The International Atomic Energy Agency will host a five-day Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety from 20 to 24 June, to discuss issues related to improving nuclear safety around the world. Following the 11 March 2011 nuclear accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan, caused by the Great East Earthquake and Tsunami, the IAEA has led efforts to learn lessons from the accident and to strengthen nuclear safety throughout the world.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has stated that, "The IAEA, with its broad membership and unrivalled expertise in all aspects of nuclear energy and nuclear safety, is the focal point for international follow-up to the Fukushima Daiichi accident."
The conference opens at 10:00 on Monday, 20 June. The Conference Programme is available on the Conference Web Site.
Media accreditation at the Austria Centre will be open from 15:00 to 19:00 on Sunday, 19 June and from 08:00 on Monday, 20 June.
Press Opportunities:
Members of the media will have a number of opportunities to cover the conference.
- Advance Briefing: The IAEA offered an advance technical background briefing Friday 17 June, about the Agency's role in promoting nuclear safety. The briefing focused on the international legal framework of nuclear safety. Senior IAEA officials were available by conference call for the off-the-record, no attribution session. This briefing was intended to be for factual guidance only, not to make news. A recording of the briefing is available with the same conditions, for background, off-the-record, and no attribution: Advanced Briefing [.mp3].
- Photo Opportunity: IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaeida will hold a bilateral meeting on Monday, 20 June in the Austria Centre. Journalists are invited to film the beginning of the meeting, including the opening remarks, which will be in English. There will be no opportunity for questions. Interested journalists should gather by 09:00 at the Documents Counter on the U2 level, near the plenary hall coffee bar.
- Plenary Sessions: To be held in Hall D, on the U2 level of the Austria Centre. All plenary sessions are open to the media. Journalists are welcome to take seats that are not reserved for delegations, although space will necessarily be limited, so such seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, a live video feed of the plenary will be available in the adjacent press working rooms 441 and P on level U2.
- One Key Exception: Because of the exceptionally large expected media presence, the IAEA will organize pool video coverage of the first morning's plenary session. To access the satellite feed, please see IAEA Monday Morning Plenary Satellite Feed.
The plenary room will be available for filming prior to the start of the conference, but when the meeting begins, all video teams will be asked to leave the room.
For plenary sessions other than the first morning, space for a limited number of fixed camera positions will be available.
- News Briefings: IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano will conduct a news conference on Monday, 20 June at 13:30 in Hall K on the U2 level of the Austria Centre.
Further conference briefings may be organised, and a number of delegations are also expected to hold press events. Please check the posted schedule in Room 441 for updates.
Broadcaster Details:
- Audio: Split boxes will provide an audio feed from the plenary sessions and for the press briefings. A Japanese language feed will also be available when Japanese officials are speaking.
- Video: Satellite trucks may park in the designated area on the plaza in front of the main entrance to the Austria Center. Power is available, but about 100 meters of cabling will be required if broadcasters wish to connect to the Room P press room on the U2 level. It will not be possible to run cabling from satellite trucks to the plenary hall.
Audio Streaming:
Plenary sessions and press briefings will be available via audio streaming.
The audio stream is not an interactive channel. Its purpose is to provide the media with an opportunity to listen to the press conference. It cannot be delivered in broadcast quality.
Press Working Area:
Two press working rooms will be available on the U2 level of the Austria Centre: Room P and Room 441, both nearby the plenary hall. In addition, Hall K will be available only on Monday, 20 June.
Wi-Fi Internet access will be available in all press working rooms.
Accreditation:
Journalists with permanent accreditation to the VIC need no further credentials. We encourage those journalists who do not yet have permanent accreditation, to request it at UNIS Vienna.
All others must seek accreditation by contacting the IAEA Press Office, tel.: [43-1] 2600-21279 or [43-1] 2600-21273.