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Record of the
Fifth FNCA Coordinators Meeting
March 3-5, 2004, Tokyo, Japan
March 5, 2004
1.
Opening Session
The Fifth Coordinators Meeting (CM) was held from March 3 through 5, 2004 in Tokyo, Japan, hosted by the Cabinet Office (CAO) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan.
Dr. Sueo Machi, the Commissioner of Atomic Energy Commission of Japan (and FNCA Coordinator of Japan) gave the welcome remarks at the Opening Session.
The Meeting was participated by delegates from FNCA countries, i.e., Australia, the Peoplefs Republic of China, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam, and the IAEA representative participated as an observer (Attachment 1).
The program of the Meeting is given to Attachment 2.
2. Session 1
In Session 1, Dr. Sueo Machi, the FNCA Coordinator of Japan gave a summary report of activities in FY 2003 and the Fourth FNCA Meeting in Okinawa, Japan (Ministerial Level Meeting [MM] and Senior Officials Meeting [SOM]) (Attachment 3). He cited some significant achievements of on-going projects. The Fifth Coordinators Meeting took note of the report.
3. Session 2
In Session 2, the FNCA Coordinators and representatives made the presentation of country reports on the progress and future plans of the FNCA projects (Attachment 4).
4. Session 3
In Session 3, two new proposals were presented namely: the Panel on gRole of Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Development in Asiah and the project on gApplication and Utilization of Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Cyclotron and Radioisotopes in Medicineh. (Attachment 5)
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Dr. Machi introduced the outline and work plan of the Panel on gRole of Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Development in Asiah, explaining the background and the importance of this study by showing statistic figures on energy situation in the Asia region. According to him, the Panel is to study the long-term energy plan for 20 to 50 years by comparing production cost of energy resources, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The possibility of introducing nuclear power, and usefulness of non-power application will be also examined. It is proposed to hold the first meeting of the Panel some time between August and October in 2004 in Japan.
It is suggested that the Panel consider the relevant data, software and expertise from IAEA/RCA activities. The Meeting confirmed again that FNCA and RCA should strengthen synergy and complementarity.
The Meeting agreed that the Panel should address the following issues: the role of nuclear energy in relation to energy security and global warming, mechanism to implement nuclear power program, and the outreach activities to get better understanding and acceptance of nuclear power. The Meeting emphasized its support for the work scope of the Panel. Strategic energy planning is important for all countries including those without immediate plans to use nuclear power. Dr. Machi also stressed the importance of participation of experts from environmental and energy sectors together with the nuclear sector in the Panel.
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Dr. Mohamed Ali Abdul Khader of Malaysia presented the new project on gApplication and Utilization of Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Cyclotron and Radioisotopes in Medicineh. It is expected that all participating countries could share their useful experiences and information on PET and cyclotron technology.
It is suggested that Malaysia should make a more detailed work plan for the implementation of the project. The Meeting endorsed the proposal, and the project is scheduled to start in FY 2005.
The Meeting noted that some countries which already have PET and cyclotron such as Australia, the People's Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Philippines could share their experiences with other countries, which have plans to install similar facilities in the near future. The Meeting also stressed the importance of the maintenance of the PET and cyclotron.
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5. Session 4
In Session 4, Dr. Machi presented the paper on efficient implementation of FNCA activities.
He outlined the FNCA management scheme of Japan for implementing the FNCA projects. He presented specific issues that needed to be addressed to enhance socio-economic impact such as the application of Mo-99 absorbed PZC columns for Tc-99m generators, NAA measurements for environmental monitoring, and extension of biofertilizer applications to farmers.
On the implementation of the Panel on gRole of Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Development in Asiah, the FNCA Coordinators were encouraged to coordinate and work closely with environmental policy and energy planning officials.
The Meeting also discussed the evaluation of FNCA projects especially performance indicators and procedures for evaluation.
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Dr. Easey of Australia suggested that outputs should be evaluated as they were directly resulting from the activities. Outcomes came from outputs but there was less control over them. Dr. Machi proposed in-house evaluation to be carried out objectively. Dr. Huang of China advised that other experts in the field were included.
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Dr. Dias, RCA Coordinator, informed the Meeting that the IAEA/RCA applied the logical framework matrix and the involvement of end-users in the design of the project.
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Mr. Adnan added that any FNCA/IAEA project should be an integral part of a relevant national project.
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Dr. Easey said that good information on the cost benefit of nuclear techniques and their effectiveness was very important in furthering its utilization. He said that he has not been able to find such information on cost benefit and he suggested that the FNCA projects should consider this aspect. |
Dr. Dias presented an overview of the IAEA/RCA activities. The Meeting recognized the importance of close linkage and synergy between IAEA/RCA and FNCA activities.
6. Session 5
In Session 5, FNCA projects in eight fields were discussed and reviewed. The Meeting approved the activities of on-going projects and their future plans. The Meeting agreed to the tentative schedule for workshops/meetings under the FNCA framework together with venues shown in Attachment 6.
Major points discussed and/or agreed upon for each project were shown in Attachment 7. The three-year work plan of each project was also approved as shown in Attachment 8.
7. Session 6
In Session 6, the Fifth FNCA Meeting on November 23-24, 2004 in Ha Noi was announced by the Representative of Viet Nam. The Meeting will be held under the basic theme of gNuclear Human Resources Development Cooperation in Asiah. It was proposed to create a network with the aim of promoting the FNCA countries' contribution to Human Resources Development (HRD) in the region, which would enable personal exchange and joint activities
8. Closing Session
In the Closing Session, the Minutes of the Coordinators Meeting was adopted by the delegates. Mr. Masanori Shinano, Director for International Nuclear Cooperation of MEXT, gave the closing remarks, and officially closed the Fifth FNCA Coordinators Meeting.
9. Technical Tour
A technical tour to the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) was made on March 5C 2004. The facilities including PET, cyclotron, and the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) were shown to the delegates.
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