IRPA Guiding Principles for Radiation Protection Professionals on Stakeholder Engagement

During the 11th Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) held in Madrid in May 2004 there were considerable discussions on the benefits of involving all relevant parties in decision making processes related to radiological protection. It was agreed that this involvement, briefly described as 'stakeholder engagement', should play an important and integral part in these processes. A need was identified for guidance to be produced to help radiation protection professionals understand the objectives, requirements and demands of stakeholder engagement, encourage participation and provide a framework for establishing a constructive dialogue with other stakeholders. As a result of these discussions, a group of professionals from the French, Spanish and UK IRPA associate societies decided to collaborate on organising a series of workshops to exchange information focusing on case studies of how stakeholder involvement had been carried out in different fields of radiation protection. The workshops were held in Salamanca, Spain, November 2005, Montbeliard, France, December 2006 and Oxford, UK, December 2007 and resulted in a draft version of the Guiding Principles. A draft version of the Guiding Principles was sent to all associate societies for comments in the spring of 2008. After revision by the executive council the Guiding Principles were presented at the IRPA12 associate societies forum and, after discussion and with some amendments, endorsed by the forum. The Guiding Principles were finally adopted formally on 18 October 2008 in Buenos Aires by the IRPA executive council. The Guiding Principles are intended to aid members of IRPA associate societies in promoting the participation of all relevant parties in the process of reaching decisions involving radiological protection which may impact on the well being and quality of life of workers and members of the public, as well as the environment. In promoting this approach, radiological protection professionals will aim to develop trust and credibility throughout the decision making process in order to improve the sustainability of any final decisions. Principles Radiological protection professionals should endeavour to: 1. Identify opportunities for engagement and ensure the level of engagement is proportionate to the nature of the radiation protection issues and their context. 2. Initiate the process as early as possible, and develop a sustainable implementation plan. 3. Enable an open, inclusive and transparent stakeholder engagement process. 4. Seek out and involve relevant stakeholders and experts. 5. Ensure that the roles and responsibilities of all participants, and the rules for cooperation, are clearly defined 6. Collectively develop objectives for the stakeholder engagement process based on a shared understanding of issues and boundaries. 7. Develop a culture which values a shared language and understanding, and favours collective learning. 8. Respect and value the expression of different perspectives. 9. Ensure a regular feedback mechanism is in place to inform and improve current and future stakeholder engagement processes. 10. Apply the IRPA Code of Ethics in their actions within these processes to the best of their knowledge