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Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Chernobyl NPP Disaster (background report)

26.04.2016

The Republic of Belarus has been taking consistent steps to focus attention of the world community and mobilize resources on the most topical issues concerning the Chernobyl disaster, including environmental rehabilitation of the contaminated areas, recovery of social and economic activities and ensuring safe living conditions for people. This approach was initiated by Belarus and is currently recognised worldwide.

The consistent efforts enabled due conditions for the solution of the above-mentioned tasks in the following areas.

I. Strengthening friendly political and organizational conditions for the development of the international cooperation on Chernobyl within the United Nations

Triennial Chernobyl resolutions that the UN General Assembly adopts are an important instrument for strengthening intergovernmental cooperation in specialist areas and appropriately mandate the UN organizations and Member States to implement international programmes and projects on Chernobyl.

In December 2013, the 68th session of the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution “Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster”, with 60 UN Member States as co-sponsors, including United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan. The resolution appreciates the activities of the governments of the three affected states in overcoming the consequences of the disaster and urges all relevant organizations of the UN system to support their efforts, including through the provision of necessary resources for implementation of medical, social, economic and environmental programmes, related to Chernobyl.

Belarus is actively working on full use of the potential provided by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Chernobyl.

The Inter-Agency Task Force focused its attention on the provision of an enabling environment for continuation of the international cooperation on Chernobyl and full implementation of relevant projects in the framework of the UN Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development of Affected Regions and the UN Action Plan on Chernobyl to 2016.

On 30 May 2014, at the meeting of the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko with the UNDP Administrator Helen Clark important decisions were made to promote international assistance to the Chernobyl-affected regions of Belarus and preserve leadership of our country in international cooperation on Chernobyl issues.

During Helen Clark’s stay in Belarus, a visiting meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force was held in Minsk with the participation of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, UNDP, IAEA, WHO, the World Bank, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, EU, UNEP, EBRD, UNICEF and UNFPA. An important outcome of the meeting was international support for the Belarusian initiative to develop an international cooperation strategy on Chernobyl for the post-2016 period. Further discussion of the content and organizational and technical modalities of the draft document took place at UN experts meetings on strategy development (May 2015, Minsk; October 2015, Vienna; February 2016, Minsk).

At the high-level international conference “Chernobyl 30 years on. From the accident to recovery and sustainable social and economic development of the affected areas”, 25-26 April 2016, Minsk, the participants reviewed the progress made during the UN Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development of the Affected Regions (2006-2016) and discussed new approaches to the multilateral cooperation on Chernobyl.

On 26 April 2016, a special meeting of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly is to be held in New York commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster. Following its results a special statement of the President of the UN General Assembly will be circulated.

II. Cooperating with donors

Belarus assumes that cooperation with international organizations allows to attract and introduce the latest cutting-edge technologies and methods and elaborate innovation approaches based on them to problems of rehabilitation of the affected territories.

Belarus expresses its sincere gratitude to foreign partners: governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions, companies, agencies, funds and foreign citizens for showing solidarity and support in mitigating the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Due to the jointly implemented programmes and projects Belarus has ensured the transition from the status of an external assistance net recipient to an equal partnership with the world community.

The Republic of Belarus is open to join efforts with those prepared to cooperate in mitigating the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster on principles of equal rights, mutual respect and benefit and in compliance with international law.

III. Information campaign aimed at preservation of Chernobyl issues and their adequate addressing in the international agenda

Effective information support of the international cooperation on Chernobyl is one of key areas in the activity of the Belarusian diplomatic representations abroad which use every possibility to objectively inform the world community on efforts by Belarus to overcome the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.

Arguments on key issues of international cooperation on Chernobyl are consistently advanced. The disaster at the Chernobyl NPP is not a tragedy for one state or even for a group of states, it is of worldwide significance, its consequences will affect many generations to come. Given these circumstances, an adequate response to the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident seems to be possible only with the world community acting unanimously.  

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