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N Q  D A T E

10 May 1973

STATEMENT BY AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION  TO WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION '

The following is the text of the statement made in

plenary early today (Canberra time) by the Leader of the

Australian Delegation (Sir William Refshauge) at the beginning

of the annual assembly of the World Health Organisation in Geneva:

"Madam President, I wish to convey to you on behalf of

the Australian Delegation the warmest and sincerest congratulations

on your unanimous selection to the Presidency of the 26th World

Health Assembly.

I, personally, am delighted to see you occupying the

highest office that the Assembly can bestow upon one of its

delegates.

The annual report of the Director-General, 1972, maintains

the high standard we have all come to expect.

Much has been achieved by the Organisation, of which

he is the Chief Executive Officer, and although we may accept such

high standards and achievements with pride and satisfaction there

are still matters which give rise to concern, indeed some of them

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grave concern in my country. .

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  This concern, I am sure, is shared by many Member States.

The success of the smallpox eradication campaign is a

source for considerable satisfaction but this must not lead us to

a sense of complacency towards the communicable diseases which can

still strike without warning if we relax our precautions.

In November 1972, 41 cases of cholera occurred amongst

the passengers who arrived in Australia by an international flight

due to contamination of food taken on at a transit stop.

Whilst no secondary cases occurred the incident showed

health risks which are still present and the need for constant

vigilance.

The problem of human carriers of disease and of animal

carriers associated with the spread of zoonoses, such as rabies,

in the animal population of many countries still remain a challenge.

The problems of the human environment,  in its widest

sense,  are given a high priority in the Director-General's report

and the Australian Delegation considers this emphasis to be

justified.

Problems of man's social environment such as the abuse

of drugs of dependence including alcohol are of increasing concern

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throughout the world and no doubt will receive much consideration

during this Assembly. .

The Director-General points out in the introduction to his

report that the quality of the environment has always been a subject

of prime importance to the Organisation.

Australia is greatly concerned for the quality of life of

its inhabitants and, indeed, of that of its neighbours and even

beyond that of the world as a whole.

The control of water, land and air pollution is a major

problem facing many Member States. Â·  '  '  '

Australia has established an environmental council to

co-ordinate the activities of its constituent states and has laid

down standards for water supplies to its cities..

Air pollution is an area of considerable concern to us.

In Australia arrangements are under way to control emission

from motor vehicles and we are working towards control of industrial

air pollution. -

_  A further source of air pollution and one of major concern

to us is that from ionizing radiation. Ã¢ÂÂ   .

This arises from two sources - that occurring naturally

and that produced by man.

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The World Health Organisation has on several occasions

expressed its interest and concern with the effects of ionizing

radiation on health.

Many countries have taken steps to control the medical

use of such radiation. .

Whilst it is true that it is not possible to avoid all

naturally occurring ionizing radiation, we should take every

possible measure to prevent any unnecessary addition to the

ionizing radiation in our earth's atmosphere.

Every addition, no matter how small, to the background

radiation in our environment increases the short and long-term

deleterious effects on health.

The Australian Government's opposition to continued

nuclear testing in the atmosphere is shared by an overwhelming

majority of nations, as shown in the support for UilGA 2934 (XXVII.).

In this respect my Government deplores the fact that

atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons has continued leading to

a further increase in the ionizing radiation in the environment

and thus do damage to the health of the present and especially

of future generations of the world's inhabitants.

Such nuclear tests may add only small amounts of ionizing

radiation to the atmosphere but, as I have said before, it is our

contention, supported by and in accordance xvith the views expressed

by such bodies as the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of

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Atomic Radiation and the International Commission on Radiological

Protection, that any unnecessary increase in atmospheric ionizing

radiation is completely unjustifiable. It is certainly so if we

wish to achieve the objectives of the World Health Organisation -

the attainment by all peoples of the highest standard of health.

The World Health Organisation expressed its concern on

this subject in Resolution 19.39 passed by the 19th World Health

Assembly in 1966. That resolution recognised the mounting concern

of world opinion at the harmful effects to present and future

generations resulting from the increase in the levels of radiation

to which man is exposed from nuclear and thermonuclear weapon

tests superimposed on other sources of radiation.

The same resolution called upon all countries to

co-operate in preventing an increase in the level of background

radiation in the interests of the health of the present and future

generations of mankind.

The Director-General in the introduction to his report

stated that the Organisation has been asking three questions -

firstly, whether we comprehend the nature of health and disease,

secondly, whether we can develop adequate tools to interrupt or

prevent these disease processes and, thirdly, whether we can

apply these tools in an effective, economic and acceptable manner.

.  As applied to man-created ionizing radiation in the

atmosphere- we can answer these questions affirmatively in that

its effects on man have received much study and are generally

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known, and that it is possible to interrupt and prevent any increase

in such radiation should we so desire.

The Director-General further stated in his report that

concern with the quality of the environment that man through his

ignorance,  negligence and misuse is now creating for himself

was crystallised during the year by the UN Conference on the

Human Environment, of which the underlying theme was the

protection and improvement of the human environment as it affects

the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the

worid.

The conference stressed that this was the urgent desire

of all peoples of the world and the duty of all governments and

this concern has been reflected throughout the whole UN system.

The same theme runs through the 26 principles adopted

by the conference which directly or indirectly relate to the

protection and improvement of the environment and the need, to

guard against its unnecessary and unwarranted pollution.

This was clearly stated in principle 6 adopted by

the conference which states:  1  The discharge of toxic substances

and other substances and the release of heat in such quantities

or concentrations as to exceed the capacity of the environment

to render them harmless must be halted in order to ensure that

serious or irreversible damage is not inflicted upon ecosystems.

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'  The just struggle of the peoples of all countries against

pollution should he supported.’

Other principles and recommendations were enunciated

throughout the conference on this topic and one of the four

resolutions adopted concerned nuclear weapons testing and stated

inter alia: 1  That all exposures of mankind to radiation should be

kept to the minimum possible and should be justified by benefits

that would otherwise not be obtained1, and also ’Called upon Â·

those states intending to carry out nuclear weapons tests to abandon

their plans to carry out such tests since they may lead to further

contamination of the atmosphere1. '  .  '

In view of the importance of maintaining an environment

of such a nature as to allow mankind to,develop the ideals of

health expressed by W.H.O., the Australian Delegation will pursue

this matter further during discussion of agenda item 2.7 -

*  Problems of the human environment ’  .1 1  Â·

