The IAEA’s Response and Assistance Network Grows to 36 Countries

Like Brazil, all State Parties to the Assistance Convention can register a wide range of assistance capabilities, categorized into the following eight areas:

Any State in the network can update their capabilities any time and, when required, can request these assistance capabilities. When a request arrives, the IAEA swiftly coordinates between the requesting and the assisting States an assistance agreement that addresses the specific needs of the requesting State.

RANET assistance was successfully coordinated and delivered recently in September 2020, when Lebanon sought assistance from the IAEA, following the explosion in Beirut’s port. In this assistance mission, Danish, French and IAEA experts conducted radiation surveys and analysis under pandemic conditions and confirmed that no hazard was presented by materials containing naturally occurring radionuclides stored at the port. French and Swiss laboratories analyzed samples collected by the Lebanese experts and confirmed that they did not contain elevated radiation levels. The Assistance Mission also provided expert recommendations and training of local authorities to promote nuclear safety and security in the country.

“The ready availability of assistance capabilities in each region is key to ensuring timely delivery and effective response in an emergency,” said Kilian Smith, IAEA RANET Officer. “We want to achieve a broad deployment of expertise and capabilities around the world.” Communication and assistance delivery are accelerated when the requesting and assisting States lie in close proximity to each other, he added.

Brazil, for example, is an invaluable resource for RANET because it could provide timely assistance to its neighbors in Latin America. “At the regional level, Brazil has been asked to provide support regarding regulatory and radiological security,” Bonifácio said about their international track record.

The Member States that offer assistance also benefit. These offers help Member States identify areas in their response capacities that can be strengthened. Bonifácio summarized the benefit Brazil derives from its RANET membership: “By contributing, we learn, and by giving assistance, we are presented with new challenges that can expand our capabilities.” He also added that, by joining RANET, “we can show that we have a good grasp of knowledge in nuclear power. We want this field to be more acceptable among our stakeholders; joining RANET is one of the rare opportunities we have to show them our expertise in this area.”

Since its establishment in 2000, the assistance network has expanded to 36 State Parties: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

More information about RANET can be found on the IAEA website and through this EPR-RANET publication.