Nuclear Regulatory Organisations (NROs) need to enhance their communication abilities not only during crises but also in their day-to-day activities. In this context, the NEA Working Group on Public Communication of Regulatory Organisations (WGPC) has for over 20 years provided a forum for nuclear regulatory organisation communicators and outreach officers to exchange information, experience, and best practices. WGPC members exchange views on policies of NROs in the area of public communication and help each other identify ways of promoting international co-operation.
The group held its biannual plenary meeting on 9-10 November 2021 to discuss its ongoing work and the progress made in activities on public trust and risk communication. Building on an initial workshop held in March 2021, a joint workshop “How to deal with misinformation” was among the highlights of the meeting. During this workshop co-organised with the NEA Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC), delegates discussed the OECD Principles of Good Practice for Public Communication Responses to Mis- and Disinformation. These principles are currently being finalised and will be published in 2022. Participants agreed that misinformation is now one of the main challenges for nuclear communicators and that regulators should develop tools and strategies to tackle it at a very early stage.
Participants also presented national updates on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of nuclear public communications. A final thematic session focused on the gender dimension of nuclear public communications.