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PRESS RELEASE
Chernobyl on
the Agenda of the United Nations
Washington, D.C., November 22, 2005
UN
General Assembly, at its 60th Session, adopted a resolution on strengthening of international cooperation and coordination efforts to
study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster
(document A/60/L.19) requesting the United Nations Coordinator of
International Cooperation on Chernobyl to organize, in collaboration with
the affected countries of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, a
further study of health, environmental and socio-economic consequences of
the accident, consistent with the recommendations of the Chernobyl Forum.
The Assembly welcomed the initiatives of the Governments of Belarus, Russian
Federation and Ukraine to host international events on lessons learned and
on future actions in observance of the twentieth anniversary of the
Chernobyl accident, and requested the Assembly President to convene, in
April 2006, a special commemorative meeting in observance of the twentieth
anniversary.
“The new Chernobyl Resolution is aimed at strengthening of UN coordination
mechanism in organizing international post-Chernobyl cooperation”, said
Chairman of the Chernobyl Committee of Belarus Vladimir Tsalko, who
introduced the draft resolution at the General Assembly.
The General Assembly also adopted the Secretary-General’s report on optimizing the international effort to study, mitigate and minimize the
consequences of the Chernobyl disaster (document A/60/443), which
reviews activities undertaken by United Nations funds, programmes and
agencies and other international actors to provide assistance to communities
affected by the 1986 accident. It notes that the United Nations has shifted
its strategy from a humanitarian approach to one that focuses on sustainable
development. The report also describes the consensus established by the
collaborative effort by eight United Nations bodies and the Governments of
the three most affected countries – Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Following a detailed overview of the current situation on the ground in the
region, the report notes that the Chernobyl-affected communities are still
struggling with the loss of lives and livelihoods following the nuclear
accident, as well as the broader economic, political and social challenges
that have occurred during the transition period that followed the 1991
dissolution of the Soviet Union. It concludes that overall, the needs of
those populations have changed greatly and that international assistance is
now focused on helping individuals in the region regain a sense of
self-reliance. International organizations and the affected Governments
should work together to share knowledge and make good use of methods that
have proven successful elsewhere.
The Chernobyl Forum was established in 2003, released a landmark digest
report, “Chernobyl’s Legacy: Health, Environmental and Socio-Economic
Impacts”. The report, incorporating the work of hundreds of scientists,
economists and health experts, assesses the 20-year impact of the largest
nuclear accident in history. The Forum is made up of 8 UN specialized
agencies, and the World Bank, as well as the governments of Belarus, Russia
and Ukraine.
The Forum’s report aims to help the affected countries understand the true
scale of the accident consequences and also suggest ways the governments of
Belarus, Ukraine and Russia might address major economic and social problems
stemming from the accident. Full text of the report is available at
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/Chernobyl/pdfs/05-28601_Chernobyl.pdf.
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