WNA AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO
THE PEACEFUL USE OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY TO WiN

AGNETA RISING
Vice-President of Vattenfall, Sweden, and the WNA’s very first chairman and played a key role in the creation of WiN and its growth as a world organisation.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's a great honour to stand here today. I'm happy, it's a dream coming true. I will give you a little bit of the history of WIN. The triggering point for WIN was 1989 in a meeting in Europe for information specialists at a meeting of PIME. I had the role of chairing a roundtable - Women and Nuclear Energy. The speakers of the table and also the audience all talked about that there is a concern about nuclear power and nuclear technologies in the general public, and the concern is larger among the female of the general public than of the men. How can we do anything about this? So we had a debate and we discussed opinion polls, and in this starting I would say Finland, Juhani Santaholma and Irene Aegerter, Switzerland, and also Colette Lewiner of France played a big role.

So women give substantially less support to nuclear power. They have less trust in nuclear technologies for the future. So how do we address the concerns of women in the general public? ENS, the European Nuclear Society, arranged the first seminar in Switzerland - Women in Nuclear Energy 1990, At that meeting we concluded that the female nuclear professionals have an important mission. The professional women could be more visible, could reach out to public and thus give a human face to nuclear and radiation technologies. They have a role to demystify nuclear.

In 1992 the Finnish Energy Channel invited to a women nuclear professionals meeting. The invitation was made by Marke Heininen and again there was the solidarity and pride in nuclear science and technology among the professionals, but we need to reach out. So we form a leading group that should develop plans.

In 1993 Women In Nuclear as an organisation had its constitutional meeting in the Czech Republic. The goal of WIN is to objectively inform the public on nuclear and radiation. When Hans Blix heard of this organisation he immediately wanted to become a member, so we had to change the statutes. So the statutes are like this now: Membership of WIN is open to all women working professionally in the fields of nuclear energy and radiation, and who are willing to devote time to public information. Men who support the organisation's objectives are also welcome.

The first annual meeting was in France. It was followed by meetings in Germany and Sweden and Spain but the all-European organisation grew global. At the time, 10 years ago, exactly 10 years ago, I invited to the meeting in Sweden, at that time we had members in 26 countries. It's now more than doubled. Today WIN has members in 56 countries. WIN members also act as role models for young women and I can see, when I look around here to the audience, I think there is still a need for more women in this industry.

The symbol of WIN is the smiling atom. Because nuclear and radiation technologies and applications are very beneficial for mankind. There are also many possibilities for future developments. The general public though has concerns and sometimes fears. WIN wants to meet the concerns and give the smile back to the atom, as well as give a human face to nuclear and radiation technologies. The WIN symbol, the smiling atom, is a symbol for all positive and beneficial uses of the atom, and the general public's appreciation of the uses.

So it's with real pride and honour and happiness I'm standing here today. The child has grown and prospered, playing an important role, a crucial and necessary role for peaceful use of nuclear technologies. WIN has the dual role of promoting the women in a diversity of nuclear professions and increase public understanding.

I now invite to the podium the President of Women in Nuclear, Miss Junko Ogawa of Japan. Madam Ogawa, we are about to give you a very large plaque, so I invite you to speak before we place a large burden upon you.