Changing environments: Coping with diversity and globalization

It is not surprising that the nuclear community as we know it is becoming more globalized, given that nuclear power has its roots in international cooperation. One only has to go back to the early days, when just over 50 years ago the 'Atoms for Peace' programme was first announced at a plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, to realize that nuclear power really was always a global community. In the years since 1953, we have witnessed the growth of the nuclear industry, which brought with it, among other things: competition between manufacturers from different countries with different design and operating philosophies; individual national cultures and regulatory practices and unique legal systems; and different safety and industrial standards and approaches to technology transfer. Today, the stagnation, or slowdown in construction programmes for nuclear facilities in many countries, combined with the rising costs of R and D, has provided new impetus for the nuclear community to return to a more global outlook. But this new global outlook must grapple with the diversity that grew out of the competition, the individual national cultures, and the unique legal requirements, as well as with the needs of national nuclear industries with different levels of maturity and means. This session will address the new challenges for governments, regulatory authorities, operators, nuclear suppliers, and contractors in facing these and other issues