UN urges US reparations over Marshall Islands nuclear tests

The United Nations' human rights office has called on the United States to provide comprehensive reparations for the people impacted by nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. The Pacific nation, home to approximately 37,000 residents, was the site of 67 US nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958. The environmental and health repercussions of these tests are still felt today.

Deputy UN human rights chief Awa Dabo emphasized that the legacy of the nuclear testing program continues to affect bodies, families, and lands, and persists across generations. She urged Washington to acknowledge that a full and effective settlement of claims stemming from the nuclear testing program has yet to be achieved. The settlement of US$150 million, accepted in the 1980s, did not cover future generations, moral damage, environmental degradation, or other forms of harm.

The Nuclear Claims Tribunal, established by the Marshallese in 1987, has ruled that the total compensation should exceed US$2.3 billion. The 1958 "Cactus" test still poses a threat due to unlined radioactive waste in the crater and rising sea levels caused by climate change.