68th IAEA General Conference

Cancer is the second highest cause of death in Romania after cardiovascular disease. Recommendations following an IAEA/WHO imPACT Review Mission in Romania in 2012 suggested improving the National Cancer Control Programme and establishing national education programmes for medical physicists and radiotherapy technologists. Romania has successfully secured a loan of EUR 250 million, from which EUR 45 million were used to upgrade 12 public radiotherapy centres with modern cancer treatment equipment and civil works (where needed).?This side event will present how comprehensive joint projects carried out by the IAEA in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the World Bank have focused on improving radiotherapy services in Romania, including training programmes for medical staff. This event is organized by Romania.

This event will be held on?Wednesday,?18 September 2024, from 1.00 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR1, C Building, second floor.

The event will be also?accessible virtually.

The Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) is the global focal point for international preparedness for and response to nuclear or radiological emergencies. The tour will provide participants with an overview of the IEC’s response roles and emergency preparedness and response tools.

Tours will be offered on Tuesday, 17, Wednesday, 18 and Thursday, 19 September from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. The planned duration of each tour is one hour.

Advance registration is required by sending an?email, stating first and family name, affiliation, delegation, email and telephone number.?The assembly point is the Information Desk at the entrance to the M building from where participants will be picked up on the respective day at 12.50 p.m.

This panel will explore the intersection of Canada's critical minerals strategy, the advancement of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), and their collective impact on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We will discuss the strategic alliance between these sectors, examining how they position Canada as a global leader in sustainable and clean energy solutions. The panel will delve into the economic opportunities arising from this collaboration, while also considering the broader implications for global energy sustainability and security. This event is organized by Canada.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. in Conference Room M7, M Building, ground floor.

The State Declarations Portal (SDP) offers an online method for State and Regional Authorities to submit and receive information from the IAEA Department of Safeguards. Recent developments now mean that SDP provides a comprehensive communications solution for all IAEA Safeguards-related correspondence with counterparts in States. At this side event, IAEA experts will demonstrate the benefits of SDP, and how to securely exchange information through the Portal.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 1.00 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. at ESPACE M0E,?M Building, ground floor.

Fusion has the potential to provide a low carbon, safe, secure, continuous and sustainable source of energy that could contribute to the decarbonization of global energy production in the long term.?The commercialization of fusion energy is accelerating, and countries are beginning to implement their regulatory frameworks. Governments need to consider the safety and security of future fusion facilities early, ensuring that fusion energy production is safe and secure and used for only peaceful purposes.?Building on the 29^th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, this event will discuss fusion safety and security considerations and how the IAEA could play an important role in setting international standards. This event is organized by the United Kingdom.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR5, C Building, seventh floor.

At the side event, information on the status of conversion and minimization of HEU in Kazakhstan, conducted in cooperation between the RSE "National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan" and the U.S. DOE NNSA, will be presented. The event will highlight achievements in this area, including successfully converting the IVG.1M reactor to LEU fuel in 2023 and measures for safely managing HEU spent fuel from IVG.1M. Updates on the unique technology for down-blending and immobilizing irradiated HEU fuel from the IGR Reactor will be given.
In addition, information on the development of its technology for producing new samples of LEU fuel with other physical characteristics and changed concentrations of fuel in the graphite is intended to be presented. This event is organized by Kazakhstan.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 1.30 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.

During this tour, visitors can learn about the safeguards equipment used by IAEA safeguards inspectors, from the preparation of equipment to be taken into the field, to the shipment of the equipment and its return to IAEA Headquarters.

Prior registration for all tours is required in advance. To register for Safeguards Equipment Insight contact this email, stating first and family name, affiliation, delegation, and telephone number.

The assembly point is the Information Desk at the entrance to the M building from where participants will be picked up on Wednesday, 18 September at 1.30 p.m.

Rays of Hope Anchor Centres play a pivotal role in advancing equitable cancer care through targeted support to neighbouring countries in key areas such as education, training, research, innovation and quality assurance.

Marking one year since the signing of the first 5 Anchor Centres, this event will spotlight the progress these centres have achieved; activities under way; and directions for the way forward. It will also highlight the wide range of IAEA innovations – ground-breaking research, cutting-edge databases, state-of-the-art e-learning and virtual reality tools, to name but a few – that Anchor Centres can utilize to conduct their critical work more effectively.

The event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 2.00 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR4, C Building, seventh floor.

The event will be also?accessible virtually.

Visitors to the IAEA’s Hydrology Laboratory in the VIC will be shown the laboratory facilities that support Member States in the application of nuclear and nuclear-related techniques for the isotopic analysis of water samples.? This tour will include the tritium and noble gas facilities for age dating groundwaters and the laser lab where stable isotope of oxygen and hydrogen are analysed to provide data about the hydrological cycle.

This tour will be offered on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Prior registration is required, as a maximum of 12 visitors can be accommodated.

To register delegates should send an email by noon on the day of the tour, Please provide?your first and family names, affiliation, delegation and mobile phone number.

Confirmed participants should meet at the Information Desk at the entrance to the M Building at 1.50 p.m. on Wednesday, 18 September.

For countries considering or embarking on nuclear power programmes, conducting self-evaluations can be an arduous – yet critically important – process. The Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) service is an effective way of identifying the infrastructure areas needing further development. Performing a well-documented self-evaluation has proven to be a challenge for many countries among the 37 INIR missions performed as of today.?During this ESPACE event, IAEA experts will introduce the development of an enhanced approach designed to support the self-evaluation process with improved guidance.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. at ESPACE M01,?M Building, first floor.

This panel event will highlight the importance of enhancing graduate and postgraduate education in African universities. It will include high level representatives from regional and international bodies involved in education and training, who will discuss approaches to training a critical mass of young scientists in the nuclear field.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 2.30 to 4.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR5, C Building, seventh floor.

This event will spotlight the roles of technology and innovation in fostering the exchange of knowledge among Member States and the wider scientific community. It will highlight how the Agency’s Division of Information Technology, in partnership with the technical departments, is leveraging developments in technology, including AI, to develop state-of-the-art digital tools and platforms. Practical examples of the use of technology and innovation at the IAEA will be showcased, such as portals supporting key IAEA initiatives including Zodiac and NUTEC Plastics.? The event will explore the potential for further advancing digital collaboration and exchanging information on the peaceful application of nuclear technologies.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. at ESPACE M0E,?M Building, ground floor.

The Plenary Meeting of the Regulatory Cooperation Forum (RCF) will focus on the activities undertaken in relation to the updated action-oriented RCF Strategic Plan. Efforts to further enhance support for regulatory infrastructure development and assistance for embarking countries considering various technological options, including small modular reactors, will be discussed. At this event, various experiences of regulatory infrastructure development in embarking countries will be shared and case study presentations, will be collated into a series of topical publications under the IAEA ‘Generic Roadmap to Develop Infrastructure for Nuclear Safety of the First Nuclear Reactor’?project.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024 from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.

The event will be also?accessible virtually.?

This event involves a laboratory tour.?The tour will showcase the Radiation Safety Technical Services Laboratory, which provides annual monitoring services for external and internal radiation exposure for 3000 occupationally exposed workers. These services are critical to IAEA activities globally. Support services also include training, consultation and the loan of survey equipment.

Tours will be offered on Tuesday, 17, Wednesday, 18 and Thursday 19 September 2024. from 2.30 p.m. to 3.45 p.m.

Advance registration is required by sending an?email, stating first and family name, affiliation, delegation, email and telephone number.?The assembly point is the Information Desk at the entrance to M building, from where participants will be picked up on the respective day at 2.20 p.m.

This event will provide a forum for IAEA Member States and other interested parties to discuss the activities of the Ibero-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies (FORO), the key outcomes of FORO’s technical programme to maintain high levels of radiation protection and nuclear safety in the Ibero-American region, and its approach to gender equality. The event will focus on disseminating new results in the areas of radiopharmacy, the transport of radioactive material, and the training and licensing of nuclear reactor operators, while also presenting new projects and initiatives for the coming year. This event is organized by Peru.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. in Conference Room M7, M Building, ground floor.

Transparency and open dialogue with stakeholders are vital to the long-term sustainability of nuclear power programmes. As hosts or potential hosts of nuclear facilities, local stakeholders have a unique role in nuclear power programmes. Although local contexts vary, host communities share a spectrum of concerns, needs and values. Addressing those concerns and needs is cornerstone for collaborative and trusting relationship throughout the life cycle of nuclear facilities.?This side event will explore what it means to be a local stakeholder and how communities can work together with other stakeholders, including governments and nuclear industry, to enable the success of nuclear projects.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 3.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. in Board Room D, C Building, fourth floor.

The recording of the event is available here.?

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) will provide information to high level State representatives about the ongoing work to review and revise the system of radiological protection. The event will provide an overview of the ongoing work, working methods, stakeholder engagement and the expected results of the review. The event will provide an opportunity to discuss the potential impacts of the review and make a call for action to States. This event is organized by Canada.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 3.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.

This event is the annual in-person meeting of the Nuclear Regulators for Gender Equity (formerly International Gender Champions Impact Group on Gender Equality in Nuclear Regulatory Agencies), held on the margins of the General Conference. The Impact Group is co-chaired by the IAEA Director General, the Chair of the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection, Ms Annemiek van Bolhuis, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Nuclear Regulator, Ms Ditebogo Kgomo. This event is organized by the Netherlands.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 3.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR1, C Building, second floor.

Nuclear science — a pillar of human advancement over the past century — contributes significantly to clean energy and advanced medical care worldwide. This side event highlights the critical importance of preserving a robust pool of expertise in Europe, that includes an effective? nuclear education and training (E&T) infrastructure. Over the past 20 years, there have been serious concerns regarding the potential shortage of human resources in the field of nuclear science. It is clear that changing the way we attract, develop and retain talent across the sector will be a key driver of skills success. This is not something that can be achieved by only one or two organizations, and there is therefore a need for a well-organized collaborative effort to meet current and future needs for nuclear skills and competences in Europe. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is committed to supporting capacity building and the long term development of nuclear skills, with a special focus on nuclear security and safeguards, in the European Union. A panel of experts will present the insights of the nuclear E&T community in this specific domain and beyond, providing potentially valuable insights to the broader nuclear scientific community and industries facing similar challenges in attracting, retaining and developing human talent. This event is organized by EURATOM.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 3.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor.

This expert panel organized by Germany will address the challenges of safeguarding nuclear material and facilities in crisis situations. It will draw lessons from previous experiences on implementing safeguards under crisis conditions and explore interdisciplinary research, such as by the VeSPoTec (Verification in a complex and unpredictable world: social, political, and technical processes) consortium. This research identifies vulnerabilities of safeguards given specific crisis scenarios and proposes areas for further strengthening safeguards effectiveness and resilience. This event is organized by Germany.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 4.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in Conference Room M4, M Building, ground floor.