The opening plenary of the Thirteenth Meeting of the Representatives of Competent Authorities Identified under the Early Notification Convention and the Assistance Convention, IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, 8 June 2026. (Photo: IAEA)
As countries continue to strengthen their preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergencies, the IAEA will bring together Representatives of Competent Authorities (CAM) in Vienna from 8 to 12 June 2026 under the Early Notification and Assistance Conventions.
Conducted every second year, the meeting reviews the operational status and development priorities of the international core emergency response arrangements: notification and information exchange, provision of public information, assessment and prognosis, provision of assistance on request and coordination of inter-agency response This is the 13th meeting of CAM, with over 250 participants from 114 Member States and six international organizations.
What has been built on these principles, the contact points, the platforms for information sharing, the exercises, the assistance network, the international coordination and communication processes, is the result of four decades of sustained work by the competent authorities and the Secretariat
The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident , provides the basis for an international notification system for nuclear accidents, while the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency sets out an international framework for co-operation among countries and with the support of the IAEA facilitates prompt assistance and support in the event of nuclear accidents or radiological emergencies. 2026 marks the fortieth anniversary of both conventions, which were adopted in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.
A dedicated session on Thursday will mark the fortieth anniversary of the conventions and define priorities for the decade ahead.
Meeting Chair Rosa Sardella, of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI), called on participants to translate four decades of experience into concrete forward commitments, especially for advanced technologies: "Innovative, advanced small or even microreactors are the talk of the moment. They indeed present a wave of new, very different designs that is impressive and challenging if you just think about what they would mean for emergency preparedness and response."
Amgad Shokr, Director of the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre, in his remarks, emphasized the operational dimension. "Effective response depends on systems that perform under pressure and on personnel trained to operate them," he said. "Sustaining that preparedness is continuous work, and it relies on the active engagement of the competent authorities represented this week."
First responders during the ConvEx 3 emergency exercise in Romania, June 2025.
IAEA efforts to enhance response arrangements
The meeting will provide an important platform to review recent developments, share experiences and strengthen coordinated international response arrangements under the Early Notification and Assistance Conventions.
For instance, participants will hear of upgrades to the IAEA Unified System for Information Exchange in Incidents and Emergencies (USIE), a secure platform that enables countries to exchange urgent information during nuclear or radiological emergencies irrespective of their cause. The upgrades include strengthened cybersecurity, improved mobile accessibility, and faster data exchange across more than 200 emergency contact points.
The meeting will also provide details on the IAEA Response and Assistance Network (RANET), which enable coordinated international support in response to specific requests under the Assistance Convention. Over the past year, the system has been actively tested, including through a multi-country deployment during the ConvEx-3 exercise in June 2025 in Romania and a stand-alone RANET joint assistance team (JAT) exercise in Japan in March.
Presentations will also cover the International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS) which remains a priority for expanded participation, as the number of countries voluntarily submitting radiation monitoring data to the IAEA grew to 54 this year.
The meeting's recommendations are expected to strengthen the Agency's ongoing work on emergency preparedness and response across all Member States, as well as its internal arrangements. "CAM meetings reinforce global efforts to ensure timely information exchange and effective assistance in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency," said Shokr.
