MANILA, Philippines — With the end in view of strengthening ASEAN cooperation on nuclear safety and security, the Philippines will host the 13th Annual Meeting of the ASEAN Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy (ASEANTOM) from 11 to 13 August 2026 in Manila, Philippines. The meeting will bring together nuclear regulators, government officials, international organizations, and development partners to advance regional cooperation on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards.
The Philippines, as chair and host of the 2026 Annual Meeting, will lead all plenary sessions and facilitate discussions on the region’s priorities in nuclear regulation. It will present the country’s accomplishments under ASEANTOM projects, report on activities undertaken during its chairship, and share the key outcomes and lessons learned from the ASEAN Nuclear Emergency Notification and Communications Exercise (AR/NeX) 2026, ASEANTOM’s flagship project for this year.
The delegation will likewise report on the progress of the Technical Working Groups that the Philippines co-leads and guide the review and adoption of the meeting’s final report and key outcome documents.
Leading the delegation is the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) through its Nuclear Regulatory Division (NRD), the country’s national regulatory authority for nuclear and radiation safety.
NRD will be part of the newly-established Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority or PhilATOM, the independent national body created to regulate the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear energy and radiation sources in the Philippines.
This ASEANTOM meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing broader participation from across Southeast Asia.
A defining feature of this year’s meeting is its expanded engagement with international partners. Two full sessions are dedicated to dialogue with the IAEA and other Dialogue Partners and technical organizations. These discussions will focus on strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing regulatory capacity, and aligning ASEAN initiatives with international nuclear safety and security standards.
Throughout the three-day meeting, delegates will exchange experiences and best practices on regulatory oversight, human resource development, emergency preparedness and response, environmental radiation monitoring, nuclear security, and efforts to prevent the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials. The meeting also serves as a venue for ASEAN Member States to review ongoing regional projects and identify future areas of cooperation.
The meeting will conclude on 13 August with the formal turnover of the ASEANTOM Chairship from the Philippines to Singapore, marking the continuation of ASEAN’s collective efforts to ensure that nuclear science and technology are used safely, securely, and exclusively for peaceful purposes.
By hosting the 13th ASEANTOM Annual Meeting, the Philippines reaffirms its commitment to regional cooperation, the peaceful application of nuclear science and technology, and the continuous strengthening of nuclear regulatory systems that protect people, the environment, and future generations.
Established in 2013 under the ASEAN Political-Security Community Pillar, ASEANTOM serves as the regional platform for cooperation among the nuclear regulatory authorities of the ASEAN Member States. The network works to strengthen nuclear safety, nuclear security, and nuclear safeguards across the region by promoting regulatory cooperation, sharing best practices, building technical capacity, and supporting the implementation of international standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). (Nuclear Information and Documentation Section, DOST-PNRI)
