STRENGTHENING CONTROL OVER RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

摘要

The non-legally binding Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources (the Code) was endorsed by the General Conference of the IAEA in 2003. Since then, 90 States have made a political commitment to the Code in line with Resolutions GC(47)/RES/7.B and GC(48)/RES/10.D. The supplementary Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources (the Guidance) was endorsed by the General Conference in Resolution GC(48)/RES/10.D. To date, 45 States have notified the Director General of their intention to act in a harmonized manner in accordance with the Guidance. The Board of Governors and the General Conference of the IAEA also endorsed a mechanism for a voluntary, periodic exchange of information among States on their implementation of the Code and Guidance. Within the frame of that newly established mechanism, an open ended meeting of technical and legal experts for sharing of information as to States' implementation of the Code and its supplementary Import and Export Guidance was held in June 2007. The discussions and findings were related to the following topics: infrastructure for regulatory control, facilities and services available to the persons authorized to manage radioactive sources, training of staff in the regulatory body, law enforcement agencies and emergency service organizations, experience in establishing a national register of radioactive sources, national strategies for gaining or regaining control over orphan sources, including arrangements for reporting loss of control and to encourage awareness of, and monitoring to detect, orphan sources, approaches to managing sources at the end of their life cycles and experience with implementation of the Code and the Guidance. As highlighted in the Chair report of the meeting, there was widespread international support for the Code and the Import/Export Guidance. However, the implementation of the provisions is not even and depends on the availability of sufficient resources and expertise.