The IAEA Board of Governors  yesterday approved the agency's Action Plan on nuclear safety.

The purpose of the Action Plan is to define a programme of work to strengthen the global nuclear safety framework.

Strengthening nuclear safety in light of the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is addressed through 12 main actions focusing on: safety assessments in the light of the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station; IAEA peer reviews; emergency preparedness and response; national regulatory bodies; operating organizations; IAEA Safety Standards; international legal framework; Member States planning to embark on a nuclear power programme; capacity building; protection of people and the environment from ionizing radiation; communication and information dissemination; and research and development.

According to Reuters, some countries such as Germany, France, Canada and Denmark, were disappointment about the final version of the Action Plan for not going far enough. Other countries like the United States, India, China and Pakistan, resisted any moves toward mandatory outside inspections of their atomic energy bodies.