The?Eighth Review Meeting?of the Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (the Joint Convention) will be held at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the M-Building of the Vienna International Centre (VIC) from 17 to 28 March.?

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will address the opening plenary session on 17 March at 09:00 CET. Jean-Luc Lachaume, Commissioner of the French Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection, will preside over the Eighth Review Meeting and will open the proceedings.???

In force since 2001, the?Joint Convention?seeks to achieve and maintain a high level of worldwide safety in spent fuel and radioactive waste management. Currently, of the 180 IAEA Member States, 90 are party to the Convention. At Review Meetings held every three years, the Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention present and discuss national reports on the implementation of obligations under the Convention.?

The agenda for the two-week meeting also includes a topical session on knowledge management related to long term management of disused sealed radioactive sources, radioactive waste and spent fuel, and a discussion of Contracting Parties’ proposals for enhancing the review process.?

Press Opportunities?

Journalists are invited to attend:?

• the opening plenary session – starting at 9:00 CET on 17 March;?

• and the part of the closing session where the?Contracting Parties will adopt a Summary Report – currently foreseen to be held in the afternoon of 28 March. For the exact timing of the closing session, please contact?press@iaea.org.?

Both sessions will be?streamed live?and will take place in Boardroom B/M1 in M Building of the VIC. Photos will also be made available at the IAEA Flickr?page.?

Accreditation?

All journalists interested in covering the meeting in person – including those with permanent accreditation – are requested to inform the IAEA?Press Office?of their plans.?Journalists without permanent accreditation must send copies of their passport and press ID to the IAEA?Press Office.??

We encourage those journalists who do not yet have permanent accreditation to request it at?UNIS Vienna.??

Please plan your arrival to allow sufficient time to pass through the VIC security check.??