Diplomats in Vienna Briefed on Nuclear Law

A session on current issues and trends on nuclear law was also part of the programme, during which Ms Johnson referred to the constant evolution of the international legal framework, particularly following events like the Chernobyl accident, the 9/11 attacks and the Fukushima Daichii accident. Among recent developments she cited the entry into force of the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, the adoption of the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety under the Convention on Nuclear Safety, as well as the adoption earlier this year of a Supplementary Guidance to the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources on the Management of Disused Radioactive Sources.

The event concluded with a round table on the IAEA’s legislative assistance programme, during which the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs and representatives from the Dominican Republic, Kenya and the Philippines shared views on how this programme supports the needs of Member States for enhancing their national legal frameworks for the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation.

Referring to this support Ambassador Lourdes Victoria-Kruse, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, praised training programmes like the Nuclear Law Institute, “without which it would be difficult for lawyers in many countries to learn about this subject”. For Ambassador Maria Collinson, Permanent Representative of the Philippines, “the legislative assistance programme is one of the best investments that we can make, as Agency support is very important to raise awareness of stakeholders in the legislative process about the specificities of the nuclear field and the related international legal instruments”.

More than 85 participants from 57 permanent missions attended the workshop, offered by the IAEA to provide diplomats posted in Vienna with the opportunity to get better acquainted with different aspects of its work.