Interested contributors have until April 30, 2023 to submit abstracts for the 2023 Conference on Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Decommissioning, Environmental Protection and Remediation, to be held November 6-10, 2023 in Vienna, Austria.
The conference gives decision-makers, regulators, owners and operators of nuclear facilities, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations and academic institutions, the opportunity to exchange views and examine how the application of the IAEA safety principles and concepts can help find more sustainable solutions in relation to the disposal of radioactive waste, the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, environmental protection within the framework of these processes and the rehabilitation of former nuclear facilities, accident sites and other former sites.
Conference attendees will also benefit from concrete examples and training on the practical integration of safety and sustainability into other sectors, including the use of innovative, circular approaches and technologies.
For a sustainable application of nuclear science and technology in medicine, industry, research and energy production, it is essential to ensure their safe use throughout the lifetime of the facilities and activities. These include maintaining high safety standards in the management of radioactive waste, including spent nuclear fuel, environmental protection, including control of the release of radioactive materials, decommissioning of nuclear facilities and remediation of contaminated areas.
Security in these areas is seen as an integral part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including protecting life on land and water and contributing to the recycling and reuse of materials, objects and sites . The IAEA supports countries in their efforts to achieve the SDGs by using nuclear science and technology to contribute to long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability. The IAEA also helps ensure that security is fully integrated, including in policy and decision-making, to achieve sustainability in these three areas. The conference will address the question of the links between safety and the use of nuclear science and technology to achieve the SDGs and the direct role of safety in protecting people, societies and the environment.