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ICONS 2024

ICONS 2024 is the fourth ICONS and follows the success of the most recent ICONS held in Vienna, Austria, in February 2020. ICONS 2020 attracted more than 2400 registered participants from 145 Member States, including 54 representations at the Ministerial level, and 25 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Previous ICONS were hosted by the IAEA in 2013 and 2016. ICONS 2024 will inform preparation of IAEA’s next Nuclear Security Plan, which will cover the period 2026–2029. In general, the conference will cover areas that are attributable to the security of nuclear and other radioactive material, under and out of regulatory control.

Date & Time:

20th - 24th May, 2024

Location:

Vienna

ICONS 2024 will provide a global forum for ministers, policymakers, senior officials and nuclear security experts to discuss the future of nuclear security worldwide, whilst providing opportunities for exchanging information, sharing best practices and fostering international cooperation.

The conference will:

  • Raise awareness of a wide range of nuclear security topics to maintain and further strengthen national nuclear security regimes for nuclear and other radioactive materials and associated facilities used for peaceful purposes, as well as international cooperation in strengthening nuclear security globally;
  • Review nuclear security experiences and achievements, current approaches and trends, and highlight areas that may need more focused attention including technological dimensions;
  • Promote IAEA nuclear security guidance, and experience of States in their application, including through peer reviews, advisory services and capacity building;
  • Promote the sharing of information and good practices in nuclear security while protecting sensitive information;
  • Reaffirm and support the central role of the IAEA in strengthening nuclear security globally and in leading the coordination of international activities in the field of nuclear security, while avoiding duplication and overlap;
  • Highlight and promote the IAEA’s efforts to promote adherence to relevant international legally binding instruments and commitment to the legally non-binding instruments; and
  • Discuss further enhancements of IAEA nuclear security activities and their sustainability.

Themes and Topics

Consistent with the objectives set out above, the overall themes for the conference will include:

Policy and Regulations for nuclear security

  • International framework for nuclear security, including legally binding and non-binding instruments
  • Regulation development and implementation
    • Support for embarking countries
    • Approaches to regulation (prescriptive, performance-based, technology neutral)
    • Challenges in meeting changing demands due to emerging technologies and emerging threats
    • Tools and approaches for regulators for evaluation of policy and regulations

Technology and infrastructure for nuclear security prevention, detection and response

  • Current and existing technologies including issues related to aging facilities and lifecycle management, research reactors, decommissioned facilities and facilities being decommissioned, and other facilities using and/or manufacturing nuclear or other radioactive material
  • Emerging nuclear technologies including small modular reactors, micro reactors, other novel reactor designs, spent fuel storage and disposal, and evaluation of such technologies in relation to nuclear security
  • Emerging non-nuclear technologies including artificial intelligence, uncrewed systems, etc. (both as potential tools for nuclear security and as potential risks) and evaluation of such technologies as related to nuclear security
  • Approaches to nuclear security including graded approach, defence in depth, and risk-informed
  • Existing and emerging threats, prevention, protection and assessment including design basis threat, insider threat and evaluation and assessment of protection systems
  • Supply chain security
  • Nuclear forensics
  • Materials security, including transportation of nuclear and other radioactive material, material accounting and control, national accounting and control measures, and preventing illicit trafficking
  • Building and maintenance of nuclear security detection architecture
  • Coordinated response to nuclear security events

Capacity Building for nuclear security

  • Workforce development
    • Skills for nuclear security
    • Cross and inter-disciplinary concepts
  • Workforce management
    • Attracting the next generation
    • Retention and knowledge management
    • Creating and maintaining workforce diversity

Cross-cutting nuclear security topics

  • Information exchange and regional and international cooperation
  • Information and computer security considerations for nuclear security
  • Interfaces between nuclear security and safety
  • Interfaces between nuclear security and State systems of accounting and control
  • IAEA assistance programmes and advisory services
  • Communication on nuclear security
  • Nuclear security culture
  • Contribution of industry to nuclear security

PARTICIPATION AND REGISTRATION

ICONS 2024 will consist of two parts, a Ministerial segment, and a scientific and technical programme.

All persons wishing to participate in the event have to be either designated by a Member State or an invited organization as an individual participant.
Key Deadline and Dates
10 May 2024: Submission of Form A only (no paper submission, no grant request) through the InTouch+ platform for Individual Registration of participants
10 May 2024: Registration of Delegations by focal points
16 October 2023: Submission of abstracts through IAEA-INDICO (deadline extended)
15 November 2023: Submission of Form C (together with Form A) through the InTouch+ platform (deadline extended)
15 December 2023: Submission of Form B (together with Form A) through the InTouch+ platform
29 December 2023: Notification of acceptance of abstracts for oral or poster presentation
01 March 2024: Electronic submission of full papers through IAEA-INDICO
28 March 2024: Notification of review of full papers.
Any WNTI MEMBERS wishing to participate in the event must be designated by WNTI. Follow this link for further information

For more information, contact

Capt. Simon Chaplin

Maritime and Security Specialist

Location:

Vienna

Event Date:

20th - 24th May, 2024

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