Bridging Gaps to the Future in Radioactive Waste Management
Bern, 06.09.2016 - On September 7, 2016, Swiss Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard and Director-General William D. Magwood, IV from the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) will open the 10th National Workshop of the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) in Bern, Switzerland. National and international participants from 14 countries – including ten young people between the ages of 16 and 25 – will explore how sustainable decisions can be developed in radioactive waste management.
From 7-9 September, a workshop entitled "Bridging Gaps - Developing Sustainable Intergenerational Decision-Making in Radioactive Waste Management" will take place in Bern. The workshop has been organised by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) in close collaboration with the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and a programme committee, the FSC Chair and Bureau, as well as Swiss stakeholders. Ten young people between the ages of 16 and 25 will also be taking part, thereby ensuring that the next generation is represented.
In an open dialogue, participants will have the opportunity to learn from each other's experiences and discuss the central questions: What can we do today to take sustainable decisions, which can be understood and accepted by the next generation? And how we can leave the next generation with enough scope to make their own decisions if new circumstances arise?
After the opening, the Swiss site-selection procedure for deep geological repositories will be introduced by the Swiss stakeholders: the Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE, the safety regulator Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI, the implementer Nagra as well as representatives of the potential siting cantons and regions.
The goal of the workshop is to identify issues relating to sustainable decision-making in radioactive waste management, which can be further explored by Switzerland and the participating countries. Primarily, this will be tackled through roundtable discussions in small groups.
The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) is facilitated by a working group of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee at OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). Switzerland has been a member of the FSC since its foundation in 2000. The FSC provides a setting for direct stakeholder exchange in an atmosphere of mutual respect and learning, addressing the societal dimension of radioactive waste management. The members of the FSC meet annually. Additionally, it provides a source of information to those with an interest in radioactive waste management or societal dialogue in the general area of technological decision-making.
Address for enquiries
Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE): Marianne Zünd, Head of Media and Political Affairs
+41 (0)58 462 56 75, 079 763 86 11, marianne.zuend@bfe.admin.ch
Nuclear Energy Agency: Yeonhee Hah, Head of Human Aspects of Safety Division
+33 (0)1 452 411 57, yeonhee.hah@oecd.org
Publisher
Swiss Federal Office of Energy
http://www.bfe.admin.ch
