The 13th Annual Meeting of Asia-Pacific Safeguards Network (APSN)

APSN is a forum for cooperation between countries in the Asia-Pacific Region in exchanging information and knowledge, as well as practical experience in the field of nuclear safeguards. APSN holds regular meetings every year to discuss the latest developments related to the implementation of safeguards in the Asia-Pacific Region. This meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 1-2 December 2022, by the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS) as the Chair of APSN for the 2021-2022 period.

The 13th APSN meeting focused on discussing and exchanging information on the implementation of safeguards in each country, discussing the IAEA Comprehensive Capacity-Building Initiative for SSACs and SRAs (COMPASS), and several other issues related to safeguards, as well as discussing the planned revision of the APSN-Statement of Principles.

The meeting began with remarks by the Director General of ASNO Dr. Geoffrey Shawn, as Chair of the Steering Committee, followed by remarks by Section Head of Safeguards Operation IAEA Craig Everton and remarks from the representative of the US Department of Energy (US-DOE) Margot Mininni. The meeting was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Khai, through his opening remarks read by the Director of the International Cooperation Division Bui Thi Thuy Anh, conveying the purpose of this meeting was to discuss and share experiences in implementing safeguards.

The event was attended by representatives from Lao PDR, Cambodia, Singapore, USA, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Australia, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Mongolia, Nepal, IAEA and INMM.

The 13th APSN annual meeting was preceded by the IAEA-APSN Workshop on Implementation of International Safeguards held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on 29-30 November 2022. The workshop was held in collaboration between APSN and the IAEA, which aimed to discuss good practices regarding the implementation of safeguards.