[ RadSafe ] International Conference on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources: Towards a Global System for the Continuous Control of Sources throughout their Life Cycle

[Marcel Schouwenburg]

 International Conference on the Safety and Security of Radioactive 
Sources: Towards a Global System for the Continuous Control of Sources 
throughout their Life Cycle

27 June - 1 July 2005
Bordeaux, France

Organized by the
International Atomic Energy Agency

In co-operation with the
European Commission (EC)
European Police Office (Europol)
International Criminal Police Organization -- Interpol (ICPO-Interpol)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA)
World Customs Organization (WCO)
World Health Organization (WHO)

Under the auspices of the

Group of Eight (G-8) States

Hosted by the
The Government of France

ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS

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:
intconf.sources at iaea.org

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 at iaea.org
E-mail address for paper submission:     intconf.sources at iaea.org

Administration and organization:

Ms. Regina Perricos
Division of Conference and Document Services
Conference Service 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 at iaea.org
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Marcel Schouwenburg - RadSafe moderator & List owner
Head Training Centre Delft
National Centre for Radiation Protection (Dutch abbr. NCSV)

Faculty of Applied Sciences / Reactor Institute Delft
Delft University of Technology
Mekelweg 15
NL - 2629 JB  DELFT
The Netherlands
Phone +31 (0)15 27 86575
Fax     +31 (0)15 27 81717
email   m.schouwenburg at tnw.tudelft.nl