Opening remarks were delivered by the OECD Secretary‑General, Mr Angel Gurría, the NEA Director‑General, Mr William D. Magwood, IV and the Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mr Stephen G. Burns. Other featured speakers were Mr Julien Aubert, French Member of Parliament, and Mr Julian Gadano, Argentine Undersecretary of Nuclear Energy. An additional 37 presentations were made by experts on legal frameworks, nuclear regulation, radiological protection, radioactive waste management, constructing new nuclear facilities, extending the operation of existing facilities, stakeholder involvement in nuclear and other sectors, and the dynamics of stakeholder involvement and the media. The presentations were punctuated by various opportunities for dialogue among all participants.
During his opening remarks, Mr Gurría noted that the quality of public involvement in the decision-making process may be as important as the quality of the scientific analysis or the engineering work needed to implement the decision. He also stressed that "taking the shorter route and bypassing serious public engagement risks reaching decisions that will not stand the test of time as stakeholders continue to question the decision after it has been made. In the end, this path would cost much more, take much longer and also damage the credibility of decision makers in the process."
Mr Magwood recalled that, "As we have learned through hard experience in many countries, experts cannot act alone to solve difficult problems. For the greatest challenges facing society today, they must, as a central component of their activities, ensure the broad and deep support of public stakeholders. This is important in all long-term, complex undertakings, but for decisions concerning nuclear energy that employ large tracts of land, use significant quantities of resources, and sometimes generate public questions about safety, achieving a durable public consensus has become an absolute requirement."
In addition to sharing experiences and best practices, during the workshop participants debated such questions as who among the members of the public and other stakeholders should be informed and how science should be used to address their concerns regarding the choices to be made; in what ways can the full array of viewpoints be put into a balanced perspective; and what roles can and should social media play in engaging with stakeholders.
A summary report of the conference is in preparation and will be provided online.