Palau together with Bahrain, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka were participated in the workshop in which the agenda included an overview of Nuclear Law and the Legal Infrastructure Supporting Nuclear Energy, Country Presentations and Roundtable discussions.
Palau was presented by J. Marin T. Ngirutang Jr., senior foreign service officer of the Ministry of State for Disarmament Policy and Roxanne Siual Blesam, compliance specialist/SAICM coordinator of the Environment Quality Protection Board.
As a member of the IAEA (March 2007), Palau is eligible for wide range of technical assistants to ensure that our Nuclear Law is effective and efficient in addressing our needs so that we may be able to enjoy the benefits of peaceful use of nuclear energy without inheriting its negative impacts.
The main theme of the workshop was to attain better understanding of Nuclear Law and its overarching principles. Nuclear Law as it is defined is a legal framework designed to regulate the conduct of legal or natural persons engaged in activities related to nuclear energy, fissionable materials, ionizing radiation and exposure to natural sources of radiation in a manner which adequately protects individuals, property and the environment.
Palau, although has a strong constitutional enforcement against nuclear activities and does not have nuclear power plants or gold/coal mining activities, as a coastal state Palau must have strong legal provisions of liability to govern the trans-boundary movement of radioactive materials.
The outcome of the workshop was positive, particularly due its small setting and audience.
Palau expressed its need for an in-country assessment and scoping of its needs so that an effective Nuclear Law can be developed with the assistance of IAEA.
