Purposes
Each year, some 15 million packages of radioactive material are transported. The movement of radioactive material mainly happens in the public domain – on public roads and railways, by sea and by air – and the vehicles that carry the material are an attractive target for threat actors.
More than half of all radioactive material thefts reported since 1993 occurred during the authorised transport of such materials, according to the latest publicly available Fact Sheet from the IAEA Incident and Trafficking Database.
Radioactive sources contribute to essential operations in the industrial, energy and agricultural sectors as well as lifesaving medical care. The production and use of these sources requires secure transport throughout their lifecycle: from manufacturer to supplier to end users and then for final storage and disposal.
The number of movements and the range of jurisdictions through which radioactive material moves requires harmonisation at the international and national levels to ensure the secure transport of radioactive material is carried out on a consistent basis and with the requisite levels of security.
The purpose of this online workshop is to share best practices in the secure transport of radioactive material. These discussions will serve as the basis for the development of a new WINS International Best Practice Guide on this topic.
Objectives
The workshop will address the following issues:
- Development and implementation of legal and regulatory frameworks
- Ensuring effective coordination, cooperation and communication among stakeholders
- Key methods supporting threat assessment and risk reduction, including vulnerability assessment
- Development and implementation of transport security plans
- Systems and measures for security of transport
- Technological advances in tracking and monitoring equipment
- Sustainability, training and capacity building
Audience
The workshop is open to a large group of participants with roles and responsibilities in the secure transport of radioactive materials including:
- Shippers and carriers
- Receivers and end users
- Regulators and other competent authorities
- First responders including law enforcement agencies
- Emergency and response organisations
- Local authorities (municipalities)
Female practitioners are strongly encouraged to apply. WINS has a target of 40% for female experts and workshop participants.
Process
This event will be professionally facilitated and is designed to promote interaction with the participants. It is built around several presentations, panel discussions and case studies from experts in the secure transport of radioactive material with frequent opportunities for audience contributions.
The workshop will be held in English. The discussions will be unclassified but subject to Chatham House rules (what is said can be reported but not attributed without the express permission of the speaker).
Event Details
- Date: 25, 26 and 27 February 2025
- Time: 14:00-17:30 CET
- Language: English
