CHORNOBYL: THE FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY

United Nations peace bell tolls to recall Chornobyl

by Andrew Nynka

NEW YORK - On the morning of April 26 the United Nations peace bell tolled, exactly 15 years to the day of the world's worst nuclear catastrophe at the Chornobyl nuclear plant. The event denoted the continued efforts to mitigate the accident's lasting effects.

The peace bell was originally donated by the Japanese to the United Nations on June 8, 1954, in a symbolic gesture of peace, unity, cooperation and universality. In that same spirit of unity, the United Nations peace bell was cast from coins donated by representatives of over 60 countries.

In ringing the peace bell, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima declared: "I hope that Chornobyl will continue to be regarded in the spirit of unity, cooperation and universality, and I call upon all member-states to renew their commitment to help mitigate the long-term effects of this unprecedented disaster."

Present at the bell-tolling ceremony were U.N. Ambassadors Sergei Ling, of Belarus and Valeriy Kuchinsky of Ukraine. Also present where Dr. Christine K. Durbak, founder and chair of World Information Transfer; and Adi Roche, executive director and founder of the Chernobyl Children's Project.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 6, 2001, No. 18, Vol. LXIX

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