Disarmament in Review
Under Resolution A/RES/79/238 (‘Nuclear war effects and scientific research’), adopted on 24 December 2024, the United Nations General Assembly decided to establish an independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War (“the Panel”). The Panel has been tasked with examining ‘the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war on a local, regional and planetary scale, inter alia, the climatic, environmental and radiological effects, and their impacts on public health, global socioeconomic systems, agriculture and ecosystems, in the days, weeks and decades following a nuclear war.’
It will produce a comprehensive report, make key conclusions, and identify areas requiring future research. The report will be submitted to the eighty-second session of the General Assembly, in 2027.
The Panel will conduct research in the following seven areas relevant to the topic of the report:
1) Nuclear and Radiation Studies;
2) Atmospheric Sciences and Climate;
3) Earth and Life Sciences;
4) Environment and Environmental Studies;
5) Agriculture, Biology and Life Sciences;
6) Public Health and Medicine;
7) Behavioural and Social Sciences and Applied Economics.1
The Panel consists of 21 scientific experts participating in their personal capacity, in the abovementioned fields. They were selected on the basis of nominations from Member States and through a public call and were appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The Panel is mandated to engage with, and receive inputs from, the widest possible range of stakeholders, including international and regional organizations, civil society, and affected communities, in order to understand local, regional and global perspectives on the effects of a nuclear war.
Documents
UN GA Resolution A/RES/79/238 ‘Nuclear war effects and scientific research’.https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/427/04/pdf/n2442704.pdf
UN GA Resolution 40/152 G of 16 December 1985. https://documents.un.org/doc/resolution/gen/nr0/478/59/pdf/nr047859.pdf
UN GA Resolution 41/86 H of 4 December 1986.https://documents.un.org/doc/resolution/gen/nr0/495/94/pdf/nr049594.pdf
Study on the Climatic and Other Global Effects of Nuclear War (1988), United Nations publication, Sales No. E.89.IX.1. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/39166?v=pdf
For more information, please contact nweffectspanel@un.org
