1. BACKGROUND

Radioactive sources are extensively used for beneficial purposes around the world in medical, industrial, agricultural, research and educational applications. However, their safety and security remain a matter of concern. Loss of control over some sources, sometimes as a result of inadequate regulatory oversight, has given rise to the spread of “orphan” sources - some of which have caused serious injuries to people and even death.

In recent years, additional concerns have arisen over the possibility that sources could be used for malevolent purposes. For example, the dispersal of radioactive material in the environment could lead to substantial socio-economic disruption, in addition to health problems. These concerns underline the importance of ensuring that proper control of radioactive sources during their life cycle is established and maintained throughout the world.

The International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (the BSS), issued in 1996 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (the IAEA) and five other international organizations, establish general requirements for the safety and security of radioactive sources. The IAEA assists its Member States in implementing the BSS in a number of ways, including the “Model Project” on upgrading radiation protection infrastructure.

A conference in Dijon in 1998 set down, for the first time, the basis for a coordinated international approach to the safety and security of radioactive sources. A conference in Buenos Aires in December 2000 focused on the responsibilities of senior regulators dealing with this matter. A conference at the Hofburg, Vienna in March 2003, focusing on the security of radioactive sources in the light of the events of 11 September 2001, confirmed inter alia the desirability of launching international initiatives to regain control over high-risk “orphan”, or poorly controlled, sources and to assist States in assuming their responsibilities in this field, and recommended that States make concerted efforts to comply with the principles contained in the Code of Conduct under revision. A conference in Rabat in September 2003 dealt with promoting the establishment of sustainable national infrastructures for radiation safety, including control over radioactive sources.

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. Many States have already signalled to the IAEA Director General their desire to work towards implementing the requirements of this Code. The Group of Eight States, in their statement at the Evian summit in June 2003, recognized inter alia “the essential role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in combating radiological terrorism”, and endorsed the action it was taking in this field. It [the Group] also decided to undertake various actions “to reinforce and complement the IAEA´s activities as well as to ensure the unavailability of radioactive sources to terrorists”. These actions include the organization in France in 2005, in conjunction with the IAEA, of an international conference “to further discuss and raise awareness of the radioactive source problem, and to assess progress in implementing the findings of the 2003 International Conference on Security of Radioactive Sources.”

2. OBJECTIVE

The objective of the conference is to promote a wide exchange of information on key issues relating to the safety and security of radioactive sources, including:

• drawing up an inventory;
• finding a solution without delay to situations resulting from past activities;
• preparing for the future by defining a global cooperative approach to the continuous control of radioactive sources during their life cycle.

It is expected that the conference will foster a better understanding of the risks posed by these sources from the point of view of radiation safety and the threat associated with some of them in the event of malevolent use, and will help in finding ways of reducing the likelihood of the occurrence of a radiological incident or accident, or of a malevolent act. It is also expected to identify the preparedness and response measures that are necessary and to facilitate a common understanding on the feasibility of creating a sustainable global system for ensuring the safety and security of radioactive sources.

3. PROGRAMME CONTENT

The conference will include a review of the political, scientific and technical background to the safety and security of radioactive sources based on the findings of the conferences held in Rabat, Vienna, Buenos Aires and Dijon. International initiatives and progress achieved, in particular after the adoption of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, will be assessed. Also, an evaluation will be made of the political support for the Code, national experience in its implementation and the difficulties encountered.

On the basis of this evaluation, the conference will cover in particular the following issues:

The remediation of legacies of orphan sources and poorly controlled sources, including:

• The global situation with regard to orphan sources and poorly controlled sources, as demonstrated in particular by illegal movements of sources.
• Dealing with situations inherited from past activities: sharing of information on radioactive sources exported and their subsequent use.
• Evaluation of national strategies for regaining control; experience in searching for, locating, recovering and securing sources.
• Regional and/or international partnerships with the aim of dealing with urgent cases and regaining control in the long term.

A range of actions and measures relating to the establishment of a global cooperative approach to sustainable control of radioactive sources:

• Practical assistance in the implementation of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources in all of its elements; and more broadly, strengthening of national safety and security cultures, notably through the training of operators and workers and the provision of information.
• Strengthening the inherent safety and security of sources (e.g. by design and fabrication); the use of the current international categorization of radioactive sources; standardization of safety and security features of sources (e.g. marking and tracking systems), taking into consideration issues such as constraints on transport, usage and management; promoting close cooperation with the manufacturers of sources and related equipment.
• The regulatory framework and strategies for the management of disused sources, including industrial solutions and financial implications.
• Strengthening controls over exports, imports and other movements of radioactive sources.
• Management of radiological emergencies involving radioactive sources and residual radioactive substances: experience and learning.
• Strengthening international cooperation: multi-lateralization of States´ undertakings relating to the safety and security of radioactive sources.

4. PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The opening session will include welcoming addresses by representatives of the IAEA and the host Government, statements by the other cooperating organizations and a keynote address by the President of the conference.

The technical sessions will cover the topics of the conference. One or more keynote or invited speaker(s) will address each session to introduce the topic, and all the contributed papers will be summarized by a Rapporteur. The presentations will be followed by a general discussion.

Some of the contributed papers will also be presented as posters.

Round table sessions will address topical issues and make recommendations for future actions.

The conference will end with a concluding session during which all Chairpersons will present summaries of the respective sessions, followed by the conference findings and concluding remarks presented by the President of the conference.

5. AUDIENCE

The expected audience will include national competent authorities for nuclear and radiation safety and security, including export/import control authorities, customs authorities and police, bodies for preparedness and response for radiological emergencies or terrorist threats, relevant international organizations, representatives of manufacturers and distributors of sources and related equipment, and users of sources and equipment in medicine, industry and research.

6. PARTICIPATION

All persons wishing to participate in the conference must send a completed Participation Form (Form A) through one of the competent official authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs or national atomic energy authority - see Section 10) for subsequent transmission to the IAEA. A participant will be accepted only if the Participation Form is transmitted through the competent official authority of a Member State of the IAEA or by an organization invited to participate.

Details on the logistics of the conference will be sent to all designated participants approximately three months before the meeting.

7. CONTRIBUTED PAPERS AND POSTERS

Papers on issues falling within the scope of the conference (see Section 3 above) may be submitted as contributions to the conference. These papers will not be presented orally, but will be summarized by a Rapporteur and included in a Book of Contributed Papers to be distributed free of charge to all participants upon registration. Authors of contributed papers may present the substance of their paper(s) in the form of posters.

The contributed papers should not exceed four pages in length and must be preceded by an abstract in English not exceeding 300 words. Authors must use the IAEA´s Proceedings Paper Template in Word 2000; user instructions are available on the conference web page (see Section 15). Guidelines for the preparation of a contributed paper are given in the attached “IAEA Guidelines for Authors on the Preparation of Manuscripts for Proceedings” and the “IAEA Guidelines for the Preparation of a Poster”.

The contributed papers should be submitted to the following e-mail address:

or sent on diskette/CD-ROM to the Scientific Secretariat (see Section 14). The diskette label should identify the paper and the software application used (the use of Microsoft Word is encouraged). To permit selection and review, the electronic version of the contributed paper must be received by the Scientific Secretariat not later than 15 December 2004.

In addition to the electronic submission, a copy of the contributed paper(s) must also be submitted through one of the competent official authorities (see Section 10). The paper should be sent with a completed Form for Submission of a Paper (Form B) and the Participation Form (Form A) to reach the IAEA not later than 15 December 2004.

Only papers that have been received by the above deadline(s) and through the appropriate official channels will be considered for inclusion in the Book of Contributed Papers. Final acceptance will occur after a peer review process. Furthermore, the Secretariat reserves the right to exclude papers that do not comply with its quality standards and do not apply to one of the topics in Section 3, above.

Papers that are not sent through the official channels and papers arriving after the deadline will not be considered.

Authors will be informed by 1 March 2005 whether their papers have been accepted for inclusion in the Book of Contributed Papers and/or for presentation as a poster.

8. EXPENDITURES/GRANTS

No registration fee is charged to participants.

As a general rule, the IAEA does not pay the cost of attendance, i.e. travel and living expenses, of participants. However, limited funds are available to help meet the cost of the attendance of selected specialists, mainly from developing countries with low economic resources. Generally, 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 specialists, they should address specific requests to the IAEA to this effect. Governments should ensure that applications for grants:

1. are submitted by 15 December 2004;
2. are accompanied by a duly completed and signed Grant Application Form (see attached Form C).

Applications that do not comply with the conditions stated under (a) and (b) cannot be considered.

The grants awarded will be in the form of lump sums and will usually cover only part of the cost of attendance.

9. WORKING LANGUAGE

The working language of the conference will be English.

Simultaneous interpretation into and from French will be provided. The conference programme and conclusions will be translated into French.

10. CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

The Participation Form (Form A), the Paper Submission Form (Form B) and, if applicable, the Grant Application Form (Form C) must be sent through one of the competent official authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs or national atomic energy authority) for subsequent transmission to the IAEA. Subsequent communications concerning technical matters should be sent to the Scientific Secretary and communications on administrative/logistical matters to the Conference Secretariat (see Section 14).

11. DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS

A preliminary programme of the conference will be sent to all officially designated participants prior to the conference and will be available on the IAEA conference web site (see Section 15).

The Final Programme and the Book of Contributed Papers will be available free of charge upon registration at the conference.

The Proceedings of the conference to be published by the IAEA will contain the opening addresses, the keynote presentations, the other invited speakers´ papers, the rapporteur reports, the records of the discussions, the chairpersons´ summary conclusions, and the findings of the conference presented by the President of the conference on the last day. The contributed papers will be included as a CD ROM. The Proceedings can be ordered, at a special discounted price, during the conference.

12. ACCOMMODATION

Detailed information on accommodation and other administrative matters will be sent to all officially designated participants approximately three months before the meeting. It will also be available on this conference web page.

13. VISA

Designated participants who require a visa (Schengen visa) to enter France should submit the necessary application to the nearest diplomatic or consular representative of France as soon as possible. Please note that under certain circumstances, the procedure could take at least three weeks.

14. CONFERENCE WEB PAGE

Please, visit this conference web page regularly for any new and/or updated information regarding this conference.

15. CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT

Scientific Secretariat of the Conference:

Mr. Vilmos Friedrich
Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety
International Atomic Energy Agency
P.O. Box 100
Wagramer Strasse 5
A-1400 Vienna, Austria

Telephone No.:	(+43 1) 2600 21067
Telefax No.:	(+43 1) 2600 29653
E-mail:	V.Friedrich@iaea.org
E-mail address for paper submission:	intconf.sources@iaea.org

Administration and organization:

Ms. Regina Perricos
Division of Conference and Document Services
Conference Services Section
IAEA-CN-134
International Atomic Energy Agency
P.O. Box 100
Wagramer Strasse 5
A-1400 Vienna, Austria

Telephone No.:	(+43 1) 2600 21315
Telefax No.:	(+43 1) 2600 7
E-mail:	R.Perricos@iaea.org