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Press releases |
 28 April 2006 | UN marks Chernobyl anniversary with a message of hope, offers fresh initiatives to revitalize affected communities
The United Nations is marking the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident with a vital message of hope and an appeal to the international community to redouble efforts to assist the social and economic recovery of the regions hardest hit by the 1986 reactor explosion.
24 April 2006 | Chernobyl recovery is possible, says UN Assistant Secretary-General Kalman Mizsei
United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Director Kalman Mizsei today called on the world to remember the suffering caused by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. He also expressed confidence in the potential for the region’s social and economic recovery.
 20 April 2006 | World Bank approved a US$ 50 million loan to Belarus for an energy efficiency project targeted at people living in Chernobyl-affected areas
The Board of Executive
Directors of the World Bank approved a US$ 50 million loan to the Republic of
Belarus for an energy efficiency project targeted at people living in
Chernobyl-affected areas. The project marks a shift from humanitarian assistance
towards longer-term sustainable development. Counterpart funding from the
government of Belarus amounts to an additional US$11 million.
 19 April 2006 | UN Under-Secretary-General Ad Melkert gives message of solidarity on Chernobyl anniversary
The UN
Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator for UNDP, Ad Melkert,
conveyed a message of remembrance of the human casualties and vast damage caused
by Chernobyl twenty years ago, but also said there is cause for hope in the
region for the future.
19 April 2006 | UNICEF says iodine could have prevented cancer among Chernobyl victims
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today that iodized salt could have significantly lowered the numbers of exposed children who developed thyroid cancer and called for the supplement to be widely used throughout the affected region.
 17 April 2006 | UN Under-Secretary-General Ad Melkert to participate in 20th anniversary Chernobyl commemorations in Belarus
Ad Melkert, the
UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDPs second highest ranking official, will
participate in the 20th anniversary Chernobyl commemorations in Belarus,
including a conference in Minsk and Gomel. He will visit contaminated areas near
Gomel and attend a Project Fair organized by UNDP, the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation, the World Bank and the Chernobyl Committee of
Belarus.
13 April 2006 | World Health Organization report explains the health impacts of the world's worst-ever civil nuclear accident
As the world marks the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the United Nations is renewing efforts to revitalise the social and economic life of the regions of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the countries most affected by fall-out from the reactor explosion.
12 April 2006 | Gomel Project Fair to Showcase Local Initiatives
The Project Fair will be held on 20 April 2006 within the framework of
the International Conference “Twenty Years after Chernobyl: Strategy of Recovery
and Sustainable Development of the Affected Regions”.
05 April 2006 | Chernobyl Photo Exhibition "Pain Abates Slowly" to be Held in Minsk
The photo exhibition has been organized on the occasion of the 20th
anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. The National Arts Gallery (20
Lenin Str.) will play to host the exhibition from 7 till 30
April. The exhibition is supported from the Belarus Ministry of Culture, Belarus
Ministry of Information, Komchernobyl, UN Office in Belarus.
03 April 2006 | Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is still a source of hazard in the center of Europe
The appeal of the Heads of CIS member-states to the international community in the context of the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident was disseminated in the UN Headquarters as one of the documents of the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly. It reminds about tragic consequences of the catastrophe and stresses that the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is still a source of hazard in the center of Europe.
27 February 2006 | Belarus and Ukraine exchange experience of revival and development
With support from the United Nations, the Coordination Team of the Belarusian Programme “Coordination for Rehabilitation” focusing on provision of assistance to people affected by the Chernobyl accident visited their Ukrainian counterparts from the Chernobyl Programme “Revival and Development”. During a five-days visit which ended on 24 February, members of the Coordination Team studied the Ukrainian experience of addressing social, environmental and economic impacts of the man-made disaster which occurred 20 years ago.
03 February 2006 | Belarus to host the International Conference on the Occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Catastrophe at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
26 April 2006 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster. Within
the framework of the 58th Session of the UN General Assembly, the Republic of
Belarus suggested that the International Conference on the Occasion of the 20th
Anniversary be held in Minsk from 19 through 21 April 2006.
25 November 2005 | CORE Programme approves 34 new projects
34 new projects were approved in the framework of the Chernobyl Cooperation for Rehabilitation (CORE) Programme at an Approval Board (AB) session held yesterday in Chechersk, Gomel region during which representatives from the 30 signatories to the CORE declaration met to review the progress of the programme.
16 November 2005 | UNDP helps pupils to improve their radio-ecological knowledge
An educational and counseling center was opened on 15 November in a secondary school of the Vaskovichy village of the Slavgorod district (the Mogilev region). The new center will help children and members of their families to build up practical skills of reducing the risk of radiation exposure, to learn how to assess the radiological situation and to make informed choices needed to develop safe behaviors.
15 November 2005 | UN General Assembly endorses new approach to Chernobyl challenge
The United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution
encouraging the international community to redouble its efforts to mitigate the
consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. The body also took into
account a report by the Secretary General on efforts to promote recovery in
areas affected by the Chernobyl legacy.
09 November 2005 | Helping Chernobyl survivors face the future
UNDP is bringing together governments, international experts and business to help residents of Chernobyl-hit regions break out of the dependency culture that continues to stunt development nearly two decades after the world's worst nuclear accident.
05 September 2005 | Chernobyl: The True Scale of the Accident
A total of up to four thousand people could eventually die of radiation
exposure from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) accident nearly 20 years
ago, an international team of more than 100 scientists has concluded. As of
mid-2005, however, fewer than 50 deaths had been directly attributed to
radiation from the disaster, almost all being highly exposed rescue workers,
many who died within months of the accident but others who died as late as
2004.
02 August 2005 | UNDP and SDC sign cost-sharing agreement on Chernobyl CORE projects
Seven small-scale projects approved in the framework of the Cooperation for Rehabilitation Programme (CORE) in Belarus will receive funding under a cost-sharing agreement signed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The projects, totaling just under 53,000 US dollars, are local initiatives from three districts affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe, Chechersk, Slavgorod and Stolin.
26 April 2005 | Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
Today marks the nineteenth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the
worst nuclear power plant accident in history. Almost two decades later,
the three countries most affected—Belarus, the Russian Federation, and
Ukraine—continue to grapple with daunting social, economic, and
environmental consequences.
 12 April 2005 | CORE Programme is a key tool for Chernobyl long-term recovery in Belarus, UNDP says
UNDP considers
the Cooperation and Rehabilitation (CORE) Programme in Belarus as a unique
framework to mobilize and coordinate rehabilitation and recovery efforts by
international, national and local donors and partners, UN Resident Cordinator
and UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus, Ms Cihan Sultanoglu, said in Paris,
France, today.
16 December 2004 | Minsk hosted the International Conference "Chernobyl Cooperation and Information: Problems and Perspectives"
December 16, Minsk hosted the International Conference "Chernobyl Cooperation and Information: Problems and Perspectives," which included the presentation of the National Report "An Information Needs Assessment of the Chernobyl-Affected Population of the Republic of Belarus."
 15 November 2004 | November 10, an official opening ceremony of the Internet web site of the CORE ("Cooperation for Rehabilitation") International Programme took place in Minsk
Henceforth,
the Belarusian and foreign Internet users will be able to learn about the
measures undertaken to mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power
Plant accident by visiting a special web site – www.core-chernobyl.org. The web
site became possible due to support of the UNDP Programme and the State
Chernobyl Committee ("Komchernobyl").
 26 April 2004 | Chernobyl: needs great 18 years after nuclear accident
On
the 18th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl power plant, Mr. Jan
Egeland, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is urging
the international community not to turn its back on the people still affected by
the world’s worst nuclear accident.
 26 April 2004 | Chernobyl Heart
The
world’s single worst nuclear accident, the tragedy at the Chernobyl power plant,
occurred 18 years ago this month. The impact on communities in Belarus, the
Russian Federation and Ukraine, however, remains severe today.
 03 February 2004 | Jan Egeland: «The World Should Not Forget About Chernobyl
Jan
Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General/Coordinator for the International Chernobyl
Cooperation completed his visit to Belarus. The objective of Mr Egeland's visit
to Belarus was to familiarize with the human consequences of the Chernobyl
nuclear accident and social impacts experienced by the affected regions as well
as to discuss with the Belarusian authorities the issues related to the
implementation of the new resolution of the UN General Assembly on strengthening
international cooperation and coordination of efforts in investigating,
mitigating and minimizing the Chernobyl impacts.
29 January 2004 | UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator will visit Belarus
Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will visit Belarus from 31 January to 3
February 2004. The objective of Mr Egeland's visit to Belarus is to familiarize
with the human consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and to discuss
with the Belarusian authorities the issues relating to the implementation of the
new resolution of the UN General Assembly on strengthening international
cooperation and coordination of efforts in investigating, mitigating and
minimizing the Chernobyl impacts.
04 December 2002 | Translating income into choices
According to this year's Human Development Report, commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Belarus' HDI slightly increased relative to last year, but its ranking compared with other countries declined from 53d to 56th behind the Baltic states, Poland, as well as Cuba and Mexico, but still ahead of Russia, Ukraine and other CIS states.
21 October 2002 | Uncompleted document
20 June 2002 | "Chernobyl.info" - a platform for partnership
A new information resource will help bring together all parties involved in finding solutions to the problems caused by the Chernobyl nuclear accident
07 April 2002 | Three development projects for Chernobyl-affected areas
The UN Chernobyl report (issued 6 February 2002) contains some twenty project concepts, which, if supported by the international community, could address a range of objectives related to the recovery and development of the affected areas.
10 February 2002 | A Case for Change
Acknowledging the efforts of the governments of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine in easing the plight of the people affected by the Chernobyl disaster, the UN mission stresses that successful recovery of the communities concerned demands a substantive review of policies in areas of social protection, health and economics.
10 February 2002 | Chernobyl - Reversing the Downward Spiral
According to the UN Chernobyl assessment report, fifteen years after the accident the affected populations of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are still dealing with its aftermath. "The Chernobyl complex is now closed, the process of resettlement almost complete, but the demands made by the communities involved have scarcely diminished," says the Report. "Indeed, for many of those in the villages and settlements directly affected by the accident, the needs are as acute as ever."
06 February 2002 | UN Chernobyl Report Launched in New York
The effects of the Chernobyl nuclear accidents continue to blight the lives of millions of Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians, and international assistance in dealing with its long-term consequences is still badly needed. This was one of the key points made at the presentation of the UN report entitled "The human consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident: a strategy for recovery" launched on 6 February at a press briefing in New York.
14 January 2002 | UNDP Chernobyl Project - Developmental Approach in Action
In late 2001, the UN Development Programme and the Belarus State Committee for Chernobyl launched a project that can help bring more resources and enhance Belarus' international partnerships in helping individuals affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Although more than fifteen years have passed since the accident, the need for the project is great. At present, one in five Belarusians continues to live in areas contaminated by radiation. The problems faced by these people, some of which are directly linked by radiation, are compounded by the feeling of insecurity and concern for their health and their future. Opinion polls suggest however, that the majority still link their future with their own communities and do not wish to move. Therefore, they continue to be in need of assistance to help normalise their lives.
10 January 2002 | Chernobyl: countering myths with reality
On 6 January 2002, the British weekly "Observer" published an article that took only a few days to generate a volley comments in some papers in Belarus, thousands of kilometers away from Great Britain.
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