RRADEW - Resilience to RADiological Events in Wartime - NMBU

Despite extensive research on planning and response for radiological and nuclear emergencies, existing studies and guidelines have not yet considered the context of armed conflict situations, which present unique challenges that can compromise the safety and well-being of both affected populations and responders. RRADEW research adopts a scenario approach that allows key actors to envision, anticipate, and solve problems that can arise during disasters. This recognizes that contingency planning is an important part of EPR&R and follows the UN Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction definition of resilience as the “ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner”. In the context of nuclear emergency preparedness, this requires a critical reflection on how an armed conflict situation may impact the feasibility and adequacy of current planning, response and recovery strategies. RRADEW brings together 14 institutions, including two from Ukraine National Academy of Science, with a broad expertise in EPR&R, covering technical, social, ethical, legal, and regulatory aspects. The project is comprised of 6 Work Packages (WPs), and NMBU is involved in 5 of these: WP0 - Coordination of project activities WP1 - Identification, evaluation, and selection of relevant war scenarios, leading to radiological consequences WP2 - Framework to characterise resilience at different levels in the context of nuclear emergencies in armed conflict situations WP4 - Strategies for building resilience WP5 - Ethical challenges