Radioactivity - International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an agency set up by the United Nations in 1957 as the world's "Atoms for Peace" organization and is the international centre of cooperation in the nuclear field.
It works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. UK joined the IAEA as a member state in 1957.
IAEA and Radioactive Waste Management
IAEA promotes the safe use of radioactive substances through a series of Safety Standard documents setting down best practice in the fields of nuclear energy production, radioactive waste management, radioactive materials transport safety and radiation protection.
IAEA Committees
Four IAEA sponsored committees, the Nuclear Safety Standards Committee (NUSSC), Waste Safety Standards Committee (WASSC), Transport Safety Standards Committee (TRANSSC) and Radiation Safety Standards Committee (RASSC), oversee these separate work areas. These in turn report to the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS). Radioactive Substances Division of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) provides the UK representative on WASSC. See:
IAEA and the Joint Convention
The third Review Meeting of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management and Spent Fuel Management took place in Vienna from 11- 20 May 2009.
Copies of the report, questions/answers, and the National Report presentation for the third meeting are available:
- 2009 report PDF (544 KB)
- 2009 Q&A PDF (544 KB)
- 2009 presentation PDF (544 KB)
The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, the first legal instrument to directly address these issues on a global scale, was opened for signature on 29 September 1997.
On 12 March 2001 the UK ratified the Joint Convention. The Convention requires contracting parties to submit national reports and to attend periodic review meetings.
UK’s first national report, demonstrating our compliance with the Convention, was provided to the IAEA in May 2003. An updated UK national report was submitted to the IAEA in October 2005 for discussion at the Review Meeting in May 2006. The next review meeting will be in May 2009.
Copies of both reports, questions/answers from contracting parties, and the UK’s presentation to the 2006 meeting are available:
Links
- Joint Convention (on IAEA website)
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Page last modified:18 June 2009