The Minister for Commerce, Hon. Emma Hippolyte, heads Saint Lucia’s delegation to the International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS 2024) from 20th -24th May 2024 in Vienna, Austria. Saint Lucia’s delegation includes: Mr. Verne Emmanuel, Director - Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards; Mr. Dylan Norbert-Inglis, Senior Legal Officer in the Ministry of Commerce; and ASP Brenner Camille, Staff Officer to the Commissioner, Royal Saint Lucia Police Force.
ICONS 2024: Shaping the Future is being held at the Headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and consists of two main parts:
1. A ministerial segment (20th-21st May 2024) which provided an opportunity for ministers to deliver messages on achievements and adopt a Co-Chair Statement as there was no consensus on a Ministerial Declaration; and
2. A scientific and technical programme comprising of high-level policy discussions on the overall themes central to nuclear security and parallel technical sessions on specialized scientific, technical, legal and regulatory issues concerning nuclear security.
As Saint Lucia prepares to receive a mission from the IAEA from 3rd to 7th June 2024 to assist in the location of material out of regulatory control (missing nuclear gauge), Saint Lucia has reassured the highest level of commitment to the safe use of ionizing radiation and nuclear technology.
Saint Lucia became a member of the IAEA in February 2019 and is at an advanced stage in drafting a Radiation Safety and Security of Radioactive Materials Bill in keeping with agreed conventions and the Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Materials and its supplementary guidance on Import and Export. The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards is the interim regulator, and it is expected that this role will transition to the recently formed Regulated Substances Authority (RSA).