The IAEA recently hosted a workshop about the existing international nuclear liability regime for 76 participants from 8 Member States. In cooperation with the Government of Indonesia, the IAEA organized the virtual Subregional Workshop on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage for ASEAN Plus Three, from 29 June to 1 July 2021.
“Despite the global pandemic, the IAEA, with the assistance of Indonesia’s Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN), managed to hold this important Subregional Liability Workshop, albeit in a virtual format, to promote a better understanding of the international legal regime of nuclear liability,” said Wolfram Tonhauser, IAEA Head of the Nuclear and Treaty Law Section.
Experts from the IAEA Secretariat and the International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability (INLEX) delivered presentations on the international nuclear liability regime, with a focus on the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC). The presentations covered the definition of nuclear damage in the nuclear liability conventions, liability during transport and nuclear insurance. The programme also included a presentation on national implementing legislation.
“This workshop was implemented in a very organized manner, as seen from the general framework of each presentation and from the examination of every important detail,” said Qingming WEI, Senior Project Officer of the China Atomic Energy Authority. “The presentations were very professional and clear. It is very useful for me to understand the international legal system of nuclear liability efficiently and comprehensively.”
The IAEA Director General established INLEX in 2003 to serve as a forum to discuss nuclear liability issues and to promote adherence to the relevant international legal instruments. The workshop was organized as part of the Agency’s continuing efforts to facilitate the achievement of a global nuclear liability regime that addresses the concerns of all States that might be affected by a nuclear accident with a view to provide appropriate compensation for nuclear damage. A similar event was organized for the same region in Viet Nam in 2014.
