As a result of each organization's response to the Fukushima Daiichi accidents last year in Japan, the World Association of Nuclear Operators and the International Atomic Energy Agency announced Monday that they will collaborate more closely in their efforts to promote safety at nuclear plants.Specifically, their new memorandum of understanding calls for coordinating the timing of IAEA Operational Safety Review Team missions and WANO's peer reviews. It also calls for coordinating the organizations' performance indicator programs, staffing each other's review teams when appropriate and exchanging operating experience-related documents. The groups also plan to hold more meetings and enhance their cooperation in responding to emergencies.In a release, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said, "The IAEA's Action Plan on Nuclear Safety emphasizes the importance of working more closely with WANO and other international organizations, so that we can all better address the demands of the future. This agreement is an important step in strengthening that cooperation and enhancing the flow of information on nuclear safety issues."WANO Chairman Laurent Stricker commented, "An important lesson we learned from Fukushima was the need for WANO to be better connected to and engaged with the IAEA. Our members tasked us with revising this memorandum of understanding and ensuring that it provides practical ways for us to improve information sharing and coordination. I am confident that the new agreement will help us to jointly meet the challenges faced by the nuclear industry post-Fukushima."WANO was formed by nuclear plant operators in 1989 to exchange safety and operational information gathered at members' 440-plus nuclear facilities around the world. The IAEA is an agency within the United Nations that promotes the safe use of nuclear power and implements safeguards against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.