Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources

Since then, many States have written to the Director General as urged by the General
Conference in that resolution. 1
The general objective of the Code is to achieve a high level of safety and
security of radioactive sources that may pose a significant risk, which are referred to
in Annex I to the Code. The Code includes guidance on general basic principles,
legislation and the regulatory body, with paragraphs 23–29 containing specific
guidance on the import and export of radioactive sources.
When the text of the Code of Conduct was approved by the Board of
Governors prior to the September 2003 session of the General Conference, the
Board’s Chairperson stated that “there were still concerns regarding the import and
export of radioactive sources. That matter needed to be further explored and some
guidance developed.” Accordingly, the Secretariat convened open-ended groups of
technical and legal experts to develop such guidance. In July 2004, the experts
reached consensus on the text of the <strong>Guidance</strong> on the Import and Export of
Radioactive Sources. That text was approved by the Board of Governors on
14 September 2004. When the Board approved the text, the Chairman, summing up,
said that:
“[S]everal members had expressed the view that, while recognizing the
importance of providing guidelines on the import and export of radioactive
sources, those guidelines were voluntary in nature and should not impede
international cooperation or commerce. They had underlined that the self
assessment questionnaire mentioned in paragraph 18 of document
GOV/2004/62 was also voluntary in nature.
“Several members had emphasized the importance of the guidelines, and they
had stressed the need to apply them as soon as possible.
“The Board had underlined the importance of exporting States in applying
the <strong>Guidance</strong>, and in particular paragraphs 8.c and 11.c, carrying out the
information exchange and consultations set out in paragraph 21 of the
<strong>Guidance</strong>.
“He accordingly took it that the Board approved the draft <strong>Guidance</strong> contained
in Annex 1 to document GOV/2004/62 and requested the Director General to
transmit it to the General Conference with a recommendation that the
Conference endorse it and encourage its wide implementation; and to issue it
as guidance supplementary to the Code of Conduct, and to include in its
foreword the Board’s understanding expressed above that exporting States in
applying the <strong>Guidance</strong>, in particular paragraphs 8.c and 11.c, should carry out
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1
The current list of States that have written to the Director General is available on
the home page of the IAEA’s Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety:
www-ns.iaea.org/home/rtws.asp