Browse by: "2021"
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Safety remains the most important factor in managing radioactive waste and spent fuel resulting from the generation of nuclear energy. General consensus has emerged worldwide that deep geological repositories are the safest option for long-lived radioactive waste, and that constructing repositories is feasible using current technologies. However, until repositories become available, radioactive waste must be managed safely and securely so that the risks posed to human health and to the environment over the long timescales involved are minimised.
This report examines the predisposal phase of radioactive waste management programmes in NEA member countries for all types of waste from high-level to intermediate- and low-level waste, and spent fuel. It reviews regulations, policies, strategies and financial issues in member countries, as well as best practices both in terms of storage and transport. The report is primarily directed at decision makers with a technical knowledge of the subject.
Radioactive waste inventory data are an essential element in the development of a national radioactive waste management programme since these data affect the design and selection of the ultimate disposal methods. Inventory data are generally presented as an amount of radioactive waste under various waste classes, according to the waste classification scheme developed and adopted by the country or national programme in question. Various waste classification schemes have thus evolved in most countries, and these schemes classify radioactive waste according to its origin, to criteria related to the protection of workers or the physical, chemical and radiological properties of the waste and the planned disposal method(s).
The diversity in classification schemes across countries has restricted the possibility of comparing waste inventories and led to difficulties in interpreting waste management practices, both nationally and internationally. To help improve this situation, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) developed a methodology that ensures consistency of national radioactive waste and spent fuel inventory data by presenting them in a common scheme in direct connection with accepted management strategy and disposal routes. This report provides the final version of the methodology and presenting scheme for spent nuclear fuel and the radioactive waste of all existing types. Additionally, there are recommendations in the report on how to enhance the comparability of national inventory data using the NEA methodology. The NEA support for joint efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Commission on harmonisation of the reporting process by member countries to the Joint Convention and European Council Directive 2011/70 EURATOM is also presented in the report.
Low-level and very low-level waste represent the vast majority of radioactive waste by volume from decommissioning activity at nuclear facilities around the world, but they are only a small fraction of the radiological inventory. The availability of the appropriate waste management infrastructure, including a robust process and procedures for managing waste, waste disposal routes and an appropriate safety culture, are key components of an optimal approach to decommissioning. Recognising the important role of an effective waste management strategy in the delivery of a successful decommissioning programme, the former NEA Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD) established an expert group in 2016 – the Task Group on Optimising Management of Low-Level Radioactive Materials and Waste from Decommissioning (TGOM) – to examine how countries manage (very) low-level radioactive waste and materials arising from decommissioning.
This report explores elements contributing to the optimisation of national approaches at a strategic level, describing the main factors and the relationships between them. It also identifies constraints in the practical implementation of optimisation based on experience in NEA member countries.
Global gas demand fell by an estimated 2.5% or 100 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2020 – its largest drop on record. Amid this slowdown, gas demand for power generation remained resilient owing to fuel switching, while the whole supply chain showed strong flexibility in adjusting to demand variations. Gas trade globalisation progressed with increasing liquidity, while prices experienced historical lows and extreme volatility. The Covid-19 crisis and a well-supplied market put investment on hold, whereas gas market reforms and clean gas policy initiatives gained momentum in major consuming markets.
2021 opens with price rallies in Asia and Europe as rising winter demand tightened supply, but the price spikes are not expected to last beyond the short-term cold snaps given that market fundamentals for 2021 remain fragile. Global gas demand is expected to recover its 2019 level but with uncertainties regarding the recovery trajectory of fast-growing markets compared with more mature regions. Sectoral demand, on the other hand, is subject to a variety of risk factors including fuel switching, slow industrial rebound or milder weather.
This new quarterly report offers a detailed analysis of recent developments in global gas markets and the near-term outlook, and includes an overview of the main market highlights for 2020.
Latvia has embarked on an ambitious agenda to tackle the challenges posed by complex types of criminality to public prosecution services, with particular emphasis on economic and financial crimes. This report carries out a benchmark analysis of Latvia’s prosecution practices along with those in ten OECD member countries, international good practices and the experience of globally renowned prosecution experts. It takes stock of the good practices implemented in the prosecution to date, and examines the importance of a broad range of policy aspects that can drive better performance. These include strategic management tools, the use of data and strengthening co-operation across the whole of the justice chain. Finally, it formulates policy recommendations to support Latvia in strengthening the performance of its prosecution services.
This volume is the fourteenth of the series “Chemical Thermodynamics” published by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. It is the second update of the critical reviews published, successively, in 1992 as Chemical Thermodynamics of Uranium, in 1995 as Chemical Thermodynamics of Americium, in 1999 as Chemical Thermodynamics of Technetium, in 2001 as Chemical Thermodynamics of Neptunium and Plutonium and in 2003 as the first Update on the Chemical Thermodynamics of Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Americium and Technetium. A team, composed of nine internationally recognised experts, has critically reviewed all the relevant scientific literature for the above mentioned systems that has appeared since the publication of the earlier volumes. The results of this assessment, carried out following the Guidelines of the Thermochemical Database Project, have been documented in the present volume, which contains new tables of selected values for formation and reaction data and an extensive bibliography. The database system developed at the NEA Data Bank ensures consistency within the recommended data sets. This volume will be of particular interest to scientists carrying out performance assessments of deep geological disposal sites for radioactive waste.
Uranium is the raw material used to produce fuel for long-lived nuclear power facilities, necessary for the generation of significant amounts of low-carbon electricity and other uses, such as heat and hydrogen production, for decades to come. Although a valuable commodity, major producing countries limited total production in recent years in response to a depressed uranium market. Uranium production cuts have unexpectedly deepened with the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, leading to some questions being raised about future uranium supply.
This 28th edition of the “Red Book”, a recognised world reference on uranium jointly prepared by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), provides analyses and information from 45 producing and consuming countries in order to address these and other questions. The present edition reviews world uranium market fundamentals and presents data on global uranium exploration, resources, production and reactor-related requirements. It offers updated information on established uranium production centres and mine development plans, as well as projections of nuclear generating capacity and reactor-related requirements through 2040.
Food systems around the world face a triple challenge: providing food security and nutrition for a growing global population; supporting livelihoods for those working along the food supply chain; and contributing to environmental sustainability. Better policies hold tremendous promise for making progress in these domains. This report focuses on three questions. What has been the performance of food systems to date, and what role did policies play? How can policy makers design coherent policies across the triple challenge? And how can policy makers deal with frictions related to facts, interests, and values, which often complicate the task of achieving better policies? Better policies will require breaking down silos between agriculture, health, and environmental policies, and overcoming knowledge gaps, resistance from interest groups, and differing values. Robust, inclusive, evidence-based processes are thus essential to making better policies for food systems.
Les Principes directeurs pour des contrats extractifs durables indiquent comment développer des projets extractifs reflétant l'équilibre des risques et bénéfices, tout en tenant compte dès le départ des intérêts et des préoccupations des communautés locales. Ils apportent un cadre au contenu et à la négociation des contrats extractifs, permettant de réduire les risques de litiges et les demandes de renégociation, et de s’adapter de manière prévisible aux conditions qui prévalent sur les marchés. Les Principes directeurs donnent aux gouvernements des pays hôtes et aux investisseurs les clés pour expliquer au public le contenu des contrats, et ainsi gérer les tensions entre les parties prenantes. Ils incluent huit principes et des commentaires que gouvernements hôtes, investisseurs, fournisseurs d’assistance technique et praticiens du droit peuvent utiliser comme référence commune pour la future négociation de contrats pérennes et mutuellement avantageux.
In immediate responses to the COVID-19 crisis, science and innovation are playing essential roles in providing a better scientific understanding of the virus, as well as in the development of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. Both the public and private sectors have poured billions of dollars into these efforts, accompanied by unprecedented levels of global cooperation. However, the economic crisis that is currently unfolding is expected to severely curtail research and innovation expenditures in firms, while debt-laden governments will face multiple, competing demands for financial support. These developments threaten to cause long-term damage to innovation systems at a time when science and innovation are most needed to deal with the climate emergency, meet the Sustainable Development Goals, and accelerate the digital transformation. Governments will need to take measures to protect their innovation systems as part of their stimulus and recovery packages, but should also use these as opportunities for reforms. In particular, science, technology and innovation (STI) policy should shift towards supporting a more ambitious agenda of system transformation that promotes a managed transition to more sustainable, equitable and resilient futures.
After initial success in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and a strong economic rebound, Turkey faces a resurgence of cases which puts pressure on the country’s health system, public resources, social cohesion and macroeconomic sustainability. Public finances offer room for government support to the households and businesses most in need, but this should be provided under a more transparent and predictable fiscal, quasi-fiscal, monetary and financial policy framework. In the early phases of the pandemic, shortcomings in the macroeconomic framework weighed on market confidence, creating tensions in risk premia, capital movements and exchange rates, which complicated macroeconomic policy responses to the crisis. New demands and opportunities also arose for structural change in the business sector. Product, labour and capital market reforms, bundled with a comprehensive upgrading of vocational education, would accelerate the much needed formalisation of business activities, the re-balancing of firm balance sheets with external equity capital, and a broad-based digital modernisation. A stronger, more sustainable and more inclusive post-COVID growth trajectory would then be within reach.
SPECIAL FEATURE: UNLEASHING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE BUSINESS SECTOR
Berdasarkan pencapaian sejak Kajian Kebijakan Investasi OECD Indonesia pertama satu dekade lalu, Kajian Kedua ini menyajikan penilaian iklim investasi di Indonesia untuk mendukung pemerintah dalam upaya reformasi yang sedang berlangsung. Kajian Ini mengidentifikasi tantangan dan peluang, serta rekomendasi untuk meningkatkan daya saing, mendukung pertumbuhan, dan memastikan hasil investasi dirasakan secara merata dan berkelanjutan terhadap lingkungan. Kajian ini sangat menekankan pada langkah-langkah untuk membangun iklim investasi yang sehat, transparan, dan bertanggung jawab guna mendukung pemulihan ekonomi yang tangguh selepas pandemi COVID-19.
Dynamiques du développement en Afrique tire les leçons des expériences des cinq régions du continent – Afrique australe, centrale, de l'Est, du Nord et de l'Ouest – pour développer des recommandations en matière de politiques publiques et partager les bonnes pratiques. Étayé par les plus récentes statistiques, son décryptage des dynamiques de développement vise à permettre aux leaders africains de réaliser la vision stratégique de l’Agenda 2063 à tous les niveaux : continental, régional, national et local.
L'édition 2021, dorénavant publiée en début d’année, explore le potentiel de la transformation digitale pour créer des emplois de qualité et réaliser l'Agenda 2063, en vue de renforcer la résilience des économies africaines face à la récession mondiale déclenchée par la pandémie de COVID-19. Le rapport cible quatre types d’action publique pour soutenir la transformation digitale de l'Afrique : réduire la fracture digitale ; soutenir l'innovation locale ; dynamiser les travailleurs indépendants ; et accélérer l'harmonisation, la mise en œuvre et le suivi des stratégies digitales. Cette édition comprend un nouveau chapitre examinant les perspectives de financement du développement de l'Afrique face à la crise économique mondiale de 2020.
Dynamiques du développement en Afrique a pour vocation de nourrir le débat entre les membres de l’Union africaine, ainsi qu’avec les citoyens, entrepreneurs et chercheurs. Son ambition est de participer à une nouvelle coopération entre pays et entre régions, qui soit tournée vers l’apprentissage mutuel et la préservation de nos biens communs. Ce rapport est le fruit de la coopération entre la Commission de l’Union africaine et le Centre de développement de l’OCDE.
Africa’s Development Dynamics uses lessons learned in the continent’s five regions – Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa – to develop policy recommendations and share good practices. Drawing on the most recent statistics, this analysis of development dynamics attempts to help African leaders reach the targets of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 at all levels: continental, regional, national and local.
The 2021 edition, now published at the beginning of the year, explores how digitalisation can create quality jobs and contribute to achieving Agenda 2063, thereby making African economies more resilient to the global recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report targets four main policy areas for Africa’s digital transformation: bridging the digital divide; supporting local innovation; empowering own-account workers; and harmonising, implementing and monitoring digital strategies. This edition includes a new chapter examining how to finance Africa’s development despite the 2020 global economic crisis.
Africa’s Development Dynamics feeds into a policy debate between the African Union’s governments, citizens, entrepreneurs and researchers. It aims to be part of a new collaboration between countries and regions, which focuses on mutual learning and the preservation of common goods. This report results from a partnership between the African Union Commission and the OECD Development Centre.
In a context of considerable interest in apprenticeship in recent years, Cedefop and the OECD decided to explore its future from the perspective of a number of megatrends, including sociodemographic changes, the accelerated adoption of emerging technologies and new forms of work organisation. They also considered how these trends have affected, and will continue to affect, the design and delivery of apprenticeship in European and OECD countries. The combination of the emerging economic crisis as an aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, together with long-term structural trends affecting global economies, will entail a profound transformation of the world of work and require effective policy responses in the years to come. This publication provides insights from 16 papers by researchers from Europe, Australia and the United States; nine were presented and discussed among policy-makers, practitioners and researchers during the joint Cedefop-OECD symposium on the future of apprenticeship held in October 2019 in Paris. Evidence and analysis in these papers will help inform political decisions shaping the future of apprenticeship.
This publication presents the findings of the OECD review of SME and Entrepreneurship Policy in Viet Nam. It offers an in-depth examination of the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship in Viet Nam, the quality of the business environment, and national policies in support of new and small businesses. The report shows that Viet Nam is one of the most globally integrated economies in the world, building its solid growth performance on the attraction of foreign direct investments and export promotion. Viet Nam’s business environment has considerably improved in recent years, although important reforms are still needed in certain policy areas. Viet Nam's SMEs contribute to national employment and national GDP proportionally less than in the OECD area, although official statistics do not take into consideration the large informal sector that mostly consists of self-employed people and micro-enterprises. Viet Nam’s SME and entrepreneurship policies are relatively new, dating back to the early 2000s. In this respect, the 2018 SME Support Law is an important milestone which may help address some of the challenges that are holding back the development of a more vigorous domestic enterprise sector. Key policy priorities in this regard, building better business linkages between multinationals and local enterprises and stronger business development services, are the subjects of two thematic chapters of the report.
Coal 2020 highlights recent global and regional trends in coal demand, supply and trade, and an outlook to 2025. The extraordinary circumstances in 2020 impacted coal markets and lend uncertainty to how they will be tailored in a post-Covid-19 economic recovery. Therefore, Coal 2020 spotlights developments in 2020 and expected conditions in 2021. It also provides an analysis of the evolution of coal supply costs, prices and investment in mining projects. China – the world’s largest coal producer and importer as well as consumer of more than half of global coal – is highlighted. In addition, Coal 2020 includes forecasts of coal demand, production and trade by region and coal grade, and a compilation of coal mining projects in the main exporting countries in its annexes. Coal 2020 is an integral component of the International Energy Agency’s annual market report series that also includes oil, natural gas, renewables, electricity and energy efficiency.
Thailand has had a remarkable economic development trajectory over the past 60 years and foreign direct investment (FDI) has been pivotal in this success. Thailand was one of the first movers in opening up to manufacturing FDI and in establishing proactive investment promotion and facilitation policies. While challenges remain in some areas of responsible business conduct, there is strong political will to address them. Thailand aspires to become a high income economy by 2037 by upgrading to a value based green economy. Inward FDI will play a prominent role in achieving this goal but this requires a concerted effort to reform the investment climate to remain an attractive host to foreign investment and to benefit to the full extent from that investment. While the COVID-19 crisis might temporarily delay progress, the policy recommendations in this review draw attention to potential reform priorities to help Thailand fulfil its development ambitions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable recovery from the pandemic.
Career guidance is a fundamental policy lever to help adults successfully navigate a constantly evolving labour market through advice and information on job and training opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of career guidance services. Many adults have lost their jobs and require assistance navigating their career options in a changing labour market, where firms are likely to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in the name of pandemic-proofing. But compared to career guidance services for youth, services for adults receive relatively little policy attention, and little is known of how often existing services are used. This report scopes out initiatives in the area of career guidance for adults in OECD countries, drawing lessons on how to strengthen adult career guidance systems in terms of coverage and inclusiveness, provision and service delivery, quality and impact, and governance and funding. The findings of the report build on the information collected through the 2020 Survey of Career Guidance for Adults (SCGA), an online survey of adults’ experience with career guidance.
L’économie allemande est entrée dans une profonde récession en 2020 à cause de la pandémie de coronavirus. La réaction énergique du gouvernement a permis de renforcer les capacités du système de santé tout en protégeant les emplois et les entreprises. Les réponses à la crise ont consisté notamment à accroître les investissements pour faire face aux enjeux structurels découlant de la transition énergétique et de la transformation numérique. Des investissements publics plus poussés s’imposent pour rattraper les retards en matière d'infrastructures, et il faut prendre parallèlement des mesures pour venir à bout des goulets d’étranglement dans leur livraison. La tarification des émissions dans le transport et le chauffage contribuera à réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, mais d'autres mesures seront nécessaires pour atteindre les objectifs. Les autorités allemandes ont bien progressé dans la résolution de certains obstacles à la transformation numérique, mais peuvent faire encore davantage pour que ses avantages puissent être pleinement exploités. Réduire les blocages au niveau des taux de raccordement à l’internet, développer les incitations à investir dans le capital intellectuel et soutenir la dynamique des entreprises pendant la reprise en diminuant les formalités administratives, en facilitant l’accès aux sources de financement et en accélérant l’arrivée de l'administration numérique sont autant de mesures qui peuvent favoriser la diffusion des technologies et la productivité. Afin de donner à chacun les moyens de réussir dans des environnements numériques, il faudrait enseigner plus précocement la pensée computationnelle et développer la formation des enseignants pour garantir une utilisation efficace des technologies numériques dans les établissements scolaires.