ENSI promotes Nuclear Safety at the IAEA General Conference

News, International Affairs

At the 59th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA the representatives of the member states held discussions about various topics in the field of nuclear energy. The Swiss delegation with its representatives emphasised the international strengthening of nuclear safety.

ENSI Director Hans Wanner ended on a positive note in his conclusion to the 59th IAEA General Conference: “We have been able to benefit from the mutual transfer of expertise, at the plenary meetings and during the bilateral discussions that accompanied this event. Conversely we were also able to raise Switzerland’s concerns in the field of nuclear safety within a suitable setting.”

IAEA General Conference

The IAEA, founded in 1957, is an autonomous scientific/technical organisation comprising 165 member nations, and has the task of accelerating and increasing the contribution of nuclear energy to peace, health and prosperity around the world. Each year a General Conference is held, where the member states are given the opportunity to exchange views on various topics in the field of nuclear energy. Moreover on this occasion new member states can join and new general directors can be elected.
At this year’s General Conference, Switzerland advocated that the goals of the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety should also be implemented by the IAEA. Compared to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS), the IAEA with its 165 member countries has a larger reach and sets the global standards in the field of nuclear safety.

ENSI pleads in favour of a safety strategy

Additionally, Switzerland proposed the development of a common safety strategy (IAEA Nuclear Safety Strategy). This strategy shall be updated multi-annually, and should include the twelve actions of the 2011 IAEA action plan on nuclear safety, the experience of the member states in implementing the action plan, and the measures and safety principles of the Fukushima report and the Vienna Declaration.

Another positive note for Switzerland was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Canada with the purpose of strengthening the cooperation and exchange of information between the two countries on the topic of nuclear oversight.