68th IAEA General Conference

Implementing international requirements for nuclear safety management and nuclear safeguards requires specific managerial and technical skills. Capacity building in this area is challenging for many Member States, as new build programmes emerge and new generations of managers need to be trained. The European Union’s Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) has funded successive higher education projects in pursuit of this objective: Safeguards Training and Education (SaTE), European Leadership for Safety Education (ELSE), and Decommissioning Management and Leadership for Safety Education (DMaLSE). In 2024, a new project, Strengthening European Nuclear Safety and Safeguards Education – training and tutoring SENSEtt project, will provide sustainability to all three diploma programmes. In cooperation with the IAEA, SENSEtt will disseminate advanced knowledge through reference documents and networks of alumni, experts and academics. This event is organized in cooperation with the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). This event is organized by France.

This event will be held on Monday, 16 September 2024, from 5.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. in Conference Room M4, M Building, ground floor.

The objective of the side event is to present the RA-10 Multipurpose Research Reactor, under construction in Argentina and located at the Ezeiza Atomic Centre of the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA). During the meeting, the technical capabilities of the reactor will be presented, as well as the status of the project and its applications in order to promote international and joint collaboration with IAEA Member States. The event will be led by the President of the CNEA, Dr. Germán Guido Lavalle, and managers and technical staff of the project remotely, covering topics such as commercial products, associated services and the Argentine Neutron Beam Laboratory (LAHN). This event is organized by Argentina.

This event will be held on Monday, 16 September 2024, from 5.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor.

This event will focus on the 10th anniversary of the IAEA on International Centres based on Research Reactors (ICERR) initiative and re-designation of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) as an ICERR. Research reactors and their ancillary facilities in seven Member States are currently designated as ICERRs, serving as centres for education, training, and joint R&D projects. With KAERI’s ICERR re-designation in 2024, this event will be an opportunity to discuss the past and future of ICERRs. This event is organized by KAERI, the Republic of Korea.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.

The event aims to highlight the importance of gender mainstreaming in IAEA food safety initiatives, building on the lessons learned from the discussions on "Gender Equality for Enhancing Food Safety" facilitated by Woman in Nuclear IAEA at the International Symposium on Food Safety in May 2024. The best practices and success stories shared at the Symposium highlighted the critical role of gender equality in achieving food safety and security. As a follow up, we are aiming to identify specific outcomes related to gender mainstreaming, particularly within the IAEA and FAO's Atoms4Food initiative. This event is organized by Italy and Women in Nuclear - IAEA.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. in the Mozart Room (VIC Restaurant), F Building, ground floor.

This event will review the efforts and progress made by the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA), the African Regional Co-operative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) and the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE) in developing infrastructure for nuclear and radiological safety and security and safeguards in Africa. The achievements of these three entities will be presented alongside their planned and ongoing activities as part of a coordinated effort to ensure and implement nuclear and radiological safety and security and safeguards in Africa. This event is organized by Ghana.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 9.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.

The IAEA Department of Safeguards requires a diverse workforce from around the world. It is only with a variety of educational backgrounds, work experience and skills that the IAEA can deliver on its safeguards mission. Join our panel to discuss how IAEA staff draw on their varied experiences and know-how, and apply this to safeguards implementation. By ensuring that this diversity is part of the Department’s composition, the IAEA will have the knowledge, capability and talent it needs to continue to verify the peaceful use of nuclear material.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. at ESPACE M0E, M Building, ground floor.

This event will enable discussions by the Board of Representatives of the Co-operative Agreement for Arab States in Asia for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (ARASIA). Participants will review the achievements of the agreement in 2023 and approve activities for 2024.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 09.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR4, C Building, seventh floor.

This event will highlight the progress of the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) as well as ongoing reconstruction efforts. This event is organized by Japan.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room CR1, C Building, second floor.

The IAEA Database on Discharges of Radionuclides to the Atmosphere and Aquatic Environment

(DIRATA) is a worldwide centralized repository of data submitted voluntarily by IAEA Member States and data collected by other international and national organizations. Launched over 20 years ago,

DIRATA was recently enhanced with additional data and user-friendly features.

At this event, the DIRATA team will demonstrate how to use the database to monitor and report annual discharges of radionuclides from nuclear power plants and reprocessing facilities.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. at ESPACE M01, M Building, first floor.

This hybrid-format side event will share Kazakhstan's experience in developing radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals at the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP), and in developing radionuclide diagnostic and treatment methods in the country's leading medical centres, including through their collaboration with the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme. The side event will also share Kazakhstan's experience in creating modern nuclear medicine centres which include radionuclide diagnostic and therapy departments, cyclotrons and radiopharmaceutical production sites. This event is organized by Kazakhstan.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor.

Nuclear technologies are essential for medical research and the diagnosis and treatment of a range of conditions for millions of people each year globally. Just six nuclear reactors, along with a network of smaller cyclotron facilities, largely supply all the radioisotopes required for diagnosis and treatment. To ensure that nuclear medicine’s innovations and role in diagnosing and treating cancer and other illnesses can be transitioned into frontline clinical settings, the supply chain must cooperate to build the global capability to produce a diverse and safe supply of radioisotopes. Such capabilities would prevent shortages of isotopes and stimulate biomedical research. This event is organized by the United Kingdom.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. in Conference Room M4, M Building, ground floor.

The topics of sustainable development and circular economy cannot be avoided by the modern nuclear industry and nuclear fuel cycle. Sustainable Nuclear Fuel Cycle, a product designed by Rosatom, is intended for light water reactor operators, supporting the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. The side event will present current status of the development of the product and its application in various countries. This event is organized by the Russian Federation.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room CR5, C Building, seventh floor.

This event highlights the different knowledge sharing mechanisms initiated or supported by the European Commission to facilitate the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel and to secure the safety of decommissioning activities. Such regional initiatives are examples of good practices that are of relevance on the global stage, beyond the European Union. The following initiatives, inter alia, will be covered:

• Reports on the implementation of Directive 2011/70/Euratom
• Ways of exchanging knowledge in decommissioning
• The Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation
• The Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Information System

This event is organized by EURATOM.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 11.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room M7, M Building, ground floor.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) opens new possibilities for enhancing nuclear power plants performance and human productivity. AI can be a driver of emerging technologies to transform nuclear power plant operation and to achieve our net zero goals. With investigations into the implementation of AI around the world, the panel discussions will consider the transformative potential of AI in shaping the future of nuclear energy and present valuable perspectives on the impact it is already having on our industry.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.

The event will be also accessible virtually.

This event will focus on Sweden’s renewed commitment to nuclear power. The Swedish government, public authorities and private companies are now taking steps towards becoming a “resurgent” nuclear power country. The event aims to showcase the complexities of resuming expansion and will provide historical context, and discuss Sweden’s nuclear roadmap, coordination efforts by the government, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority’s (SSM) preparations, and Swedish operator Vattenfall's ongoing work. This event is organized by Sweden.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 11.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.

With several options including recycling and final disposal, deciding how to manage research reactor spent fuel and disused sealed radioactive sources can be challenging. Whichever route a country chooses to take, it’s important to have a complete understanding of the cost and effort required as early in the process as possible. This event will illustrate why this is the case and explain how IAEA tools, including BRIDE and DSIDES, can support the decision-making process.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at ESPACE M0E, M Building, ground floor.

Recent years have seen great advances in the minimization of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian applications. This side event aims to take stock of international developments in HEU minimization in the six years since the last International Symposium on HEU Minimization in 2018 and will evaluate past successes, highlight recent accomplishments, and explore ongoing efforts to further HEU minimization. This event is organized by Norway.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 12.00 noon to 1.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR5, C Building, seventh floor.

The Soviet-era radon-type storage facilities are dedicated for the disposal of radioactive waste generated by industrial, medical, military, and scientific research institutions.  Such facilities cannot be converted into disposal facilities and must be decommissioned. At this event, experts from Lithuania will present details of the decommissioning of the Maišiagala radioactive waste storage facility, a radon-type storage facility. They will explain the technical and organizational aspects of this decommissioning project and share the experience and expertise gained. This event is suitable for countries that still have radon-type storage facilities. This event is organized by Lithuania.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 12.00 noon to 1.00 p.m. at ESPACE M01, M Building, first floor.

One year on from the shutdown of Germany’s last reactors, the country’s nuclear energy chapter is far from closed. Nuclear safety remains a complex task that cannot be solved exclusively at the national level, and therefore requires close cooperation between agencies at home and abroad. What new challenges do authorities face regarding emergency preparedness and waste management following the phase-out? How do Germany and its neighbours cooperate to resolve them? At this event, co-organized by Germany’s Federal Office for Radiation Protection and the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, experts discuss lessons learned and suggest pathways for effective cross-border cooperation. This event is organized by Germany.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 12.00 noon to 1.30 p.m. in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor.