UN chief to present study on Japan's nuclear plant accident

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon yesterday said he will present a system-wide study on the implications of Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant accident for global nuclear safety during the annual general debate of the 192- member UN General Assembly.

"This morning I convened a video-conference to formally launch a UN system-wide study on the implications of the Fukushima accident," Ban said in statement. "The report will be prepared for the high-level meeting on nuclear safety and security, to be held on September 22 during the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly."

The system-wide report will address a variety of areas, including environment, health, food security, sustainable development and the relationship between nuclear safety and nuclear security, he said.

"It will also present system-wide views on how to improve disaster risk preparedness," Ban said. "In producing this study, it is my intention to highlight the need to strengthen the capacity of the relevant international organizations, particularly the International Atomic Energy Agency recognizing its central role."

Marking the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Ban said that "the time has come for a global rethink on nuclear energy and safety issues."

"While acknowledging that each state has the right to define its national energy policy, our common objective is to deepen our understanding of the entire range of issues relating to development of nuclear energy and its safety transcending national borders," he said.

Going forward, the effects of a nuclear plant disaster -- from prevention to clean-up -- should be more fully reflected in the assessment for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and maximum safety, he said.

"This multidisciplinary report is a unique opportunity for the United Nations system to collaborate on a timely and urgent issue, and to raise matters that are important for consideration by governments before the high-level meeting on nuclear safety and security," he said. "Nuclear safety is a global public good, serving the interests of all the world's people."

Friday's meeting participants included Yukio Amano, director- general of the IAEA, Tibor Toth, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission, and Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization.

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