FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR ACCIDENT, UN CALLS FOR MORE ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS

FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR ACCIDENT,

UN CALLS FOR MORE ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS

NEW YORK, 25 April (OCHA) –- This week marks 15 years since two powerful explosions in rapid succession destroyed the Unit 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in a remote corner of Ukraine, exposing the burning core and releasing 50 million curies of radioactive isotopes into the environment.  The events that took place on 26 April 1986 contaminated an area of over 160,000 square kilometres in Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine, impacting the lives of over 7 million people, including more than 3 million children.

Since then, the word Chernobyl has come to connote the risks of technological and environmental disasters.  Even today, the full humanitarian impact of this disaster is not yet known, and it may be years until many medical manifestations appear.

With the closing of the Chernobyl plant, the technical aspects of the problem are being resolved with plans to complete a new, reinforced “sarcophagus” shelter.  By 2005, the existing shelter should be transformed into a safe and environmentally stable system of protection.  While this is an extremely important development, it leaves largely un-addressed the continuing humanitarian needs of millions of people living daily with the legacy of Chernobyl.

While the explosive stories of the meltdown and clouds of radiation have long since faded from media headlines, the real human, economic, social, health and environmental catastrophe has only just begun.  Since the people affected by the Chernobyl disaster live in three different countries, and the consequences of the disaster are so varied that they fall within the remits of a number of different governmental and non-governmental organizations, the distribution and implementation of aid involves a network of different agencies. 

For this reason, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs coordinates with the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Chernobyl (the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, World Bank, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Health Organization (WHO), World

Meteorological Organization (WMO), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Commission, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)) to address in a concerted fashion the diverse consequences of this highly complex disaster.  Together with non-governmental organizations, these organizations have played a very important role in facilitating the mitigation of the multiple consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.

Key activities of United Nations organizations include the provision of diagnostic and health care to people affected by radiation-related illnesses, psychosocial rehabilitation, job creation for resettled families, the study of the environmental impact of radiation, waste disposal and decontamination, as well as technical support for improved nuclear safety.  The European Community Humanitarian Aid Office is involved with retraining Chernobyl workers, creating alternative jobs and providing medical support for cancer treatment.  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Red Cross Societies of Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine have provided humanitarian assistance to the populations affected by the Chernobyl accident since 1990 and plan to continue to focus on the health and psychosocial welfare of the affected population. 

The greatest constraint to the efforts of the international humanitarian community is the lack of adequate funding.  The Governments of Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine have shouldered the heaviest burden of providing assistance to their populations, while at the same time going through deep economic reforms.  “Chernobyl is a responsibility that should not be theirs alone,” Kenzo Oshima, United Nations Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl, stated following his recent visit to Kiev for the International Conference on Chernobyl.  “I call upon all Member States to renew their commitment to help mitigate the long-term effects of this unprecedented technological disaster.  If all donors to the shelter were to contribute a small amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of their contributions, we could raise between $10 and $15 million for the people of Chernobyl.  This would be a fitting gesture to mark the fifteenth anniversary of this tragedy.”

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