UNGA 77 – Fourth Committee
Agenda item 44: Effects of atomic radiation
New York, 17 October 2022
Mr. Chair,
As this is the first time that my delegation takes the floor, please accept our congratulations for your election as chair. You have our full support in carrying out the work of this committee.
This year we mark the 60th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and yet, the world is once again threatened with the risk of nuclear weapons use. Pope Francis warns that, “we should not forget the danger of nuclear war that menaced the world right at that time. Why don’t we learn from history? Even at that moment, there were conflict and huge tensions, but the way of peace was chosen.”[1] Our task today is to return to this way of peace. To do so, Pope Francis urges us to turn away from nuclear threats, de-escalate conflict, save humanity from the harms of atomic radiation, and instead build a more sustainable and just peace.
At this critical moment, the Delegation of the Holy See commends the important work of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), especially in advancing solidarity with victims of the triple catastrophe of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant meltdown in Fukushima Daiichi and appreciates the dissemination of its latest findings on the public exposure and human health effects from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station accident. The update broadly confirms the initial report’s findings that the first higher radiation exposures were not sustained. Japanese government remediation efforts, including the evacuation of affected communities, reduced the exposure levels of the affected peoples.
In his meeting with residents impacted by the accident during his November 2019 visit to Japan, Pope Francis said that “We should not let this action be lost with the passage of time or disappear after the initial shock; rather, we should continue and sustain it.”[2] In marking the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima accident, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan renewed its commitment to the victims of the disaster to “continue to walk in the bonds of solidarity […] that spreads around the world to ‘raise our horizon and our hope.’”[3]
The findings in the UNSCEAR report show the need for early monitoring, consistent measurement, and continued tracking of the long-term effects of exposure to radiation. In the Fukushima case, early monitoring and action to stop irradiated foodstuffs from reaching markets prevented the ingestion of excess radiation. Such quick, preventive action is only possible with effective monitoring.
As long as the world has nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants and makes use of peaceful applications of nuclear energy in medicine and research, UNSCEAR’s ongoing work is key in addressing medical and occupational exposures to radiation and the risk of cancer from even low doses of radiation. In this regard, my Delegation urges that more resources be invested into UNSCEAR’s important work, especially in conducting key research in medical and occupational exposure to radiation.
As more countries expand their use of nuclear energy, my Delegation also urges greater attention to advancing the technology on how best to contain nuclear radiation and other negative effects in case of a nuclear power accident, as well as on the safest designs possible for nuclear power plants.
Mr. Chair,
The Holy See commends the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first Meeting of its States Parties in Vienna in June and the commitment made by Russia and the United States at the 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue negotiations on additional nuclear disarmament measures. Countries must decrease nuclear arms and increase the nuclear safety and security of all sites to avoid harmful exposures to radiation and damage to our common home.
Further, the Holy See urges the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by those States whose ratification is needed for its entry into force. Past nuclear tests created the largest cumulative dose of man-made radiation unleashed thus far upon people and the planet. To avoid further releases of man-made radiation, States must abide by the CTBT and not engage in new nuclear weapons tests.
These measures will prevent and reduce exposures from harmful radiation.
Mr. Chair,
Threats to use nuclear weapons are immoral and dangerous, and merit condemnation. While risks from radiation in Fukushima are decreasing, threats continue to rise elsewhere. UNSCEAR’s reports bring home the reality that the risks from atomic radiation remain and may in certain circumstances even increase. Severe radiation exposures would follow any use of nuclear weapons. We are painfully aware of the radiation consequences of the nuclear explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as other nuclear testing sites. When Pope Francis visited these communities, he affirmed that “A world of peace, free from nuclear weapons, is the aspiration of millions of men and women everywhere. To make this ideal a reality calls for involvement on the part of all: individuals, religious communities and civil society, countries that possess nuclear weapons and those that do not, the military and private sectors, and international organizations. Our response to the threat of nuclear weapons must be joint and concerted, inspired by the arduous yet constant effort to build mutual trust and thus surmount the current climate of distrust.”[4]
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1] Pope Francis, Angelus, 9 October 2022.
[2] Pope Francis, Address at the Meeting with the Victims of Triple Disaster, “Bellesalle Hanzomon” (Tokyo), 25 November 2019.
[3] Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan, “A BOND OF SOLIDARITY BECOMES A BEACON OF HOPE -Ten Years of Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction.”, 11 March 2011, https://www.cbcj.catholic.jp/2021/03/11/22189/
[4] Pope Francis, Address on nuclear weapons, Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park (Nagasaki), 24 November 2019