Effects of nuclear war on public health

[The following statement was delivered on behalf of IPPNW by Dr. Andy Haines at the World Health Assembly on 26 May. A WHA resolution calling for an updated WHO study on the effects of nuclear war on health and health services was passed by a vote of 86-14, with 28 abstentions.]

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, firmly believes the health imperative to avoid nuclear war is as urgent as it has ever been.

The World Health Assembly, considering WHO’s 1983 and 1987 reports, concluded unanimously that nuclear weapons constitute the greatest immediate threat to the health and welfare of humankind. 

New developments since the last report reinforce the need to re-establish WHO’s mandate to provide authoritative and current evidence on this risk to human survival and the stability of Earth systems.

We strongly support the resolution “Effects of Nuclear War on Public Health” and congratulate sponsoring states.

134 medical journals worldwide have just published a joint editorial strongly endorsing the resolution before you. We urge delegations to approve this vital proposal.

Countries voting yes:

Dominican Republic, Guyana, Algeria, Maldives, Burkina Faso, Bahamas, Tajikistan, Thailand, Brazil, Cuba, Paraguay, Malta, Kiribati, Nauru, Philippines, Iraq, Marshall Islands, Angola, San Marino, Ghana, Tuvalu, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Brunei Darussalam, Honduras, Mozambique, Eswatini, Cyprus, Libya, Oman, Bahrain, Benin, Japan, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Andorra, Chile, Eritrea, Mongolia, Ukraine, Uruguay, Malawi, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Central African Republic, Micronesia (F.S.), El Salvador, Liberia, Lesotho, Gambia, Fiji, Chad, Barbados, Costa Rica, Qatar, Samoa, Kuwait, Tunisia, Jordan, Nigeria, Nepal, Ethiopia, Republic of Korea, Panama, New Zealand, Guatemala, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Jamaica, Iran (I.R.), Bangladesh, Austria, Namibia, South Africa, Vanuatu, Peru, Singapore

Countries voting no:

North Macedonia, Poland, Hungary, DPR Korea, Czech Republic, Monaco, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russian Federation

Countries abstaining:

Luxembourg, Israel, Belarus, Albania, Portugal, Croatia, Montenegro, Morocco, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Turkiye, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Pakistan, India, Slovenia, Denmark, Netherlands, China, Canada, Georgia, Belgium, Republic of Moldova, Iceland