CLEAR PROGRESS MADE IN NUCLEAR SAFETY WORLDWIDE, CONVENTION ON NUCLEAR SAFETY CONCLUDES

                                                            IAEA/1352

                                                            26 April 2002

CLEAR PROGRESS MADE IN NUCLEAR SAFETY WORLDWIDE,

CONVENTION ON NUCLEAR SAFETY CONCLUDES

(Reissued as received.)

VIENNA, 26 April (IAEA) -– The Second Review Meeting of Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety concluded on 26 April at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

"Significant progress has been observed in a number of key areas, such as strengthened legislation, regulatory independence, the availability of financial resources, enhanced emergency preparedness and safety improvements at nuclear power plants built to earlier standards," said Miroslav Gregoric, President of the Review Meeting.  "Most importantly, the commitment of States to all aspects of nuclear safety is higher than ever.  There is a real dedication to international information sharing, learning from the lessons of others and to constant vigilance and improvement, focusing more on human and organizational aspects and safety management -- the key ingredients of nuclear safety culture."

The objective of the Convention is to achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety worldwide.  During the two-week Review Meeting, parties engaged in a "peer review" process in which the National Reports from individual States were collectively examined and discussed, with written replies provided to all the questions raised.  Clear improvement was noted in the quality of the National Reports, the number of questions and the openness and quality of discussion and answers.

"We also identified certain trends which require our special attention, particularly with regard to safety management and safety culture, plant ageing, and upgrading and effectiveness of regulatory practices, as well as maintaining competence and knowledge in the industry, regulatory bodies and research institutions," said Mr. Gregoric.

The Contracting Parties praised the IAEA's various safety review missions and services, which they use widely to help enhance the effectiveness of their national safety arrangements.

Forty-six contracting parties participated at the Review Meeting with over 400 delegates attending, including many heads and senior officers from regulatory bodies and experts from industry.  To date, the Convention has been signed by

65 States and ratified by 54, representing 428 of the 448 nuclear power reactors worldwide.

                                    - 2 -       Press Release IAEA/1352

                                                26 April 2002

A summary report of the meeting will be issued separately.  For background information on the Convention, see http://www.iaea.org/ns/nusafe/safeconv.htm.

For more information please contact:  Mark Gwozdecky, Tel: +43-1-2600-21270, e-mail:  M.Gwozdecky@iaea.org.

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