20 Jun 2011

VIENNA / NUCLEAR SAFETY

Delegates attending the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna, Austria today adopted, by acclamation, a Declaration on Nuclear Safety on day one of the five-day event. IAEA

Posted at: June 20, 2011 5:13 pm

Duration: 02:05

Available in: SD

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STORY: VIENNA / NUCLEAR SAFETY
TRT: 2:05
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 20 JUNE 2011, VIENNA, AUSTRIA / RECENT

SHOTLIST:

RECENT - VIENNA, AUSTRIA

1. Wide shot, IAEA headquarters exterior

20 JUNE 2011, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

2. Wide shot, press conference
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Guerreiro, President, Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, International Atomic Energy Agency:
"It requests the Director-General to present an action plan on all the aspects if the Fukushima accident to Member States. It is a kick-off exercise and it shows the determination of governments that they are taking seriously what happened in Japan and that they are willing and ready to learn the necessary lessons and apply them in the future."
4. Wide shot, high-level meeting
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Yukiya Amano, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency:
"Public confidence in the safety of nuclear power has been badly shaken. However, nuclear power will remain important for many countries, so it is imperative that the most stringent safety measures are implemented everywhere. This is also true for countries opting to phase out their nuclear power programmes, whose plants will continue to operate for many years. We need to respond urgently to the public anxiety caused by the accident, while maintaining a firm long-term commitment to continuously improving nuclear safety. 'Business as usual' is not the option."
6. Cutaway, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Yukiya Amano, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency:
"Implementation is the key. Even the best safety standards are useless unless they are actually implemented. I urge all Member States to make a firm commitment to apply IAEA safety standards in practice."    
8. Wide shot, high-level meeting

STORYLINE:

Delegates attending the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna, Austria today (20 June) adopted, by acclamation, a Declaration on Nuclear Safety on day one of the five-day event.

The conference, which was initiated by Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan last March, was called to identify the lessons learned from the accident and to strengthen nuclear safety throughout the world.

The President of the Conference, Ambassador Antonio Guerreiro of Brazil, who addressed the media shortly after the adoption, said the Declaration "requests the Director-General to present an action plan on all the aspects if the Fukushima accident to Member States."

He added that "it shows the determination of governments that they are taking seriously what happened in Japan and that they are willing and ready to learn the necessary lessons and apply them in the future."

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power sustained major damage during the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan on 11 March. Significant levels of radiation continued to leak from the damaged facility for weeks following the tsunami.

Addressing the Conference earlier today, Amano said "public confidence in the safety of nuclear power has been badly shaken" adding that "we need to respond urgently to the public anxiety caused by the accident, while maintaining a firm long-term commitment to continuously improving nuclear safety."

Amano noted that national regulatory bodies must be genuinely independent, adequately funded and staffed by well-trained people. He also stressed the need to strengthen global emergency preparedness and response systems, and to expand the IAEA information-sharing role during crises to include providing analysis and possible scenarios.

"Implementation is the key," he said and urged Member States "to make a firm commitment to apply IAEA safety standards in practice."

Last month, the UN launched a system-wide study on the full implications of the Fukushima Daiichi accident. A report being prepared will be submitted to the High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security to be held at UN Headquarters in New York on 22 September.