The agenda for this September meeting covers a broad range of Agency activities.

Safety

Safety of Research Reactors
As I reported to the Board in March, research reactor safety is an area of increasing concern. More than one-third of the research reactors worldwide have been shut down without being decommissioned, and many operating research reactors are facing problems such as degraded equipment, inadequate fuel storage and lack of regulatory oversight. In May, the Secretariat convened a working group of Member State experts to identify key issues and recommend a course of action. The working group noted that the absence of adequate funding and the lack of clear courses of action among Member States must be addressed if the current situation is to be improved. The working group recommended establishing an action plan for research reactors that should include: an assessment survey to rectify the lack of information on the safety status of research reactors worldwide; preparation of a Code of Conduct and a system for monitoring its implementation; and a review of the Agency’s research reactor assistance programmes to ensure that priority is being given to issues of highest safety relevance. These recommendations are before you.

Radiological Protection of Patients
Two years ago, following a radiotherapy incident involving around 100 patients in Costa Rica, the General Conference asked the Secretariat to develop a plan to improve the radiological protection of patients. This request was timely; the use of radiation medicine is growing rapidly, with new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. This expansion promises to be of great societal benefit, but care is needed to ensure that radiation doses are delivered as prescribed.

To this end, the radiation dose assurance service that the Agency is running jointly with the World Health Organization (WHO) is an important tool, focused on fostering a worldwide culture of quality assurance in human health. The Agency is consulting with WHO to expand collaboration on this service.

As I mentioned to the Board in June, an international conference on this issue was convened in Málaga, Spain, this year. The conference brought together medical physicists, radiologists, regulatory authorities and related professional associations. The conference recommendations are before you.

Safety of Radiation Sources
On several occasions I have highlighted the serious safety and security issues associated with uncontrolled radioactive sources. Agency intervention and assistance has repeatedly been requested when sources have become orphaned from regulatory controls, in some cases causing inadvertent exposure to people. After two years of intensive work by the Secretariat and Member State experts, I am pleased to report that our Action Plan on radioactive source control has been successful in strengthening national regulatory capabilities in dealing with these safety and security issues. In Buenos Aires last December, an international conference of national regulators noted the success of the Action Plan and recommended a number of improvements. A revised Action Plan has therefore been prepared and is before you.

Environmental Restoration of Areas Affected by Radioactive Residues
At an international symposium in the USA in 1999 and a follow up conference in Moscow late last year, international experts assessed the extent and nature of areas contaminated by radioactive residues — the legacy of past nuclear accidents, industrial activities and nuclear testing. The Moscow conference came to a number of conclusions: first, that more scientific inquiry is needed to understand the nature and geographic extent of contaminated areas; second, that a moral obligation exists for future generations to remediate these areas, despite the limited resources available; and third, that the relevant international organizations should pursue international consensus on the criteria for declaring restored areas acceptable for public use. The conference recommendations are before you.

Transport Safety
At last year’s General Conference, Member States expressed concern regarding the inconsistency in national regulations governing the transport of radioactive material, and encouraged all Member States to bring their national transport regulations into conformity with the Agency’s Transport Regulations.

In response to the General Conference resolution, the Secretariat has initiated a programme to periodically update the Transport Regulations, and has been working with Member States to assess the status of national regulations, and to provide guidance and assistance on regulatory and emergency response programmes. A regional workshop in Australia late last year focused on legal issues related to transport, customs requirements, liability and insurance. We have also encouraged Member States to avail themselves of the Agency’s Transport Safety Appraisal Services (TranSAS), to ensure that Agency safety standards are being adequately applied. A preliminary TranSAS mission is scheduled for Turkey next month, and I hope other countries will follow suit.

Plan for Producing Potable Water Economically
Like clean energy, clean water is vital to sustainable development; 300 million people already live in areas of serious to severe water shortage. The Agency has been providing Member States with information to help them analyse the possible use of nuclear desalination as a means of helping to meet their potable water needs. This includes the dissemination of technical reports and software for evaluating desalination options, as well as direct assistance through technical co-operation (TC) projects to interested Member States.

But I would also highlight Agency efforts to promote isotope hydrology and improved management of underground acquifers to help relieve potable water shortages. The TC programme on isotope hydrology has expanded to include 75 active projects in some 40 Member States. In Ethiopia, for example, the use of isotope hydrology has helped to tap a groundwater field to provide more than 40% of Addis Ababa’s water supply. With the World Bank and other international organizations, we also will help to protect and sustainably manage the Guarani Aquifer — the largest groundwater aquifer in South America, with enough freshwater, if protected, to supply the needs of over 300 million people.

Servicing Immediate Human Needs
In response to last year’s General Conference request, the Secretariat has prepared a paper on "Servicing Immediate Human Needs." The paper reports first on combating malaria, a disease with a global impact of nearly half a billion clinical cases and about two million deaths per year. Nuclear techniques for the molecular detection of drug resistant strains of malaria have been introduced successfully in many African countries, greatly facilitating treatment programmes at a speed and with cost savings that conventional tests cannot achieve. Laboratory and field research has also been initiated to examine the possibility of applying the sterile insect technique to control or eradicate malaria-bearing mosquitoes.

The second human need involves radiotherapy, long recognized as a valuable tool in both the cure and palliation of cancer. The Agency has begun to focus more strongly on the need for radiotherapy in developing countries. Out of the projected 15 million cancer cases in 2015, about 10 million are expected to be in developing countries. The Agency assesses shortfalls in the availability of radiation therapy services through its Directory of Radiotherapy Centres. We then seek to build up indigenous capabilities by training practitioners, improving the quality of therapy equipment, and increasing treatment quality and effectiveness. Agency projects have also focused on creating radiation oncology "Centres of Competence" in interested developing Member States, using independent audit teams to evaluate all components of clinical practice, medical physics and radiation safety standards.

The third area of need relates to humanitarian demining. Progress on developing nuclear demining techniques — which could be significantly less costly and labour intensive than current techniques — is in fact being assessed this week at a research co-ordination meeting in St. Petersburg. Two detection instruments are being developed. A European regional TC project has been initiated that will conduct extensive field testing on one of these two instruments.

Security of Material
At the June Board, I reported to you the results of the expert meeting convened in November 1999 to discuss the need to amend the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. The report of the expert meeting recommended that a well defined amendment be drafted to strengthen the Convention, to be reviewed by States Parties with a view to determine if it should be submitted to an amendment conference in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention. As recommended, I will convene an open-ended group of legal and technical experts to draft such an amendment in December of this year.

The expert meeting also recommended the establishment of a set of "Physical Protection Objectives and Fundamental Principles" for endorsement by the Board. As I made clear in the Board paper (GOV/2001/41), to the extent that the Physical Protection Objectives and Fundamental Principles strengthen, or raise awareness of, the physical protection regime, I see merit in their being adopted — provided that this would not lead to diminished interest by Member States in becoming party to the Convention and provided it is understood that they are not a substitute for the Convention or for the detailed guidelines contained in INFCIRC/225.

Status of Safeguards Agreement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Since 1993, the Agency has been unable to fully implement its comprehensive safeguards agreement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). In accordance with the "Agreed Framework" between the USA and the DPRK, however, the Agency has since November 1994 been monitoring the "freeze" of the DPRK’s graphite moderated reactor and related facilities, and has also maintained a continuous inspector presence at the Nyongbyon site.

The Agency continues to be unable to verify the completeness and correctness of the DPRK’s initial 1992 declaration. As I have previously noted, the work required to verify that all nuclear materials subject to safeguards in the DPRK had been declared to the Agency would take 3–4 years. In May of this year, the Agency proposed to the DPRK the first concrete steps that need to be carried out in that verification process, and indicated our readiness to start implementing these measures as soon as we are permitted to do so. We have not yet received a response from the DPRK, which continues to link its acceptance of Agency verification of its initial declaration to progress in the implementation of the Agreed Framework.

Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions Relating to Iraq
For nearly three years, the Agency has not been in a position to implement its mandate in Iraq under UN Security Council Resolution 687 and related resolutions. As a consequence, the Agency remains unable at present to provide any assurance that Iraq is in compliance with its obligations under these resolutions. I should note that the longer the suspension of resolution related inspections lasts, the more difficult it will be and the more time will be required for the Agency to re-establish a level of knowledge comparable to that achieved at the end of 1998.

Status of Safeguards in the Middle East
In keeping with my mandate from the General Conference, I have continued to consult with the States of the Middle East region on the application of full scope safeguards to all nuclear activities in the Middle East, and the development of model agreements that would contribute to the eventual establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone. Regrettably, I have been unable to make progress in fulfilling this mandate. Regarding the Forum envisioned in last year’s General Conference decision, the report before you, which includes the views of seven States from the region, demonstrates that little agreement exists on the scope of the agenda for such a Forum. I will continue my consultations with the parties, with the hope of convening the Forum at an early date.

Conclusion

As we prepare for next week’s General Conference, I would like to conclude by thanking the Board for its sustained support throughout the year. Your understanding and guidance continue to be crucial to our success.