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Link to Conference Website
Registration through InTouch+platform
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Background
In line with its ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’ mandate, the IAEA also supports Member States in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 SDGs are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all 193 countries of the UN General Assembly in September 2015. The UN SDGs represent a blueprint for sustainable development and a call for urgent action on the major issues humanity is facing. Many countries use nuclear science and technology to contribute to and meet their development objectives in areas including energy, human health, food production, water management and environmental protection. The use of these technologies contributes directly to nine of the 17 SDGs.
Sustainable development in all its forms takes us towards the long-term goal of sustainability in all three dimensions: economic, social and environmental sustainability.
For the use of nuclear science and technology to be sustainable, it is necessary that its use is safe throughout its lifetime. This includes the safe management of radioactive waste (including spent nuclear fuel), environmental protection (including control of radioactive discharges) the safe decommissioning of nuclear facilities, and the remediation of contaminated areas.
Safe management of radioactive waste, environmental releases, decommissioning and remediation may also contribute to the SDGs in their own right, protecting life on land, life below water and contributing to recycling and reuse of materials, objects and sites.
This conference will be an opportunity to present and discuss in an international forum the interrelationships between safety and sustainability and the progress made for the safe management of radioactive waste (including spent fuel management), environmental protection (including control of radioactive releases), decommissioning of nuclear facilities and remediation of contaminated areas.
At the same time, the conference is envisioned to help Member States recognise practical approaches for integrating the factors that contribute to environmental, societal, and economic sustainability, including safety. For example, how do governments ensure that policies for radioactive waste management enable sustainable use of nuclear technology; how do regulators accommodate a graded approach to the control of environmental releases to enable sustainable use of nuclear technology but without calling into question their focus on safety; and how do operators identify a safe and sustainable end state for decommissioning so that an installation can be released from regulatory control.
Purpose and Objectives
This conference will serve as a forum for exchanging information, experiences, and anticipated future developments for keeping the highest levels of standards on safety and managing the interrelationships between safety and sustainable development, in the context of the themes and topics of the conference. The event will be focused on safety and on the existing interrelationships between safety and sustainability, will consider how these can be addressed in an integrated way and will identify pragmatic approaches for managing such interrelationships in practice.
While the conference will focus on presenting the progress made towards more sustainable approaches in the safe management of radioactive waste, decommissioning, environmental protection and remediation and their common aspects of safety, it will ultimately seek to:
- Initiate and assist the necessary dialogue between the safety and sustainable development communities to assess and benefit from a holistic understanding of safety and sustainable development.
- Consider how to address the relevant interrelationships in an integrated way.
- Identify practical approaches to managing the interrelationships in decision-making, from policy making to implementation.
The conference will include:
- The opening plenary session addressed by keynote speakers
- Thematic sessions covering invited and topical oral presentations
- Interactive poster session
- Vendor exhibitions area to showcase new technologies in waste and environmental safety
- The final plenary session on the last day of the conference will be dedicated to the President’s Report and IAEA closing remarks
Themes and topics covered by the conference are in the scientific programme.
Abstracts of approximately 150 to 200 words can be submitted until 19 May 2023 exclusively on IAEA-INDICO. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts as early as possible. Abstracts may contain charts, graphs, figures and references, and should give enough information to enable the Programme Committee to evaluate them.
Authors should be informed of acceptance of their abstract by 24 June 2023 and full papers should be electronically submitted before 26 August 2023.
Registration
All persons wishing to participate in the event must be designated by an IAEA Member State or should be a member of an organization that has been invited to attend. Registration is done through the InTouch+ platform.
