Nuclear Safety Commitment Reaffirmed at Review Meeting

A renewed global commitment to nuclear safety at the Tenth Review Meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) marked a significant milestone in collective efforts to uphold and strengthen nuclear safety worldwide.

Nearly 1000 delegates from 87 Contracting Parties gathered in Vienna from 13 to 24 April 2026 for the CNS Review Meeting. Since the previous Review Meeting in 2023, Egypt, El Salvador, Iraq, Liberia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe have joined the Convention, highlighting its growing global reach and relevance.

In his opening remarks, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, underscored that, forty years after the Chernobyl accident, the work of always improving nuclear safety remained essential. He also highlighted emerging trends that needed to be addressed- from advanced reactors and AI to ageing facilities, natural hazards, and cybersecurity - and stressed the need to preserve the technical focus of the CNS peer review process.

The President of the Tenth CNS Review Meeting, Faizan Mansoor of Pakistan, said that the strength of the Convention lay in transparent, expert-driven collaboration, emphasizing that "maintaining a clear focus on safety is essential to preserving the integrity of the CNS review process, and collective engagement by all Contracting Parties strengthens both national frameworks and the global safety regime."

Contracting Parties engaged in rigorous and constructive peer review of their National Reports in seven Country Group Sessions-an exercise that both challenged and strengthened national approaches to safety. The process culminated in the consensus approval of 98 Country Review Reports, with 22 good practices identified. This peer review process is a powerful mechanism for shared learning, transparency and continuous improvement in nuclear safety.

"The peer review process is the central and most dynamic element of the CNS, which is exemplified by its Review Meetings," said Anna Bradford, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Installation Safety. "The tremendous value of the peer review was evident in the engaged discussions in the Country Group Sessions, the outcomes of which support ahigh level of nuclear safety worldwide."

Participants also discussed ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the CNS processes in the Open-Ended Working Group, which adopted five proposals for improvement, including creating a working group to review the CNS guidance documents and conducting a survey to assess the effectiveness of recent changes to the CNS processes.

During a discussion on major common issues, the Contracting Parties highlighted a shared set of evolving challenges facing national authorities and regulatory frameworks, including workforce sustainability, knowledge and competence management and generational change. At the same time, emerging pressures - including extreme weather conditions, artificial intelligence, emergency preparedness in complex circumstances, and resilient supply chains - reflect the complex and increasingly interconnected landscape of nuclear safety.

The CNS, in force since 1996 under the auspices of the IAEA, is the cornerstone of the international nuclear safety regime. It establishes fundamental safety principles to which its Contracting Parties must adhere. Substantive obligations of the Contracting Parties cover legislative and regulatory frameworks; the regulatory body; and technical safety obligations related to the siting, design, construction and operation of nuclear installations. It also includes the availability of adequate financial and human resources and the assessment and verification of safety, quality assurance and emergency preparedness.

Procedural obligations relate to the peer review process, including submission of National Reports, questions and answers, and active participation in the Review Meetings.