UNSCEAR UNITED NATIONS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON THE EFFECTS OF ATOMIC RADIATION

Briefing on relevant UNSCEAR and UNEP activities

1st meeting of the Coordination Group on Radiation Protection of the Environment

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Notes

1. The presentation is the property of the UNSCEAR secretariat and a permission for reuse of any material must be sought from the UNSCEAR secretariat, and;

2. The presentation should not be seen as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the United Nations.

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UNSCEAR Mandate

• Established by General Assembly resolution in 1955• Renewed annually (last in A/RES/59/114)• Assess levels, effects & risks of ionizing radiation• Disseminate findings to Assembly, scientific community & public• Scientists from 21 UN Member States• Other States & organizations provide relevant data• Holds annual sessions in Vienna• UNEP arranges secretariat and provides support

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Member States on UNSCEAR

• Argentina• Brazil• Mexico• Peru• Australia• China• India• Indonesia• Japan• Canada• USA

• Egypt• Sudan• Belgium• France• Germany• Poland• Russia• Slovakia• Sweden• UK

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Management

reports tomandate

requests

provide fundingconvenesessions

expertsengages

Representatives of 21 countriesApprox. 110 delegatesMeet annually in Vienna

1 professional, 2 secretarial +$140,000 annual operating budget

General Assembly

UNSCEAR

UNSCEAR secretariat

UNEP

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Functions

• Early warning

• Scientific information for policy-makers

• Global knowledge management

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Protection standards

data

UN Member States, organizations & NGOs

General Assembly, public & scientific community

findings

levels

Member States

development implementation

UNSCEAR- Levels, effects, risks- Scientific independence

ICRP- Protection- Philosophy - Principles & units

effectsrisks

FAO, IAEA, ILO, WHO- Protection- Standards

recommendations

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Last UNSCEAR reports (2000/1)

SOURCES EFFECTS HEREDITARY EFFECTS

Issued every 5-6 years

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Sources reviewed

•• PublicPublic• Workers• Patients

•• NaturalNatural•• ManMan--mademade

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Sources of man-made public exposure

• Nuclear weapons production and testing• Nuclear power production

– Mining & fuel manufacture– Reactor operation– Waste

• Other exposures– Radioisotope production and use– Research reactors– Accidents– Consumer products– Innovative uses– Enhanced use of naturally occurring material

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Expected in 2006

• Radon levels and effects

• Epidemiology of radiation and cancer

• Epidemiology of non-cancer effects

• Genome and cellular effects

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Envisage for 2007

• Medical exposures

• Public & worker exposures (inc. accidents)

• Effects on immune system

• Effects on non-human biota

• Chernobyl

• Comprehensive summary report

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UNSCEAR report 1996

• Landmark report• Scientific Annex:• Effects of radiation on

the environment

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Role of UNEP

• Established in 1972 – HQ in Nairobi, Kenya• Voice for the environment within UN system• Acts as catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote wise use and

sustainable development of global environment • Wide range of partners, inc. UN bodies, international organizations, national

governments, NGOs, private sector & civil society • Work encompasses: • Assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends • Developing international and national environmental instruments • Facilitating transfer of knowledge and technology for sustainable development • Hosts several environmental convention secretariats including Ozone

Secretariat and a family of chemicals-related agreements, including the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and the recently negotiated Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

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UNEP Milestones

• 1972 - UN Conference on Human Environment recommends creation of UN Environmental Organisation

• 1972 - UNEP created by UN General Assembly • 1985 - Vienna Convention for Protection of Ozone Layer • 1987 - Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete Ozone Layer • 1988 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) • 1989 - Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes • 1995 - Global Programme of Action (GPA) launched to protect marine

environment from land-based sources of pollution • 2000 - Malmö Declaration - first Global Ministerial Forum on Environment calls

for strengthened international environmental governance • 2000 - Millennium Declaration - Environmental Sustainability included as one of

eight Millennium Development Goals • 2001 - Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

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Division of Early Warning, UNEP

• Promotes availability of scientific information needed by decision makers for better environmental management

• Assesses environmental conditions and threats to alert policy makers, and to facilitate development of reduction strategies

• Identifies emerging issues

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Global Environment Outlook

•Integrating Environment and Development: 1972-2002

•State of Environment and Policy Retrospective: 1972-2002

•Human Vulnerability to Environmental Change

•Outlook 2002-2032

•Options for Action

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UNSCEAR Strengths

• Highly respected by scientific community• More efficient to develop global consensus

through sharing knowledge and informationthan national or regional initiatives

• Findings underpin programmes of governments & other international organizations on protection

• UNSCEAR secretariat represents asset to UNEP on radiation exposures, effects and trends

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Intentions

• Improve links between UNEP HQ and UNSCEAR– Compatible methods (DEWA & UNSCEAR)– Input to GEO and annual reports– Coordinate programme budget issues

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Contact details

Malcolm Crick

Secretary of UNSCEARVienna International Centre

Wagramerstrasse 5P O Box 500

A-1400 Wien, AUSTRIA

Tel: +43-1-26060-4330Fax: +43-1-26060-7-4330

Email: unscear@unscear.orgWeb: www.unscear.org