(REVISED ANNOUNCEMENT)

1. BACKGROUND

Following the Ministerial Conference held in Paris in March 2005, the International Atomic Energy Agency is organizing an International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century in Beijing, China, from 20 to 21 April 2009. This conference is designed to allow participants to discuss developments and emerging issues relevant to the role of nuclear power in providing clear and sustainable energy for national and regional development.
Energy supply security, the long term stability of the costs, reliability and environmental impact, including climate change, play a major role in the energy planning of States. Nuclear power, as a proven technology with virtually no greenhouse gas emissions or emission of pollutants, is expected to play an increasing role in meeting the rapidly growing global requirements for electricity.
The continued safe operation of the current fleet of nuclear power reactors is essential for addressing concerns about the use of nuclear technology and is a necessary prerequisite for nuclear power to make an increasing contribution to world energy supplies throughout the 21st century and beyond.
The conference will provide an opportunity to review the status and prospects of nuclear power including progress in the evolution of technology and to discuss the necessary actions to carry forward the positive momentum that nuclear power has witnessed in recent years. It will also offer a forum for many countries considering the potential benefits of introducing nuclear power in their national energy mix to further assess the viability of the nuclear power option.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE

The objectives of the conference are the following:
- To recognize the positive momentum towards nuclear power and to further raise the profile of nuclear energy.
- To provide a forum for discussions between high level participants from a large number of countries about the role of nuclear power in meeting energy demands in a sustainable manner.
- To discuss the different aspects of, and conditions for, the development of nuclear power in developing and developed countries.
- To discuss the interrelationship between nuclear energy, the use of resources and the environment.

3. SCOPE AND MAJOR ISSUES OF THE CONFERENCE

The conference will enable many interested Governments and other parties to present and discuss the future role of nuclear energy by making presentations on their national positions.
The conference will also include sessions to discuss major issues as follows:

On Monday, 20 April

- Energy resources and the environment.
This will allow for a discussion on climate change impacts, the potential role of nuclear power and options for sustainable energy mixes in different national conditions. It will include discussion on energy, social, economical, environmental and development issues, and the potential role of nuclear energy.

On Tuesday, 21 April

- What technology is available now and is expected to be available in the near future, and what are the long term perspectives.
This will include discussion of current designs, the availability of manufacturing facilities, potential technical impediments to expansion programmes, improving safety levels in new designs, the future availability and potential role of different reactor designs. The latter could also include a discussion of the use of nuclear energy for non electricity producing applications such as desalination or process heat. The discussion will also address safety, security and safeguards requirements associated with the increasing use and spread of nuclear energy, including technological and institutional issues and solutions.

- Infrastructure development and support for countries considering introducing nuclear power.
This will provide an opportunity to discuss the range of infrastructure challenges that countries considering introducing nuclear power may face, and the options available to meet these challenges. Considerations of the implications of infrastructure development for achieving safety and regulatory objectives will also be discussed. The legal issues associated with preparing for a nuclear energy programme will also be addressed.

And on Wednesday, 22 April

- Reliable fuel supply, spent fuel and waste management.
This will provide for discussions on the security of energy supply in general, addressing current and future trends in the availability of nuclear fuel, including the security of nuclear fuel supply. This topic will also allow for discussions about options to reduce the spread of spent fuel and waste storage facilities. The role of national and international organizations and of industry in supporting nuclear energy development will also be discussed
All the above issues will be presented by internationally recognized experts to be followed by panel discussions with and among the participants.

4. PARTICIPATION

Among the 400 participants expected to participate are Ministers and senior level advisers, as well as representatives of organizations working in the energy policy field that can make or influence energy related decisions.
All persons wishing to participate in the conference are requested to register in advance online. In addition they must complete a Participation Form (see attached Form A) and send it as soon as possible to their competent official authority (Ministry of Foreign Affairs or national atomic energy authority) for subsequent transmission to the IAEA. A participant will be accepted only if the Participation Form is transmitted through the government 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 conference approximately two months before the meeting. This information will also be posted on the IAEA’s web page.

5. VENUE

The conference will take place at the Beijing International Convention Centre in Beijing, China.

6. EXPENDITURES

No registration fee is charged to participants.

As a general rule, the IAEA does not pay the cost of attendance, such as travel and living expenses, of participants. However, limited funds may be available to help meet the cost of attendance of selected representatives mainly from developing countries with low economic resources. Generally, only one grant will be awarded per country. The grants awarded will be in the form of lump sums that usually cover only part of the cost of attendance.

Governments wishing to apply for a grant on behalf of a participant should address specific requests to the IAEA Secretariat. Governments should ensure that applications for grants:
(a) are submitted by 21 November 2008;
(b) are accompanied by a duly completed and signed Grant Application Form (Form C).

The Grant Application Form (Form C) should be sent to the competent national authority (Ministry of Foreign Affairs or national atomic energy authority) for official transmission to the IAEA.

Applications that do not comply with conditions (a) and (b) will not be considered.

7. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

The proceedings of the meeting will be published electronically by the IAEA as soon as possible after the meeting.

8. WORKING LANGUAGES

The working languages of the conference will be all official IAEA languages, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

9. DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS

A preliminary programme of the conference will be sent to participants and placed on the website before the meeting. The final programme will be available at registration.

10. ACCOMMODATION

Detailed information on accommodation and other administrative matters will be available on the conference web page:
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Meetings/Announcements.asp?ConfID=35252

11. VISAS

Designated participants who require a visa to enter China should submit the necessary application(s) to the nearest diplomatic or consular representative of the People’s Republic of China as early as possible but at least one month before the meeting.

12. EXHIBITION

Limited space will be available for displays/exhibits during the conference. Interested parties should contact Mr Huang Wei, Division Director, Dept. of International Cooperation, CAEA, Beijing, Tel: +86 10 88581286, Fax: +86 10 88581516, email: Huangwei@caea.gov.cn.

13. SECRETARIAT

The address of the Secretariat is:
International Atomic Energy Agency
IAEA-CN-169
Vienna International Centre
PO Box 100
Wagramer Strasse 5
1400 Vienna, Austria
Telephone No.: +43 1 2600 plus extension or 0 for operator
Telefax No.: +43 1 26007
Email: official.mail@iaea.org

The Scientific Secretaries of the conference are Mr R. I. Facer, Division of Nuclear Power, (telephone extension 22806, email; R.I.Facer@iaea.org) and Ms M. Bermúdez-Samiei, Office of External Relations and Policy Coordination (telephone extension 22708, email M.Bermudez-Samiei@iaea.org).

Conference organization is provided by Ms K. Morrison, Division of Conference and Document Services (telephone extension 21317, email: k.morrison@iaea.org).

Subsequent correspondence on scientific matters should be sent to the Scientific Secretaries and correspondence on administrative matters to the conference organizer.

15. CONFERENCE WEB PAGE

Please visit the IAEA conference web site regularly for information regarding this conference at: http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Meetings/Announcements.asp?ConfID=35252