Experts Gather to Strengthen Global Nuclear Emergency Preparedness

The meeting, known as the Competent Authorities Meeting (CAM), features 268 participants from 113 countries and seven international organizations.

This week, Vienna is hosting the 12th Meeting of the Representatives of Competent Authority, where experts in nuclear emergencies are gathering to enhance the international system for nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness and response. The meeting, known as the Competent Authorities Meeting (CAM), features 268 participants from 113 countries and seven international organizations. Held biennially, CAM is a unique global forum dedicated to discussing the future of nuclear emergency preparedness and response.

In his opening remarks, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi highlighted the evolving challenges in emergency preparedness, noting that potential emergencies have expanded to include cyber factors, extreme weather, and conventional conflicts that were not prevalent in the mid-1980s. “Today, we face cyber factors, extreme weather phenomena, and conventional conflicts and wars that were not as prevalent in the mid-80s. Therefore, we need to continually update our activities, communication methods, and the instruments we use, which are clearly defined in the conventions,” Grossi stated.

Nuclear emergencies can occur without warning despite robust safety systems. Prompt coordinated response and international cooperation are crucial to mitigate the impacts on people, property, and the environment. The two key conventions, The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, established post-Chornobyl, define responsibilities for prompt notification and mutual assistance during emergencies. The CAM meeting focuses on enhancing these conventions to ensure global preparedness for nuclear or radiological emergencies.

IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, Lydie Evrard, stressed the importance of strengthening the international legal framework for emergency preparedness. “The Early Notification and Assistance Conventions place us all under obligation to consider this simple question: How well prepared are we to protect people, society and the environment from the consequences of a nuclear or radiological emergency? One of the key objectives of this meeting is to provide the space to address this important question,” said Evrard.

Throughout the CAM, participants are discussing a wide range of technical and scientific topics related to emergency preparedness and response. These include presentations on different countries’ emergency information exchange arrangements and optimizing the IAEA’s Response and Assistance Network. A notable panel discussion on June 4 gathered experts from China, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United States to explore advanced technologies for emergency preparedness, such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and the use of artificial intelligence in crisis response.

The meeting will conclude with participants agreeing on a series of recommendations and action items for countries and the IAEA to implement, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the emergency conventions.

Raoul Awad, Deputy Director General of the Operations Division at the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation in the United Arab Emirates and the meeting’s Chairperson, emphasized the importance of the gathering, stating, “Together, we share a great responsibility: maintaining and enhancing under any and all circumstances the international EPR framework. This meeting is essential since it gathers the world’s experts in the implementation of the Emergency Conventions and in nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness and response. Together, we determine if our arrangements are sufficient to ensure an effective emergency response when that response must be undertaken under increasingly complex conditions.”

The IAEA supports countries in reviewing and strengthening their emergency response procedures through training, exercises, and maintaining tools like the Unified System for Information Exchange (USIE), the Response and Assistance Network (RANET), and the International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS). Carlos Torres Vidal, Director of the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre, highlighted key upcoming activities, including ConvEx-3, the largest global exercise in nuclear emergency preparedness, and the IAEA EPR Conference scheduled for fall 2025. “This exercise, and the resulting report, will provide invaluable insights to further strengthen international procedures for response to major nuclear or radiological emergencies. All Member States are encouraged to participate as we all stand to benefit,” emphasized Torres Vidal.

The CAM underscores the critical need for ongoing international collaboration to address the complexities of nuclear emergency preparedness in an evolving global landscape.