Minutes of the 65th Executive Council of IRPARef: IRPA EC66/01
MINUTES OF THE 65th EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF IRPA
28th-30thJuly, 2013
OTTAWA, CANADA
Participants
Renate Czarwinski - President
Roger Coates - Vice-President
Bernard Le Guen – Executive Officer
Richard Toohey - Treasurer
Christopher Clement – Publications Director
Ana Maria Bomben
Eduardo Gallego
Alfred Hefner
Jong Kyung Kim
Sigurður Magnùsson
Richard Vetter
Thiagan Pather
Opening
The President, Ms. Renate Czarwinski, opened the session at 9.30 am on Sunday, 28thJuly 2013. She welcomed the Vice President, Executive Officer and Members in attendance and thanked Christopher Clement and the CNSC for hosting this 65th Executive Council meeting. She added that it was a great honor for IRPA to be back in Ottawa 21years after the IRPA International Conference in Ottawa.
The Presidentcongratulated Eduardo Gallego on his appointment as the new President of the RP Spanish Society and thanked the Executive Officer for preparing this meeting with its agenda.
IRPA’s former Vice President in 1996, Mr. Klaus Duftschmidt,passed away in December 2012. The President asked for a few seconds of silence in his memory.
Adoption of the agenda (EC65-01) and minutes of the 64th EC meeting
The pre-established agenda of the EC65 meeting was then officially adopted with minor changes, as were the minutes of the 64th EC meeting. A summary report has been posted on the website.
The Executive Officer suggested setting a deadline for receiving EC members’ comments on the minutes (ie 4 weeks after submitting the draft minutes).For the future, the idea was raised to prepare a structured agenda with numbered paragraphs and documents corresponding to those posted on the website.
The EC64 minutes were sent for review and comments by the EC members. The Executive Officer subsequently received EC members’ comments/changes and integrated them in the minutes. For easier incorporation of changes into future minutes, the Executive Officer asked for comments to be added using the track change function.
Emphasizing the importance of action tracking, the Executive Officer made a thorough review of action completion and the President suggested performing an action review every half year.
Below is the list of actions postponed to a later date:
- Action 1 (former Action 2)
- Action 2 (former Action 14)
- Action3 (former Actions 18 and 20)
- Action 4 (former Action 29)
- Action 5 (former Action 31)
- Action 6 (former Action 32)
- Action 7 (former Action 32)
- Action 8 (former Action 36)
- Action 9 (former Action 43)
Follow up on Brett Burke’s retreat report
The President was disappointed in the report produced late by Brett Burke, which was confirmed by the Vice President and the other EC members.As a result, the President and the Vice President decided to produce an executive summary.
The Executive Officer indicated that the decision was made after the Berlin retreat to develop more TORs. The development of TORs with the contribution by the ASs is a relatively new feature and there is now more involvement at EC level.
The President suggested taking the executive summary and includingall TORs and other activities in a document called ‘Update of Strategic Plan for the period 2012-2016’. She will send the related documents for comments by end of September 2013.
Action 10
Officers’ reports
President’s report (Renate Czarwinski)
ICNIRP
The President sent a letter to ICNIRP regarding cooperation with IRPA on the preparation of IRPA 14. ICNIRP agreed to organize their Workshop in connection with the IRPA Congress. The suggestion was made to invite ICNIRP to the 50th anniversary celebration.
Action 13
IAEA
The President will make sure that IRPA is present at the IAEA International Expert Meeting on Radiation Protection after the Fukushima Daiichi Accident (February 2014) to make a presentation. The Expert Meeting has been posted on IRPA website, with the idea to communicate with the public and encourage young people to participate. The President suggested having IRPA contribute to the Public Understanding part.
Action 14
Action 15
The President reported on the Regional Latin American Congress in Rio de Janeiro including the tentative cooperation with FORO. The President and Executive Officerattended the Congressbut expected a little more from the General Conference.
Cooperation with FORO
The meeting with FORO included an excellent discussion. The agreement between IRPA and FORO is ready to be signed. The Executive Officer has committed toinformFORO of future IRPA meetings.
Celebration of IRPA’s 50th Anniversary (2014-2016)
Action 16
In Cape Town, Wednesday 11th May, 2016 will be dedicated to celebrating IRPA’s anniversary including dinner with 30 or 45 minutes prior dinner dedicated to a special award ceremony. The question was raised as to how IRPA wants to organise the lectures and choose the topics. The International Congress in Cape Town will see the celebration of the 5th year after Fukushima and 30th after Chernobyl. Argentina will also celebrate its 50th anniversary and has started making interviews.
Action 17
According to Sigurður Magnùsson, the Cape Town Congress should include a special session on Chernobyl and Fukushima. The anniversary should be a good mixture of past/present and future. It sounds like a good idea to ask the ASs to make a short presentation, including a poster session on this topic.
Action 18
The suggested changes to voting were sent to the EC members on 29th July for comments by 15th September, 2013. The target is to have the new rules used for the first time in Cape Town.
ETRAP
According to Alfred Hefner, the conference in Vienna was well prepared, and attended by some 200 participants. It was a high quality conference which includedtopics on ethics and education.Alfred suggesed that IRPA should continue and attend future conferences. The decision was made to try and sign an agreement with ETRAP on waiving fees if IRPA is to participate in future conferences
Action 19
Action 20
Action 21
CRPPH
The Executive Officer attended the meeting on WPNEM (emergency management) and recovery management.WPNEM published a report that incorporates a survey on international countermeasures. As far as the implementation of IRCP recommendation is concerned, a new expert group on EGRPS is in charge of developing a report on state of the art knowledge.In 2006, CRPPH established a group on radiological science, which is reviewing this recent report.
The President suggested to the EC members that IRPA should try and establish an ad-hoc group to bring in our own practitioners’ view looking on the RP side of the document, for instance on the topic of 100mSv not being dangerous. The deadline set for comments to the IAEA is 15th November, 2013.
Action 22
Action 23
Action 24
It was acknowledged that IRPA has currently no defined mechanism with the Associate Societies for issuing comments. When Dick Toohey receives comments, he will have to prepare a summary report to submit to the AS for their feedback on how their comments were incorporated, before sending the document to the IAEA.
Vice-President’sReport (Roger Coates)
Admission Committee
The current status of membership was reviewed by the Vice President, including a quick country-by-country review of the table attached to the Vice President’s report.
Sievert Awards
An invitation to ASs to nominate candidates to the Sievert Awards was sent out in January 2013, with closing date on 9th May, 2014.
Action 25
Reports on the 50th Anniversaries of the Belgian Society and SRP
Arelevant paper on both anniversarieswas provided by the Vice President and has been posted on the website.
Report by the Vice-President for Congress Affairs
Thiagan Patermade a detailed description of the Cape Town Convention Center and will provide Chris Clement with material on IRPA14-ICOC (Organising Committee) to post on the website.
Great care will be given to the Poster Session, with the inclusion of discussion tables during lunch breaks.The advantages of poster boards as opposed to electronic displays was mentioned. Eduardo Gallego suggested not limiting the size of the ICPC and appointing names that will be attractive to other participants.
According to the President, IRPA should set a budget aside for the publication of presentations, under the potential title ‘Proceedings of 50th anniversary’. Eduardo Gallego indicated that the publication of the book produced at IRPA11 included a commitment bythe Congress to purchase 300 or 400 copies, which were then given as a gift to key lecturers.
According to Thiagan Pater, some 1100 delegates are likely to attend the Congress. Sigurður Magnùsson stated that the Congress should be careful not to raise the fees too high. Currently, the fees include all coffee breaks, lunches and dinners.
Action 26
Executive Officer’sReport
The document describing the operation of the Executive Officer was presented, including an update on the IRPA leaflet, some of which were distributed to the EC members. The Executive Officer also gave some feedback on the Forum Association in Rio.
Financial Report by the Treasurer
The Treasurer presented IRPA’s financial report so far and commented on the update of accounts since the last EC meeting. IRPA is in really good shape thanks to the proceeds of the Glasgow Congress, ie approximately 35,000 $ extra to spend each year as IRPA wishes.
Half the dues have been paid so far this year (50,000 $ approx). The Cuban AS has paid its fees. However, there has been no answer from India. IRPA has received 237 $ from Eva Corleoni, but the Treasurer does not know where from (Venezuela, Madagascar or Portugal).
There was a problem for the Rio Congress: they requested 7,500 $ in support, 5,000 $ were sent by the Treasurer, however the bank returned the payment. The amount was repaid by the Treasurer and returned by the bank in July 2013. The situation will be clarified with Josilito D'Aquino, however the amount was still with IRPA at the date of the EC meeting in Ottawa.
5,000 euros were wired to the Nordic Society for Bo Lindell’s translation.
The Treasurer reiterated that IRPA is in very good shape financially, which gives IRPA more freedom in implementing its strategic plan. The Publications Director suggesting putting part of that money away as there will be rainy days.
According to the President, this is a satisfactory situation considering that we have quite a lot of activities ahead of us. The President thanked the Treasurer for his good management of IRPA’s funds.
It was suggested to advertise more that IRPA can provide financial support to young people. Chris Clement suggested including a note on the website on the young people that were financially supported by IRPA during the Glasgow Congress. Jointly with Sven Nagels, Alfred Hefner suggests promotion on the website of financial support to young people.
Montreal Fund
The Treasurer indicated that there has been no activity in this area, except for some contributions received.
Publications Director’s Report
The Publications Director expressed his satisfaction about the TORs (Terms of Reference) that have all been finalised as IRPA can now appoint members. He personally had 6 to 8 volunteers for the Publications Commission.
Regarding how to handle future proceedings and as a feedback from IRPA 13, it isimportant to get copyright from the authors upfront (a signed document) otherwise it becomes very difficult to obtain it at a later stage.
Reporting on the IRPA website update, the Publications Director stated that thetransition from IRPA13 website was going slowly.IRPA has a Facebook page, including a page on Young Professionals. However, there is currently not a lot of activities on that front. The IRPA trademark has been registered in the UK and the IRPA Twitter name should have been obtained by now.
The Executive Officer indicated that he has provided IRPA with a high definition logo.
Translation of Bo Lindell’ books
Translation into English: Sig Magnusson indicated that the contract with a translation company has been signed. The translation is currently underway, and total work is planned to last approximately 2 years. Reference groups (including some 8 individuals) will oversee and proofread all translated text. Jack Valentin and Chris Clement have pledged to read the entire translation.
Translation into Spanish: Ana Maria Bomben made a presentation indicating that Book n° 1 (Pandora’s Box)has been translated into Spanish. This achievement was a long process (the translation + its review lasting about one year instead of the 3 months originally planned). The translation was reviewed by 2 SAR members (a medical doctor and a biologist) and all copyrights were transferred to SAR. The Spanish AS sent a contribution.The book in electronic format is available for free on the SAR website. Ana Maria Bomben gave an electronic copy of the Spanish version of the book, Pandora’s Box to all EC members and was thanked for that.The President thanked Ana Maria Bomben for the good work and asked for a paragraph to be posted on IRPA’s website.
Action 27
Meeting with Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Executive Committee,
led by Terry Jamieson, Vice President
Mr. Terry Jamieson, CNSC Vice President and host of the EC65th meeting in Ottawa, welcomed the EC members. Renate Czarwinski made a short presentation of IRPA’s mission statement and activities, which was followed by an interesting discussion/exchange on potential cooperation between IRPA and CNSC. 6 topics were primarily selected:
- Security of sources
- Ethics in RP
- Lessons learned from the Glasgow Congress
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Stakeholder engagement and input
- Public understanding and confidence
Feedback from past Congresses
Ninth South American IRPA Regional Congress on Nuclear and Radiation Safety
Ana Maria Bomben made a thorough report on the Ninth South American IRPA Regional Congress on Nuclear and Radiation Safety which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 14 to 19 April 2013, with details on the venue. The Congress was a major success, with 716 participants, a record for a Regional Congress. Award prizeswere granted by private companies while SAR offered free registration for future Regional Congresses.
The President conveyed her thanks to Ana Maria Bomben and the organizers for such a successful Congress and the great job performed, in a friendly and typically South American atmosphere.
Forthcoming IRPA Regional congresses (Argentina, Switzerland, Malaysia, Morocco)
10thLatin American Regional Congress in 12-17 April 2015
The President received an official letter applying for the 10thSouth American Regional Congress in 2015 – Buenos Aires. The dates have been chosen in honor of Dr. Dan Deninson, recipient of the Sievert Award. Ana Maria Bomben has been appointed President. FRALC and SAR have agreed to apply IRPA’s request for stepwise application of the normal meeting frequency for congresses in Latin and Central America: the following congress, 11th Latin American Regional Congress, will take place in Cuba in 2018, and ultimately the 12th Latin American Regional Congress in 2022.
Fourth European Congress, Geneva, Switzerland, 23-27 June 2014
The Geneva Congress programme should be finalised by next October 2013, including a whole range of organisations and discussions on Fukushima and protection in the medical area. The speakers have been invited and all 12 refresher courses are organised. The Swiss Minister for Health has been invited to attend the opening ceremony.
A room has been reserved for the AS Forum on June 25th in the morning. As the mentor of Young Scientists and the Chair of the relevant committee, Alfred Hefnerindicated that he is organising an Award. There will also be a poster award committee.The President is asking all EC members present in Geneva to attend the AS Forum on June 25th, 2013.
Fourth Asian and Oceanic Congress, PWTC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,May 2014
Kim Jong presented the status of the Kuala Lumpur Congress, which included a discussion on the presence of young professionals at the Congress. If the winner was to be known in advance, only the YP Award recipient would obtain financial support to attend. Ideally,all YP nominees from the different AS should come to International and Regional Congresses. IRPA’s advice to AS participating in AORP is to apply IRPA’s existing model for young professionals awards and give financial support to nominees who are members of the relevant AS.
Abstracts for the Congress were to be sent by the end of August 2013. WHO has sent a letter confirming cosponsoring of the Congress for which the President is thankful.
Action 28
African IRPA Regional Congress, Rabat, Morocco, 13-17 September 2014
Thiagan Paterpresented the status of the Rabat Regional Congress and confirmed their web address: afrirpa4.com. The conference topics have been rearranged.
There has been some toing and froing as to who would cohost the Congress. Thiagan Pater has sent a series of emails asking for details on the congress preparation over the last couple of months, howeverhe has not had much success in receiving detailed feedback. Things are far from progressing as planned so it is worrying. The conference is one year away: in spite of the help they will receive from Tunisia and from other African Associate Societies, the lack of progress at this stage is a concern for the EC. They need to start working urgently as IRPA wants this Congress to happen: they need to be asked how IRPA can help and what they need.
Action 29
Other matters
A letter of invitation has been sent to IRPA asking us to attend a 2nd International Advisory Group meeting (RPM 2014) in Varna, Bulgaria – 30th May to 2nd June, 2014.
As Richard Vetter is going to be coediting an IOMP-sponsored book and the other coeditor is Magdalena Stoeva in Bulgaria, the decision was made that he will attend the meeting to show his engagement and make a presentation on radiation protection culture in the medical area. The first conference was a success.
The European Associate Society Meeting will take place in Paris on 21st October, starting on Sunday 20th and will be attended by Alfred and Roger (on behalf of IRPA), so they can prepare their participation in the General Assembly.
Presentation by Renate Czarwinski to an invited audience