Representatives from 16 small island developing States (SIDS) attended an interregional meeting on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources in SIDS at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, from 13 to 17 August.
Small and often isolated, small island developing States share common challenges with regards to the safety and security of radioactive sources related to the regulatory infrastructure, human and technical capacity, and financial constraints.
The meeting’s main objective was to familiarize participants with the IAEA’s Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, as well as with the newly-published Supplementary Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources and Management of Disused Radioactive Sources.
During the one-week event, participants were briefed on the storage of radioactive sources, radioactive source end-of-life management, the identification of radioactive orphan or disused sources, metal recycling, and metal scrap safety management. A strong emphasis was placed on the importance of establishing a comprehensive national regulatory infrastructure, including a regulatory authority, and of bilateral agreements and the regulation of the import and export of nuclear sources. In addition, the training was strengthened by discussions between the participants, who were encouraged to share their experiences and insights.
The participants also visited the IAEA’s Dosimetry Laboratory and the Incident and Emergency Centre to learn more about other areas of Agency assistance. Fifteen Member States were represented at the meeting: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, St Kitts and Nevis participated as an observer, as the country is not an IAEA Member State, sending two participants. Six experts from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Spanish Nuclear Security Council and the Malaysian Nuclear Agency attended the event to share their expertise as lecturers and observers.
