Atoms for Peaace

Inforrmationn Circuular

INFCIR
RC/821
Date: 20 June 2011

General Distribution
Originaal: EnglishDeclar
Dration by theeIAE
EA Minnisteriaal Connferenc
ce on Nucle
ear Saffetyin Vie
enna oon 20 June 2011

W
We, the Minissters of the Member Staates of the In
nternational Atomic Eneergy Agencyy (IAEA),gatheredd in Vienna in light of the serious consequencees of the nu
uclear accideent at the Fu
ukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Pow
wer Station caused by ththe Great Eaast Japan Eaarthquake annd Tsunami to direct,
under thhe leading roole of the IAAEA, the prrocess of leaarning and acting upon llessons to sttrengthen
nuclear safety, emeergency prep
paredness annd radiation protection of people aand the env
vironment
worldwide,
1.

Exxpress symppathy for andasolidaritty with Jap
pan in conn
nection withh the unpreecedented
eaarthquake and tsunami off 11 March 22011, which caused mucch loss of life
fe and severee damage,annd the accideent at the Fukkushima Daiiichi Nuclearr Power Statiion; and empphasize the resolve
rofthhe internationnal communiity to continnue to assist Japan in its efforts to m
mitigate and overcome
othhe consequennces of the disaster and thhe accident;

2.

Reecognize thee efforts of thet internatioonal commu
unity to enhaance knowleddge in nucleear safety
annd radiation protection anda strengthhen internatio
onal standarrds in nucleaar safety, em
mergency
prreparedness anda responsee and radiatioon protectionn of people anda the envirronment andd the need
too draw the lesssons from th
he accident aat the Fukush
hima Daiichi Nuclear Pow
wer Station;3.

wer as a viablle option in meeting theeir energy
Reecognize thaat some Statees consider nnuclear pow
neeeds, while otheroStates havehdecidedd not to use oro to phase ou
ut nuclear ennergy;

4.

Reecognize thaat nuclear accidents may have transb
boundary effeects and raisse the concerrns of thepuublic about the safety ofo nuclear eenergy and the radiolog
gical effectss on people and theennvironment; and emphaasize the immportance ofo adequate responses based on scientificknnowledge andd full transpaarency, shouuld a nuclear accident occcur;

5.

Unnderline thaat States witth nuclear ppower programmes havee a central role in ensu
uring theappplication off the highest standards off nuclear safeety; and emp
phasize the reresponsibility
y of theseINFCIRC/821
Page 2

States for providing a timely, transparent and adequate response to nuclear accidents in order tominimize their consequences;
6.

Emphasize the importance of implementing enhanced national and international measures toensure that the highest and most robust levels of nuclear safety are in place, based on IAEA
safety standards, which should be continuously reviewed, strengthened and implemented as
broadly and effectively as possible and commit to increase bilateral, regional and international
cooperation to that effect;7.

Commit to strengthening the central role of the IAEA in promoting international cooperationand in coordinating international efforts to strengthen global nuclear safety, in providing
expertise and advice in this field and in promoting nuclear safety culture worldwide;

8.

Encourage the close cooperation and coordination among the relevant intergovernmental andnon-governmental organizations on nuclear safety related matters;

9.

Stress the importance that the IAEA should be further enabled to meet the high level of public
expectation to provide timely, factually correct and objective information and assessments ofnuclear accidents and their radiological consequences;10.

Welcome the reports submitted by Japan and the IAEA International Fact-Finding Mission toJapan, which include preliminary assessments of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Station;

11.

Stress the need to receive from Japan and the IAEA a comprehensive and fully transparent
assessment of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident in order for theinternational community to be able to draw and act upon the lessons learned, including a reviewof IAEA safety standards that are relevant to the accident, in particular those pertaining tomultiple severe hazards;

12.

Underline the benefits of strengthened and high quality independent international safety expert
assessments, in particular within the established IAEA framework, through periodic reviews andevaluation missions assessing national regulatory frameworks, emergency preparedness andresponse and nuclear power plant operation in order to ensure continuous improvement of thesafety of nuclear installations on the basis of internationally agreed rules and procedures;

13.

Encourage States with operating nuclear power plants to conduct, as a response to the accident
at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, comprehensive risk and safety assessments of
their nuclear power plants in a transparent manner;

14.

Emphasize the responsibility of the nuclear industry and operators in the implementation ofnuclear safety measures and call upon them and their associations to fully support and actively
contribute to international efforts to enhance nuclear safety by, inter alia, furtheringtransparency and prioritizing safety considerations;

15.

Commit to further strengthening the authority, competence and resources of national regulatory
authorities, including through appropriate technical and scientific support and to continuously
ensure their effective independence;

16.

Reiterate the importance of universal adherence to and the effective implementation andcontinuous review of the relevant international instruments on nuclear safety, consider thepossibility of strengthening the international legal framework in this area; and recognize theAgency’s enhanced efforts to that effect;INFCIRC/821
Page 3

17.

Underline further the importance of adequate, prompt and continuous information sharing in thecase of an accident, transparency and exchange of best practices among States in all aspects ofnuclear safety;

18.

Underline that the freest possible flow and wide dissemination of safety related technical andtechnological information enhances nuclear safety, which is essentially technical in nature andof global concern; and note the role that innovative technologies can play in improving nuclearsafety;

19.

Emphasize the need to improve national, regional and international emergency preparedness andresponse to nuclear accidents, including through the possible creation of rapid reaction capacity
and the development of training in the field of crisis management at the regional andinternational levels, as well as to strengthen cooperation among national authorities, technicalsafety organizations, operators and among relevant intergovernmental and non-governmentalorganizations; and call for a strengthened role of the IAEA in emergency preparedness andresponse by promoting and possibly expanding existing IAEA response and assistancecapabilities;

20.

Underline the need for States operating nuclear power programmes and the IAEA to promote
capacity building, including education and training for both regulators and operators;

21.

Underline the need for States planning to embark on a nuclear power programme to create an
appropriate nuclear safety infrastructure based on IAEA safety standards and relevant guidance
and assistance, using, among others, effective IAEA technical cooperation mechanisms forsupporting the safe and secure use of nuclear technologies;

22.

Recognize the need for a global nuclear liability regime that addresses the concerns of all Statesthat might be affected by a nuclear accident with a view to providing appropriate compensation
for nuclear damage;23.

Request the IAEA Director General to prepare a report on the June 2011 IAEA Ministerial
Conference on Nuclear Safety and a draft Action Plan, building on this Declaration and theconclusions and recommendations of the three Working Sessions, and the expertise andknowledge available therein; and to promote coordination and cooperation, as appropriate, withother relevant international organizations to follow up on the outcomes of the Conference, as
well as facilitate consultations among Member States on the draft Action Plan;

24.

Request the IAEA Director General to present this report and the draft Action Plan covering all
the relevant aspects relating to nuclear safety, emergency preparedness and response andradiation protection of people and the environment, as well as the relevant international legal
framework, to the IAEA Board of Governors and General Conference at their forthcoming
meetings in 2011;25.

Call upon the IAEA Board of Governors and the General Conference to reflect the outcome ofthis Conference in their decisions and to support the effective, prompt and adequately resourced
implementation of the Action Plan.

Vienna, 20 June 2011