07 Jul DD-health physicist to UN review panel

At next year's review meeting of the UN Joint Convention, a DD employee of the critical table. Health physicist Haraldur Hannesson has been appointed to the panel, which will help evaluate, among other things, the United States' handling of radioactive waste.

H Every three years, the countries which have acceded to the UN Convention for the Safe Management of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel meet at the so-called Joint Convention. In connection with the so-called review meeting in 2015, countries – including Denmark – must present their policies, its quantities and types of radioactive waste and, not least, its plans on how to deal with the radioactive waste in the future.

The many Member States are divided into groups which read each other's reports in advance, ask questions and answer the other countries' questions. At the review meeting itself, the groups sit down together and each country is reviewed and receives positive and negative criticism. The intention is positive – namely that all Member States will be constantly better at dealing with their radioactive waste and spent fuel.

At each review meeting, the Joint Convention appoints four officers from other countries to review the information and manage the questioners. Danish Commissioning health physicist Haraldur Hannesson has been appointed vice chair of one of these panels. He will take part in the group 1, which includes nine countries, including the United States, Poland and Indonesia. This is only the second time a Dane has been given the role of officer on a Joint Convention panel.

The designated review officers shall, on the one hand, ensure that the rounds of questioning are conducted with a constructive focus and identify what might be unclear in the country reports. On the one hand, the four officers review the fact that the countries' handling of radioactive waste and spent fuel takes place in accordance with the Convention. The panel writes a country report and a comprehensive report for the group.

Denmark's and thus the Danish Decommissioning's management of radioactive waste will be critically reviewed in 2015 by review officers from Finland, China, South Africa and the USA. In Denmark, Danish Decommissioning is the only company dealing with radioactive waste management. We therefore actively participate in international panels and gather knowledge from visits and conferences abroad.