Myriad events dedicated to nuclear accident's consequences (04/23/06)

THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHORNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER

Myriad events dedicated to nuclear accident's consequences

by Serhiy Zhykharev
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - Within the framework of commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, the Chornobyl Challenge '06 coalition was created on the initiative of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund (CCRDF). The coalition will hold a number of events to highlight the consequences of the tragedy from the point of view of the problems that still require attention and resolution.

Honorary co-chairs of Chornobyl Challenge '06 include Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).

The events in Congress will open with a one-day photo exhibit titled "Chornobyl-20," which will open at 10 a.m. in the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building on April 26. The exhibition will include photographs by several prominent artists, illuminating the human stories behind the Chornobyl catastrophe and highlighting the dignity and hope of its survivors.

The following day, April 27, a congressional briefing co-sponsored by the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (CUC) will be held at the Capitol building (HC-6) featuring expert testimony on Chornobyl issues, including radiation and health, agriculture and food, environment, economics, U.S. assistance and the containment of the 4th unit at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The CUC co-chairs will start the meeting with brief remarks, after which the Ambassadors of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia will take the floor.

In the evening of the same day, the Chornobyl Challenge '06 committee will hold a congressional reception to help members of Congress and their staffers make contacts in order to help them further expand and develop cooperation with experts on important issues realted to the Chornobyl disaster's consequences.

Together with the Ukraine 3000 foundation chaired by the first lady of Ukraine, the Chornobyl Challenge '06 coalition will participate in organizing a historic international conference in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv that will bring together national leaders, scientific and medical experts, corporate sponsors and humanitarian activists from around the world to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident.

Titled "Rebirth, Renewal and Human Development," this symposium will focus on the many dramatic changes that have taken place in the wake of Chornobyl, the progress that has been made in creating democratic societies, stimulating economic growth, developing new energy sources and rebuilding the medical infrastructure of Ukraine.

New York's Harriman Institute at Columbia University and Washington's Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars will host two conferences titled "Commemoration of the Chornobyl Disaster: The Human Experience" on April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and April 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., respectively. At these conferences experts will examine the Chornobyl disaster from its historical, medical, social, environmental and human perspectives.

Commemorative events dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Chornobyl will take place at the United Nations on April 28. A special commemorative session of the United Nations General Assembly to mark the 20th anniversary of Chornobyl will open at 10 a.m. All three Missions of the contaminated regions, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, will host the event. Also, the "Chornobyl - 20" photo exhibit, which will have opened in Congress on April 26, will be shown in the hall of the United Nations building the same day.

CCRDF, co-founder of the Chornobyl Challenge '06 coalition, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State, who is sponsoring this action, will organize a 20th anniversary commemorative airlift bringing vital medicine and state-of-the-art medical equipment to the children of Ukraine. On April 20 the airlift will be greeted by Ukraine's First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko and U.S. Ambassador John Herbst, and will serve as a prelude to the International Chornobyl Commemorative Conference.

In addition, during photo exhibitions at the United Nations and the U.S. Congress, a companion "Chornobyl-20" music CD, featuring tracks by major international recording artists, will be offered for purchase. Funds raised will be donated to humanitarian organizations working in Chornobyl-affected regions.

The members of the Chornobyl Challenge '06 coalition are: Belarusan-American Association, Chernobyl Children's Project International, Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Ukrainian Human Rights Committee and the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee.

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