Senior nuclear law specialists from the IAEA recently participated in the 22nd Biennial Congress of the International Nuclear Law Association (INLA). The Congress is a leading international conference on legal issues relating to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The conference was held from 7 to 11 November 2016 and hosted by the Nuclear Law Association, India in New Delhi.
Peri L. Johnson, IAEA Legal Adviser and Director of the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs, delivered remarks in the inaugural session of the Congress. Ms. Johnson highlighted the entry into force of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) and the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), remarking that “All multilateral agreements negotiated under IAEA auspices are now in force, and our focus must turn to their implementation in domestic law.” She also noted that the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs is available to help Member States in this regard.
Ms. Johnson also observed important developments in Indian nuclear law and the IAEA’s cooperation with India. These included the connection of India’s deposit of an instrument of ratification for the CSC and the issuance of India’s first nuclear insurance policy.
She also discussed the collaboration between the IAEA and India on cancer control programmes. In particular, she noted the release in September 2016 of a cancer staging app to help doctors evaluate cancers affecting women. The app was developed jointly by the IAEA, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Tata Memorial Centre of India. This is the second cancer staging app developed jointly by the IAEA and Indian institutions.
Also representing the IAEA was Wolfram Tonhauser, Head of the Nuclear and Treaty Law Section, Office of Legal Affairs. Mr. Tonhauser spoke on a panel regarding nuclear security. He presented an update on the Amendment to the CPPNM and addressed the next steps of implementing the Amendment and encouraging as many States as possible to ratify it. He also discussed the upcoming International Conference on Nuclear Security, which will be held at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 5 to 9 December 2016.
