Participants identified areas for strengthening public engagement and regulatory communication on nuclear power. These recommendations highlight potential actions that governments, regulators, civil society, and international partners could take to support regulators in fulfilling their mandate, enhance public trust, and promote informed dialogue on nuclear power development:
- Governments should improve public confidence in nuclear power programmes by ensuring that regulators are independent and have the necessary human and financial resources to fulfil their mandate, which includes public communications.
- Regulators should enhance their outreach programmes by regularly engaging civil society organisations and communicators, providing accurate and up-to-date information to empower these organisations on effective community engagement.
- Civil society organisations and communicators should use their platforms to amplify key messages from regulators on nuclear power development and promote the importance of the regulator’s role to both the public and government.
- Civil society organisations should create more opportunities for the Global North and Global South to build partnerships and share expertise.
- All stakeholders should design inclusive and responsive nuclear power programmes that are sensitive to the culture and customs of host communities. These programmes should accommodate women and young people, who research suggests are among the most sceptical of nuclear power.
- All stakeholders should take appropriate steps to demystify the nuclear value chain, showcasing opportunities for stakeholders to engage and contribute to the success of nuclear power programmes.
- IAEA Member States should request the IAEA to draft high-level guidance on how communicators and regulators can collaborate to strengthen public outreach efforts, without compromising regulatory independence.