Geneva, Switzerland (Enmaeya News) — For the first time in more than 30 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been directed by its member states to update its assessment of the health impacts of nuclear war.

The decision came during the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025, following the approval of a resolution titled “Effects of Nuclear War on Public Health.” The resolution passed with 84 votes in favor, 14 against, and 28 abstentions.

Co-sponsored by Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Peru, Samoa, and Vanuatu — countries heavily affected by nuclear testing and disasters like the 1986 Chernobyl incident — the resolution mandates the WHO director-general to update earlier reports on the health effects of nuclear war and health systems.

The updated reports must involve collaboration with relevant stakeholders and U.N. bodies and be submitted back to the World Health Assembly by 2029.

The resolution also encourages member states to support the work according to their national contexts and legal frameworks, emphasizing that preventing nuclear war is vital for global health, security, and humanity’s survival.

Despite its approval, several major nuclear powers opposed or abstained from the vote, including Russia, North Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, India, and Pakistan.

These countries expressed concerns that updating WHO’s guidance would duplicate the efforts of other U.N. nuclear and nonproliferation bodies.