Underscoring Need for Funding to Bolster Radiation Scientific Committee, Fourth Committee Approves Draft Lauding Its Valuable Inputs

Underscoring Need for Funding to Bolster Radiation Scientific Committee, Fourth Committee Approves Draft Lauding Its Valuable Inputs

Commending the rigorous, evidence-based work of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today approved without a vote a resolution concerning that body.

By the terms of the draft resolution titled "Effects of atomic radiation" (document A/C.4/81/L.6), the Assembly would commend the Scientific Committee for its valuable contribution, take note of the postponement of its seventy-third session due to operational and budgetary constraints and re-emphasize the need to hold regular sessions on an annual basis so that its report will reflect the latest developments and findings.

By further terms, it would express strong expectations that, subject to measures required to manage the liquidity constraints, the regular budget of the Scientific Committee will be sufficient to conduct its planned activities and encourage Member States in a position to do so to make voluntary contributions.

The text also recalls the procedure for possible further increases in membership of the Scientific Committee and requests the Secretary-General to provide the Assembly at its eighty-second session with a list of Member States that have expressed interest in membership in the Committee.

Introducing that text, the representative of Belgium said this year's text uses language that accurately reflects the current situation of the Scientific Committee and its implementation of the programme of work. It also requests the Secretary-General to transfer the organizational responsibility for the Scientific Committee from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to another office, while retaining the secretariat's location in Vienna. The text also invites candidate countries to express interest in membership.

Sarah Baatout, Chair of the Scientific Committee, updated delegates about its work. "Our task is not to prescribe policy or set safety standards", she said, adding that it evaluates evidence objectively, examining the medical, health and environmental consequences of atomic radiation.

The Scientific Committee currently brings together experts nominated by 31 Member States. Regarding the draft resolution's request of a list of Member States that have expressed interest in joining the Scientific Committee, Ms. Baatout said: "This is not a decision to enlarge membership today. It is an opportunity for the Assembly to consider future participation through the agreed procedure."

Turning to the programme of work, she noted the adoption of two substantive assessments, one on epidemiological studies of ionizing radiation and cancer, and another on effects on the circulatory system. However, severe staffing and resource constraints, compounded by operational disruptions, have delayed scientific work and led to the postponement of the Committee's seventy-third session until 2027, she added.

Several speakers took the floor to reaffirm the importance of the Scientific Committee's work and to call for funding to ensure that it can perform its mandated functions fully, among them New Zealand's speaker, speaking also for Canada and Australia. She said that the Scientific Committee's independent, scientifically rigorous assessments provide an essential foundation for evidence-based decisions that safeguard human health and the environment. She highlighted "its ability to bring together scientific expertise from across the world" and produce authoritative and impartial assessments. This is "particularly important at a time when evidence-based international cooperation is increasingly vital and often difficult to achieve", she pointed out.

Noting the significant staffing and resource constraints that have disrupted its programme of work, she stressed the need to ensure that the Scientific Committee has predictable resources and effective administrative support. "At a time when the UN faces significant financial pressures, it is more important than ever that its resources are managed effectively and that essential mandates can continue to be delivered", she stressed.

The representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, welcomed the Committee's work on medical exposure to atomic radiation, which is one of the Union's priorities with respect to radiation protection. She also highlighted the Committee's extensive expertise in developing scientific foundations for enhancing nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness and recovery. "Continuous, sustained international collaboration is essential to strengthen preparedness and response to potential radiological events or nuclear accidents", she added. "It remains essential that this unique and independent scientific body continues to receive stable and predictable support", she stressed.

Viet Nam's delegate, who spoke for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said it is crucial to strengthen the capacities of developing countries in radiation monitoring, scientific research, data collection and risk assessment. He expressed concern about the operational and financial constraints affecting the Scientific Committee's work, including the postponement of its seventy-third session until 2027, and emphasized the importance of sufficient and predictable resources, as well as adequate secretariat support, to enable it to fulfil its mandate effectively. He also underscored the importance of making its scientific findings widely accessible to policymakers, researchers and the public through implementation of its 2025-2029 outreach strategy and multilingual dissemination.

Senegal's representative praised the expertise of the Scientific Committee and underscored the need to raise public awareness about the effects of ionizing radiation on health and the environment. He highlighted the situation of those exposed to ionizing radiation as part of their professional activities. He also called for the standardization of international norms concerning the safe export and import of radioactive materials.

"As a country fully committed to the safety of nuclear technology, Japan values the current functions and independent role of UNSCEAR", that country's speaker said. He expressed appreciation for its outreach in Japan and to the international community regarding its scientific findings on the levels and effects of radiation exposure due to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

Several delegates, including those of Pakistan, Cuba, United Arab Emirates and Timor-Leste, applauded the work of the Scientific Committee. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire was among those who highlighted the crucial need for capacity-building, while the Russian Federation's delegate said that the Scientific Committee should have an exclusively scientific character. "Actions aimed at expanding its activity are inadmissible" and should be prevented, he said.