CLOSING ADDRESS

摘要

On Monday when I made my opening address, I spoke about the evolution of the global nuclear safety regime and the reasons why it has come about. Essentially, it is because of the global nature of the nuclear industry and the importance of maintaining high levels of nuclear safety worldwide. I also spoke of a global radioactive waste safety regime, which has emerged as a component part of this global nuclear safety regime — a component involving not only waste from nuclear fuel cycle installations but also from the many and increasing uses of radioactive materials worldwide. I spoke of the role of the IAEA in this global regime — developing safety standards and assisting in their use and application. I emphasized the need for it to fulfil this role competently, particularly in view of the re-emergence of nuclear energy generation as a major component in the worldwide mix of energy generating options, and the ever increasing demand for energy worldwide. I also spoke of the international waste safety action plan, which was established to assist the IAEA in focusing its work in the waste safety area, and which has been updated on an ongoing basis. The plan was initiated and updated based on the outcome of recent international conferences and symposia on the safety of radioactive waste management — Cordoba 2000, Vienna 2002 and Cordoba 2004. We now have the task of reflecting on the outcomes of the long and lively debates of Tokyo 2005 to see where our efforts should be focused and directed over the next few years.