Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident
The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident outlines the necessity for State Parties to provide sufficient notification to other State Parties if they have, or are likely to suffer, from a nuclear accident. If radioactive material is unintentionally released the International Atomic Energy Agency and states which may be affected by the leak must be provided with details concerning the nature, time, characteristics, metrological and hydrographical conditions of the area, and the location of the spillage. This is primarily in order to prevent such an accident from spiralling out of control and to ensure that the damage caused by the accident can be minimised. The convention, in a similar fashion to the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency was rapidly drafted and ratified by state partners in response of the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster.