IRSN participates in numerous international commissions and bodies for developing technical standards in nuclear safety, security and radiation protection.
The Institute is particularly involved, through its experts, in the following international organisations:
International Atomic Energy Agency - IAEA
The International Agency of Atomic Energy was established in 1957 by decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) under the patronage of the United States and in the the Soviet Union, while the Americans were open to international cooperation nuclear (program "Atom for Peace" presented by President Eisenhower). It is the main intergovernmental organization of scientific and technical cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear technology, and open to all States wishing to accede.
The priority tasks of the IAEA are:
- Assisting Member States in using nuclear techniques
- Ensuring their use for peaceful purposes
- Promoting the safety of these techniques.
More information:
Visit the IAEA website: www.iaea.org
Nuclear Energy Agency - NEA
The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an intergovernmental agency that facilitates co-operation among countries with advanced nuclear technology infrastructures to seek excellence in nuclear safety, technology, science, environment and law. It was set up in 1958.
The NEA, which includes 34 countries in 2021, operates within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is located in Boulogne-Billancourt (France), close to Paris.
The objective of the Agency is to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally sound and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It provides authoritative assessments and forges common understandings on key issues as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD analyses in areas such as energy and the sustainable development of low-carbon economies.
To fulfil its mission, the NEA proceeds within the following sector-specific activities :
- Nuclear safety technology, regulation and human aspects of safety;
- Radioactive waste management and decommissioning;
- Radiological protection of public health and the environment;
- Nuclear science;
- Development and the civil use of nuclear energy;
- Legal affairs;
- Data Bank;
- Information and communication.
Nuclear safety represents the priority intervention field of the NEA.
More information:
Visit the NEA website: www.oecd-nea.org
World Health Organizations - WHO
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
About 830 institutions in 85 countries provide support to the WHO: they are designated as WHO collaborating centres to carry out activities in a multitude of health-related fields. IRSN has been appointed three times to a four-year term as a collaborating centre – first in 2010, then again in 2014 and 2018.
IRSN helps WHO to develop standards, draw up research agendas, provide technical support during radiological or nuclear emergencies, and share knowledge related to the medical/health consequences of radiological and nuclear risks.
Four priority areas have been determined as part of the renewal of IRSN’s status as a collaborating centre: preparation for and response to emergencies, internal and external dosimetry, radiation protection in the medical sector and managing the health impact of radon.
Through WHO, IRSN has the opportunity to share its proposals and recommendations in the field of health research with its counterparts – as well as their own recommendations – on a much wider international scale.
More information:
Visit the WHO website:on collaborating centres
