Opening remarks at the International Conference on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, Bordeaux, France, 27 June 2005

The vast majority of radioactive sources are controlled properly. However, radiological accidents have occurred in all regions of the world - which indicates that there is not always sufficient control of sources throughout their life cycle. Even advanced countries with developed regulatory systems lose track of sources each year resulting in orphan sources with the potential to cause incidents or accidents. Actually, an increasing number of cases of uncontrolled movement of sources are reported the Agency's Illicit Trafficking Database (ITDB). The International Conference on Security of Radioactive Sources, held in Vienna, Austria, in 2003, addressed these concerns and called for international initiatives, including the updating of the IAEA Action Plan for the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources. As a direct result of the updated Action Plan the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources was revised and approved by the Board of Governors in 2003, its supporting Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources was developed and approved in 2004 and the Safety Guide on Categorization of Radioactive Sources was completed recently. All three documents were developed under the auspices of the IAEA to achieve international consensus and they play a central role in this Conference. It is worth noting that more than 70 countries have already expressed their intention to follow the guidance given in the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources - and I would like to encourage more countries to do so. The Agency has been promoting for some time now the idea of a Global Nuclear Safety Regime. At the heart of this regime is a strong and effective national safety infrastructure where - as an overriding priority - safety issues are given the attention warranted by their significance. The need for sustainable regulatory infrastructure for the safety and security of radioactive sources was discussed at the International Conference on National Infrastructures for Radiation Safety, organized by the IAEA in Rabat, Morocco in 2003. Following that conference an IAEA Action Plan was developed and approved by the Board of Governors, which includes actions to assist Members States in establishing sustainable regulatory infrastructures