Effects of Atomic Radiation

A/RES/78/71No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 47Effects of atomic radiation, published in 2023.

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71 documents · 1956–2025

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2025A/RES/80/75Effects of atomic radiationCompare with earlier document
2024A/RES/79/85Effects of atomic radiationCompare with earlier document
2023A/RES/78/71Effects of atomic radiationCompare with earlier document
2022A/RES/77/119Effects of atomic radiationCompare with earlier document
2021A/RES/76/75Effects of atomic radiationCompare with earlier document

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2 topics

Ionizing Radiation Radiation Effects

What does this mandate say?

26 operative paragraphs

Commends the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation for the valuable contribution that it has been making since its inception to wider knowledge and understanding of the levels, effects and risks of exposure to ionizing radiation and for fulfilling its original mandate with scientific authority and independence of judgment;

Reaffirms the decision to maintain the present functions and independent role of the Scientific Committee;

Re-emphasizes the need for the Scientific Committee to hold regular sessions on an annual basis so that its report will be able to reflect the latest developments and findings in the field of ionizing radiation and thereby provide updated information for dissemination among all States;

Notes with appreciation the work of the Scientific Committee, takes note of the report on its seventieth session, including the update on the Committee’s long-term strategic directions and the revised governing principles and supporting procedure for the Committee’s work, and encourages the Committee, over its coming sessions, to continue to work towards implementing strategies to support its long-term efforts to serve the scientific community, as well as wider audiences;

Also notes with appreciation the implementation of the 2022 strategy to improve collection, analysis and dissemination of data on radiation exposure aimed at seeking widespread participation in the Scientific Committee’s surveys and ensuring that future surveys adapt to changing data sources and use of radiation across the world;

Welcomes the continuation of the ad hoc working group on effects and mechanisms and the ad hoc working group on sources and exposure to assist the Scientific Committee in supporting and monitoring progress in the implementation of its programme of work, to evaluate new scientific developments relevant to the Committee, to implement the updated strategy for data collection and to work with the secretariat to continue the preparation of the future programme of work of the Committee for 2025 to 2029;

Supports the Scientific Committee in continuing to conduct its programme of work of scientific review and assessment on behalf of the General Assembly, welcomes progress, in particular its global survey and evaluation of public exposure to ionizing radiation, its epidemiological studies of radiation and cancer, and its evaluation of diseases of the circulatory system from radiation exposure, which are being conducted in close cooperation with other relevant organizations, and requests the Committee to submit plans for its ongoing and future programme of work to the Assembly at its seventy-ninth session;

Welcomes the progress of the ongoing evaluation on second primary cancer after radiotherapy, and emphasizes the importance of completing this evaluation at the earliest possible time;

Notes the initiation of the new evaluation on nervous system effects of ionizing radiation;

Requests the Scientific Committee to continue its work, including its important activities to increase knowledge of the levels, effects and risks of ionizing radiation from all sources, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session;

Acknowledges the importance of sharing data with the Scientific Committee as appropriate and the central role played by the National Contact Persons in order to coordinate data collection at the country level and to cooperate with technical experts to complete the Committee’s questionnaires;

Invites members of the Scientific Committee to introduce alternate National Contact Persons to ensure continuity of engagement by each Member State;

Requests the secretariat to monitor the timely publication of approved reports and to strive to publish them within 12 months of their approval;

Invites the Scientific Committee to continue its consultations with scientists and experts from interested Member States in the process of preparing its future scientific reports, and requests the secretariat to continue to facilitate such consultations;

Welcomes, in this context, the readiness of Member States to provide the Scientific Committee with relevant information on the levels and effects of ionizing radiation, and invites the Committee to analyse and give due consideration to such information, particularly in the light of its own findings;

Recalls the strategy of the Scientific Committee to improve data collection, encourages in this regard Member States, the organizations of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations concerned to provide further relevant data about levels, effects and risks of radiation exposure from various sources, which would greatly help in the preparation of future reports of the Committee to the General Assembly, and encourages the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization and other relevant organizations to further collaborate with the secretariat on arrangements for the collection, analysis and dissemination of data on radiation exposures of patients, workers and the general public;

Notes the renewed framework for cooperation with the Information System on Occupational Exposure in December 2022 and the research agreement with the European Commission in June 2023;

Welcomes the use and ongoing development by the secretariat of an online platform for collecting data on the exposure of patients, workers and the general public, and urges Member States to take part in the Scientific Committee’s global survey on public exposure and to nominate National Contact Persons to facilitate coordination of the collection and submission of data on the exposure of patients, workers and the general public within the country;

Also welcomes the Scientific Committee’s outreach strategy for the period 2020–2024, in particular the enhancement of the website of the Committee and the planned publication of information for the general public in all the official languages of the United Nations, continues to encourage that consideration be given to publishing the website in all of those languages, and notes that the dissemination of the Committee’s findings and further enhancements to the website would depend on the financial and human resources made available to the secretariat;

Requests the United Nations Environment Programme to continue, within existing United Nations resources, to service the Scientific Committee and to disseminate its findings to Member States, the scientific community and the public and to ensure that the administrative measures in place are appropriate so that the secretariat is able to adequately and efficiently service the Committee in a predictable and sustainable manner;

Encourages the Scientific Committee to stand ready to carry out unplanned additional work, in strict compliance with its mandate, and in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency and other relevant international organizations, as appropriate, including in the context of military actions;

Acknowledges the Scientific Committee’s ongoing and increasing concern with respect to the Committee’s continued decline in regular budget funds allocated to engage expert consultants for performing the Committee’s scientific evaluations, and notes that, despite the slight augmentation in 2023, the annual budget allocated for consultants has decreased by about 50 per cent in the past 10 years;

Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen support for the secretariat in order to adequately and efficiently provide service to the Scientific Committee in a predictable and sustainable manner, and to effectively facilitate the use of the invaluable expertise offered to the Committee by its members, and to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session on these issues;

Understands that the present extrabudgetary support is expected to expire by 2023 and the timely implementation of the programme of work to deliver on the mandate of the Committee would require the provision of additional professional and administrative secretariat services;

Acknowledges that contributions to the general trust fund by Member States (through funding support and mostly in-kind contributions of cost-free experts and technical officers) have augmented the regular budget;

Encourages Member States in a position to do so to make voluntary contributions to the general trust fund established by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and also to make contributions in kind, in order to support the work of the Scientific Committee, and the dissemination of its findings, in a sustainable manner.

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