IAEA 2021 International Conference on Radioactive Waste Management: Solutions for a Sustainable Future

The purpose of the event is to share experiences in the management of radioactive waste, with the aim of increasing the visibility of progress, good practice and effective solutions.

Considerable progress continues to be made worldwide in the management of radioactive waste. Effective solutions are either available or are in an advanced stage of development for the full range of radioactive waste management activities. Even more progress can be foreseen in the near- and medium-term futures.

The sustainable application of nuclear technologies for the benefit of humanity, in cancer therapy, generating low-carbon electricity, improving crop yields and many other applications is fully connected with the responsible management of wastes arising. Users of nuclear technologies acknowledge and embrace this responsibility and continue to make good progress. Continuing this responsible trend is important to society and is supportive of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sharing this progress, exchanging ideas on lessons learned and identifying key areas of progress for the future are essential components which enable operators, regulators and senior government officials to further strengthen their programmes.

The techniques for the safe management of the various types of waste arising from the different applications are generally well established and extensive experience has been obtained in most areas. Nevertheless, radioactive waste remains an important item on the agenda of many Member States particularly those that need to increase their capabilities and capacities to manage waste safely and securely. This is also the case because of perceptions and misunderstandings concerning radioactive waste. Therefore, the subject continues to be highly topical.

In line with the IAEA’s continuous efforts to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic technology to peace health and prosperity, throughout the world and to foster the exchange of scientific and technical information, the IAEA is organising an International Conference on Radioactive Waste Management. The main objective of the Conference is to foster information exchange on current progress and solutions in the area of radioactive waste management. It is only through the effective, safe and secure implementation of radioactive waste management solutions that Member States can continue to benefit from nuclear technologies and nuclear energy production and, therefore, progress towards achieving a sustainable future.