Remediation
- Radiation protection in the management of generated waste
- Impact of remediation on the environment
- Management of exposures (e.g. workers, volunteers)
• Communication
- Risk communication, education and perception of radiation doses
- Public acceptance and the decision making process
- Communicating through the media, including the use of social media
• Operational Case Studies
- Comparative analysis of major accidents, including natural disasters
- Experiences of populations living in contaminated areas
- Examples of good practices in restoring a vibrant community
D. Format
The IEM will be held at the IAEA’s Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 17 to 21 February 2014. An opening address will be delivered by a senior IAEA representative. The meeting will consist of an opening plenary session, topic-specific technical sessions, some of which are to be run in parallel, and a closing plenary session. Summaries of all the presentations and discussions, including lessons learned and recommendations for future activities, will be prepared by the Session Chairs and the IEM Chairperson. These will be presented at the closing plenary session of the IEM.
The IEM will include keynote presentations by invited international experts, selected oral presentations, panel discussions and poster presentations dealing with the topics identified in Section C above. The detailed programme will be made available on the IEM web page (Section K) in advance of the meeting.
E. Submission and Acceptance of Papers
Concise papers on issues falling within the topics outlined in Section C may be submitted as contributions to the IEM. All contributed papers must present original work and should not have been published elsewhere. There will be sessions at the IEM for those who have contributed a paper to give an oral presentation of their work. A small number of poster presentations may also be selected for oral presentation.
E.1. Submission of Extended Synopses
Experts from Member States who wish to present a paper at the IEM must submit an extended synopsis (in English) of maximum 800 words (i.e. two A4 format pages of single spaced typing, or the equivalent, including any tables or diagrams and a few pertinent references) to be sent electronically to the general email address of the IEM Secretariat: IEM6@iaea.org. These documents must be received by the IAEA by 31 October 2013. The synopsis should give enough information on the contents of the proposed paper to enable the Programme Committee to evaluate it. Introductory and general matters should not be included. The synopsis — if accepted — will be reproduced in the Book of Extended Synopses. Authors are urged to make use of the Synopsis Template in Word format that will be available on the IEM web page.
E.2. Acceptance of Papers
An extended synopsis will be considered only if the Participation Form (Form A) and Form for Submission of a Paper (Form B) have been received by the indicated deadline and through the appropriate official channels.
Authors will be informed by 30 November 2013 as to whether their papers have been accepted by the Programme Committee on the basis of the extended synopsis submitted. Guidelines for the preparation of contributed papers will be provided at that time.
Given the need to provide ample time for discussion, the number of contributed papers that can be accepted is limited. If the number of relevant and high quality papers that are considered worthy of selection exceeds the acceptable number, some of them may be selected for poster presentation instead. The IEM Secretariat reserves the right to exclude papers that do not comply with the IAEA’s quality standards and/or do not apply to one of the topics listed in Section C.
The proceedings of the IEM will be made available online to Member States through the IAEA Action Plan for Nuclear Safety dashboard:
http://www-ns.iaea.org/actionplan/default.asp
The proceedings will include the Chairs’ summaries, the presentations, the outcomes of panel discussions and recommendations.
F. Participation
The IEM is targeted primarily at experts — in particular, representatives of national regulatory bodies, public health authorities and technical support organizations — from IAEA Member States concerned with radiation protection issues that need to be addressed in the medium and longer term following a nuclear or radiological accident. The IEM will pay particular attention to the public communication and stakeholder involvement aspects that need to be taken into account.
Young professionals, defined as those who have worked in the field of radiation protection for ten years or less, are particularly encouraged to take part in the meeting.
All experts nominated by Member States to participate in the meeting are requested to register online in advance through the IEM web page (see Section K). 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 (email: official.mail@iaea.org).
Participants will be accepted only if the Participation Form is transmitted through the competent national authority of a Member State of the IAEA or by an organization invited to participate.
Participants whose official designations have been received by the IAEA will receive further information on the IEM approximately one month before the beginning of the meeting. This information will also be posted on the IEM web page.
G. Expenditures
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 IEM. 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 to normally one participant per country provided that, in the IAEA’s view, the participant on whose behalf assistance is requested will make an important contribution to the IEM. If governments wish to apply for a grant on behalf of one of their experts, they should address specific requests to the IAEA to this effect. Governments should ensure that applications for grants are submitted by 31 October 2013 and that they are accompanied by a duly completed and signed Grant Application Form (Form C).
Approved grants will be issued in the form of a lump sum payment that usually covers only part of the cost of attendance.
H. Working Language
The working language of the IEM will be English. All communications, synopses and full papers must be sent to the IAEA in English.
I. Visas
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 four weeks before they travel to Austria. Since Austria is a Schengen State, persons requiring 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.
J. IEM Secretariat
General contact details of the IEM Secretariat:
International Atomic Energy Agency
Vienna International Centre
PO Box 100
1400 VIENNA
AUSTRIA
Ref: IAEA-CN-224
Tel.: +43 1 2600
Fax: +43 1 26007
Email: official.mail@iaea.org
Scientific Secretary of the IEM:
Mr Tony Colgan
Head, Radiation Protection Unit
Radiation Safety and Monitoring Section
Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety
Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
Tel.: +43 1 2600 24271
Fax: + 43 1 26007
Email: IEM6@iaea.org
Administration and organization:
Ms Martina Khaelss
Conference Services Section
Division of Conference and Document Services
Department of Management
Ref: IAEA-CN-224
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 Secretary and correspondence on administrative matters to the IAEA’s Conference Services Section.
K. IEM Web Page
Please visit the IEM web page regularly for new information regarding the meeting:
http://www-pub.iaea.org/iaeameetings/46522/IEM6
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