Nuclear security in spotlight in Vienna

More than 2,000 delegates from dozens of nations gathered in the Austrian capital Vienna on Monday for the start of the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Conference on Nuclear Security.

The five-day event, which the agency known as the IAEA is branding ICONS 2024: Shaping the Future, is the planet's main nuclear security conference and is staged every four years with the aim of making the world a safer place. Attendees will discuss a range of security issues, including challenges related to new risks and emerging technologies.

Previous gatherings also took place at the IAEA's headquarters in 2013, 2016, and 2020.

The IAEA plans to use the resolutions from the current gathering for its next Nuclear Security Plan, which will cover the years 2026 to 2029.

As the conference got underway, the IAEA revealed it has dealt with 4,243 illegal or unauthorized activities involving nuclear materials since 1993.

It said the incidents were recorded on its Incident and Trafficking Database, or ITDB, and included such things as illegal possession of radioactive materials, the attempted sale or smuggling of nuclear materials, and the illegal disposal of such materials.

Elena Buglova, director of the IAEA's nuclear security division, said: "The reoccurrence of incidents confirms the need for vigilance and continuous improvement of the regulatory oversight to control, secure, and properly dispose of radioactive material."

Buglova said the ITDB, which benefits from the participation of 145 nations and territories, fosters global information exchange about incidents involving nuclear material falling out of regulatory control because of loss, improper disposal, theft, or some form of neglect and makes it possible for the IAEA to identify "potential threats and trends to support international cooperation and to improve the implementation of nuclear security".

Buglova said the IAEA has been especially concerned about the theft of radioactive materials during authorized transportation.

"Nuclear and other radioactive material remain vulnerable to security threats during transport," Buglova said. "Figures from the ITDB highlight the ongoing importance of strengthening transport security measures."

In addition to updates from the IAEA about its work during recent years, delegates at ICONS 2024 will hear from ministers, policymakers, senior officials, and nuclear security experts and discuss the future of nuclear security worldwide, with the chance to exchange information, share best practices, and foster additional international cooperation.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said ICONS 2024 is the world's only international conference on nuclear security with a ministerial and scientific component and is "about more than preventing nuclear terrorism".

"It is about providing clean energy, cutting-edge medicine, nutritious food, and hope for a better tomorrow," Grossi said. "The IAEA is where the world comes together to make sure we keep making that possible."

earle@mail.chinadailyuk.com