Public Confidence in the Management of Radioactive Waste: The Canadian Context

Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: − to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; − to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and − to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities also takes part in the work of the Agency. The mission of the NEA is: − to assist its Member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international cooperation , the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, as well as − to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues, as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD policy analyses in areas such as energy and sustainable development. Specific areas of competence of the NEA include safety and regulation of nuclear activities, radioactive waste management, radiological protection, nuclear science, economic and technical analyses of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear law and liability, and public information. The NEA Data Bank provides nuclear data and computer program services for participating countries. In these and related tasks, the NEA works in close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, with which it has a Cooperation Agreement, as well as with other international organisations in the nuclear field. Permission to reproduce a portion of this work for non-commercial purposes or classroom use should be obtained through the Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie 3 FOREWORD Understanding the factors that influence confidence in the area of radioactive waste management is of strategic interest to the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) is a working party of the RWMC and acts as a centre for the exchange of opinions and experiences across institutional and non-institutional boundaries. In order to distil the lessons that can be learnt, the FSC …