U.N. commemorative meeting marks 20th anniversary of Chornobyl disaster (05/07/06)

U.N. commemorative meeting marks 20th anniversary of Chornobyl disaster

by Matthew Dubas

UNITED NATIONS - The General Assembly of the United Nations held a commemorative meeting on the morning of April 28 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Chonobyl catastrophe. It was an expression of international solidarity and a sign of the commitment of the international community to prevent an event like Chornobyl from happening again.

A statement issued by the spokesman for Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the U.N., said many hard lessons had been learned from Chornobyl, including the importance of providing the public with transparent, timely and credible information in the event of a catastrophe. Mr. Annan recalled the heroic acts of the liquidators, the sacrifices of the populations that were relocated, and the measures that have already been taken to limit the impact on health and the natural environment. Further on, Mr. Annan urged the international community to pay homage to the victims of Chornobyl by providing generous support to programs for the affected regions to regain self-sufficiency.

The acting president of the General Assembly, Hamidon Ali of Malaysia, opened the meeting by recalling the events of April 26, 1986, when the fourth reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded and released radioactive elements into the atmosphere, poisoning the surrounding lands indefinitely. Mr. Ali also recognized the important contributions of the Chernobyl Forum, a collective effort by eight organizations within the U.N. system and the governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, to analyze the health, environmental and socio-economic impact of the nuclear accident.

Mr. Ali also said that the international community must remain attentive to the continuing needs of the affected regions, adding, "May today's event also serve to remind us of the need for international solidarity, whenever or wherever international disasters occur. In today's world, the crucial challenges are borderless."

Kemal Dervis, administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) stated that findings by the U.N. Chernobyl Forum indicate that the 5 million people who lived in the Chornobyl-affected areas did not need to live in fear of radiation, with many of the areas previously designated as contaminated now suitable for habitation.

In many places where levels are considered safe, such as in Belarus, it has been reported by groups such as the Chernobyl Children's Project International that the "safe" level was simply raised by the government so that people will live there and will not receive any state-sponsored compensation when latent medical conditions later arise.

The executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Ann Veneman, focused her words on the preventable medical conditions that have sharply increased since the Chornobyl disaster. Just as iodine deficiency allowed for thyroid cancers in children to skyrocket, it has also been a leading cause of mental retardation in children and pregnant women. The simple and low-cost solution to this, presented by Ms. Veneman, is to increase the consumption of iodized salt. Currently only 55 percent of households in Belarus, for example, consume iodized salt, meaning that every year an estimated 41,000 children are born iodine-deficient.

In 2002, the UNDP and UNICEF commissioned a report on the humanitarian consequences of the Chornobyl disaster, recommending that the U.N. shift its support from direct humanitarian aid to sustainable development for the long-term. Regarding the psychological impact, UNICEF has been working to educate children about healthy lifestyles, to combat the lingering effects of Chornobyl.

Andrei Dapkiunas, the permanent representative for Belarus, thanked all of the delegations present at the day's commemorative meeting, highlighting the need for continued efforts in Belarus, which received 70 percent of the fallout from Chornobyl and 20 percent of which is still contaminated by radionuclides.

U.N. experts estimated the overall cost of the damage in Belarus at $235 billion, with Belarusians themselves spending over $17 billion to address post-Chornobyl issues, including the relocation of over 140,000 people. A recent conference in Miensk had suggested proclaiming the years 2006-2016 as the "international decade for the recovery and sustainable development of the regions affected by the Chornobyl disaster."

Additionally, Mr. Dapkiunas said that early diagnosis and detection of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, especially in children, was one of Belarus' largest concerns. He cited the need for modern medical equipment to help address these issues.

Mr. Dapkiunas also agreed with the Miensk conference's recommendation to include Belarus in the U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, giving it a platform to share its years of experience to face the new challenges and problems that have arisen in the field of radiation protection. He added, "Whether or not we have the courage to admit it, by attempting to harness the most powerful available energy source, humankind has unleashed unknown risks and dangers."

The representative of the Russian Federation, Igor Shcherbak, called the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant a potential source of danger in Europe, asking the international community to muster its scientific, technical and financial capacities to minimize this threat in the near future.

Representatives of the Russian Federation viewed the consensual adoption in November 2005 of the General Assembly resolution calling for a commemorative meeting dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster (A/RES/60/14), and its unprecedented 69 co-sponsors, as the international community's expression of solidarity with the affected countries. Calling on his fellow delegates to strengthen their response capacity for technological disasters, Mr. Shcherbak highlighted as an example the readiness of the Russian Federation's Ministry for Emergency Situations that has already explored international cooperation in this matter.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Kholosha, vice minister of emergencies, said that Ukraine agrees with the remarks of Gerhard Pfanzelter, the representative from Austria, who spoke on behalf of the European Union. Thanking the international community for its efforts in helping Ukraine after the Chornobyl disaster, Mr. Pfanzelter said he looks forward to continued measures to help mitigate the disaster's effects and thanked the General Assembly for passing the resolution in November 2005, which called for the Chornobyl commemorative meeting at the U.N. General Assembly. He noted that 3 million people were affected by the disaster and 10 percent of Ukraine's land was contaminated by radiation, as 164,000 people had been relocated. Referring to current findings and varying statistics, Mr. Kholosha said there has been no consensus on the disaster's health impact and that health assessments must be continued.

After statements were read by the Russian Federation, Belarus and Ukraine, the acting president of the General Assembly called for one minute of silence for the victims of Chornobyl.

This was followed by statements read by representatives of Uganda, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Slovenia, Chile, the Latin American and Caribbean Group, France, the Western European and other states, the United States, the European Union and associated states, Japan, China, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Cuba, Brazil and the European Commission, as well as by Raymond Forde, vice-president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and U.N. observer of the situation in the affected areas.

Once the meeting was adjourned, the Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian representatives each gave statements at the opening of the Chornobyl photo exhibit titled, "20 Years After Chernobyl: From Tragedy to Recovery." The exhibit, which was organized in cooperation with the American project "Chornobyl: 20" and the UNDP, displayed over 70 photographs in the visitor's lobby of the U.N. headquarters.

Later that day, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.N., Valeriy Kuchinsky, with the representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus, as well as Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, rang the U.N. peace bell in memory of the victims of Chornobyl. The bell is located in the Japanese garden of the United Nations and is made from coins collected by children from over 60 countries.

Photographic exhibit focuses on Chornobyl 20 years after

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