CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Statement by Rebeca Hernández Toledano, Representative of the Cuban Delegation, during the consideration by the Fourth Committee of agenda item 49: Effects of atomic radiation. New York, 28 October 2010.

 

Mr. Chairman,
                
The Cuban delegation congratulates the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) on its excellent scientific work since its creation, and on the constant information provided to the Member States.

We thank the presentation of the Report on the work of the Scientific Committee, as we regret there are still reports to be published.

Mr. Chairman,

To Cuba, the existence of 26,000 nuclear weapons in the world, 7,560 of them are ready for immediate use, is unjustifiable. It is easy to imagine the devastating consequences their use would bring about.

Cuba reiterates its firm commitment to the prohibition and complete elimination of all nuclear weapons and its total opposition to the use of nuclear energy for military purposes.
Mr. Chairman,
Cuba reaffirms the importance it attaches to the work of the Scientific Committee, as a source of specialized, balanced and objective information on issues within its competence. Therefore, we consider important to maintain and strengthen the bonds of cooperation among said Committee, Member States and the different agencies and institutions of the United Nations system, like the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
Mr. Chairman,
Cuba has offered a significant cooperation assistance to the sister nation of Ukraine, despite its limited resources, to alleviate the consequences of the accident occurred in Chernobyl over 20 years ago. For 17 years, a Rehabilitation Program has been carried out between the two countries, aimed at the victims of the nuclear accident, mainly children.

So far, 16,689 children and 3,661 adults from Ukraine have received medical assistance in our country. Every year, 500 to 800 patients arrive in Cuba, in accordance with the Collaboration Agreement between the Cuban and the Ukrainian Ministries of Health.

Besides the humanitarian aspect of the Program, unquestionably the main one, the Program has also had a significant scientific impact. It has yielded primary data on internal contamination in infants from areas affected by the accident. Such information has been disseminated in leading scientific forums in order to assess the aftereffects, and used by international agencies of the United Nations system, like the IAEA and the UNSCEAR itself. Likewise, the Committee has made reference to Cuban papers based on this Program, in publications on the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, and showed its interest in new data on the matter attained in Cuba. 
Mr. Chairman.
Our country welcomes the thorough consideration by the Scientific Committee of the increase in its membership. At the same time, my delegation reiterates the request by 6 Member States to become member of the Committee must be comprehensibly analyzed and decided upon, at the earliest possible delay.
Thank you.