NEA Mandates and Structures

Expert Group on Awareness Preservation after Repository Closure (EGAP)

Chair(s):		Secretary:	Rebecca TADESSE (rebecca.tadesse@oecd-nea.org)
Member(s):	All NEA member countries^*
	Russia (Suspended*)
	^*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council.
Full participant(s):	European Commission Under the NEA Statute
Observer(s)(International Organisation):	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement
Date of creation:	10 September 2020
End of mandate:	30 September 2022

Mandate (Document reference):

Mandate of the Working Party on Information, Data and Knowledge Management 2020-2022 [NEA/RWM(2019)9/FINAL]
A New Initiative on Information, Data and Knowledge Management (IDKM) Terms of Reference [NEA/RWM(2019)8]
Summary record of the Kick-Off Meeting of the Working Party on Information, Data and Knowledge Management (WP-IDKM) [NEA/RWM/IDKM/M(2020)1]
Mandate of Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) across Generations – Phase II 2016-108 [NEA/RWM(2016)6/PROV]
Sub-Group Reporting to the Parent Committee Document [NEA/CDLM/RWMC(2019)2]
Update of the Mandate of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) Following the Creation of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management [NEA/NE(2017)14]
The Information, Data and Knowledge Management Roadmap [forthcoming]
Mandate of the Working Party on Information, Data and Knowledge Management 2020-2022 [NEA/RWM(2019)9/FINAL]
A New Initiative on Information, Data and Knowledge Management (IDKM) Terms of Reference [NEA/RWM(2019)8]
Summary record of the Kick-Off Meeting of the Working Party on Information, Data and Knowledge Management (WP-IDKM) [NEA/RWM/IDKM/M(2020)1]
Mandate of Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) across Generations – Phase II 2016-108 [NEA/RWM(2016)6/PROV]
Sub-Group Reporting to the Parent Committee Document [NEA/CDLM/RWMC(2019)2]
Update of the Mandate of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) Following the Creation of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management [NEA/NE(2017)14]
The Information, Data and Knowledge Management Roadmap [forthcoming]
Mandate of the Expert Group on Awareness Preservation after Repository Closure (EGAP) [NEA/RWM/IDKM(2020)5/FINAL]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from Document NEA/RWM/IDKM(2020)5/FINAL

[...]

Scope

The EGAP is concerned with the task of awareness preservation during the timescales after closure of a repository, when the job of putting the functional repository in place is finished and when awareness is no longer self-evident through an ongoing major industrial activity.

Mandate

The Working Party on Information, Data and Knowledge Management (WP-IDKM) has decided to establish the third-level Expert Group on Awareness Preservation after Repository Closure (EGAP). The EGAP shall carry out the following key tasks:

i) explore participatory mechanisms by building an information and discussion platform to facilitate/strengthen cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and experiences on RK&M preservation solutions, with which to reach relevant stakeholders to support functioning participatory processes.

ii) consider further development and implementation of awareness preservation tools in practice, in particular regarding the writing and employment of a KIF

iii) perform complementary studies and analyses on the effect of evolving societal factors on awareness preservation approaches, i.e. on specific procedural, technological, societal, cultural or communicative aspects that impact the realisation of awareness preservation

To support these primary activities, the expert group shall identify relevant secondary activities to be progressed.

Working methods

The mode of operation of the EGAP is based upon plenary meetings and an ongoing, project-oriented working programme.

A Bureau consisting of a Chair and one or more Vice-Chairs shall co-ordinate and facilitate the work of the EGAP. The Bureau shall normally meet once or twice a year, with one meeting normally held in conjunction with the annual EGAP plenary meeting.

Communication within the EGAP shall primarily take place through annual plenary meetings. The plenary meeting is devoted to:

the exchange of information on recent developments in the member countries;
in-depth discussions of current developments and topical issues, where additional specialists may also be invited;
the identification of main outcomes/insights to be reported to the WP-IDKM; and
the discussion and coordination of the working programme, including the evaluation of possible collaboration with other projects in and outside of the NEA, in particular with other expert groups of the WP-IDKM as well as other sub groups of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC).

The EGAP shall report to the WP-IDKM at the annual meetings of the working party.

Additionally, the EGAP shall: (i) identify resources (including funding) and schedules for its activities; and (ii) review the programme of work and its effectiveness.

In fulfilling its Mandate, the EGAP will be supported by the staff of the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning.

Membership

The EGAP is a task-oriented expert group that should be composed of a diverse range of experts in the field of RK&M/awareness preservation in RWM, decommissioning and non-related fields from NEA member countries, e.g. engineers and scientists in RWMOs, decommissioning and other technical domains involved with data and information management, knowledge managers and social scientists involved with knowledge management on extended timescales (hundreds of years).

Interactions

The work of the EGAP shall be complementary to that of the IAEA and the EC, and the group should co-operate with its relevant counterparts as well as provide relevant input to the activities of these institutions, as appropriate.

Through the RWMC and Secretariat, the EGAP will co-operate with the NEA standing technical committees and their subsidiary bodies when relevant, in particular those of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (CDLM) to identify (i) interfaces between the groups and (ii) overlaps and common issues. It may also collaborate with the NEA Data Bank.

In particular, the EGAP will take into account the following NEA reports and publications:

Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory across Generations: Final Report [NEA report 7421]
Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory across Generations: Developing a Key Information File for a Radioactive Waste Repository [NEA publication 7377]

Deliverables

The expert group will produce appropriate reports, presentations and workshops with the support of the Secretariat.