briefing on relevant unscear and unep activities

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

UNITED NATIONS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON THE EFFECTS OF ATOMIC RADIATION

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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: [email protected]: www.unscear.org

briefing on relevant unscear and unep activities

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