Videoconferences carried out with six P-60 participating countries ( DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles and Uganda) on the implementation of Project 60 and its extension
In order to assess the progress made in the implementation of the initial P60, to present the main parts of its extension and to gain some information necessary for the implementation of this extension, an email was sent on 22 June 2020 by ENCO, together with a questionnaire of a few pages to be filled in by each of the PCs of P60. It was requested to fill in the questionnaire and to send it back to ENCO for assessment before holding individual video conferences (one with each PC).
There was a first batch of answers from the PCs, and respectively, the videoconferences could be conducted for DRC (24 July 2020), Kenya (24 July 2020), Uganda (23 July 2020), Ethiopia (22 July 2020), Seychelles (22 July 2020), and Malawi (13 July 2020). It is expected to receive soon the other questionnaires filled in by the remining countries and to find dates to conduct with each of them the individual video conferences.
Each video conference was structured the same way:
1. Introduction part with a presentation of the objectives of the meeting
2. Discussion on the progress made in the PC in the implementation of the initial P60, especially for the legal and regulatory framework, for the safe and secure management of radioactive sources, for the national inventory of radioactive material, for the standard operating procedures, for the national emergency response plan and for the radioactive waste management
3. Presentation by ENCO of the P60 extension tasks and proposed solutions
4. Discussion on each of the questions and answers to the questionnaire, plus a few additional questions whenever needed.
The representatives of Partner Countries expressed their appreciation of the Consortium assistance in
review of their Nuclear Laws, development of Nuclear Security Regulations, National RN Emergency Response Plans, Strategy and Action plans for regaining control over orphan sources, Strategy and Action plans for improving control over vulnerable sources, action plan for development of country specific Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) using the provided generic SOPs, training of PCs’ staff on the required emergency response actions in case of different RN emergencies. The discussion was focused further on practical use of the provided assistance, in particular on the development of the respective national documents. It was recommended to PCs representatives to use the project extension opportunity to get further Consortium expert consultations to finalize the national documents and support the national trainers, graduates of the TTT course.
Each country expressed its interest to conduct this video conference and its satisfaction to receive more detailed information on the P60 extension. Each country agreed on the different actions proposed for implementation of the extension tasks and on the necessity to use regional or bilateral databases to share information about mobile radioactive sources with some necessary restrictions due to security reasons, in order to improve the control over mobile sources and the prevention and response to illicit trafficking of radioactive sources. The PCs were also enthusiastic for the training courses planned during the project extension, especially for training of the inspectors to improve their security knowledge required to conduct regulatory inspections.
It will certainly be necessary to continue to have exchanges between the Consortium and the PCs and these video conferences were a good starting point to get more information and to start the P60 extension implementation.