A new information resource will help bring together all parties involved in finding solutions to the problems caused by the Chernobyl nuclear accident

"Chernobyl.info" - a new internet site to be launched on 25 June - will help remind the world about the fate of millions of people who continue to face the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and expand networking among the various organisations and projects seeking to help the affected populations.

One barrier to achieving these goals is lack of reliable information about the long-term effects of the Chernobyl accident which hinders targeted, focused and concerted efforts to address the consequences of this disaster and creates a threat that the plight of the affected people of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine may be forgotten. Therefore, the site aims to provide over the long term "neutral, politically independent, reliable and continuous public information", needed to make decisions on the most effective solutions to Chernobyl-related issues. The users of this information will include donors, governments, NGOs, and the general public.

One important source of such information are the affected people themselves. A considerable proportion of the site focuses on the life of a Belarusian village called Igovka, located in the contaminated part of Gomel oblast. Nearly all materials on Igovka - featuring the history, economy, customs, school life and people's hobbies - have been authored by the studentы and teachers of the local school.

This information will also come from the organisations and projects themselves. The site will enable such organisations to share their experiences and know more about the work that others are doing to address the consequences of Chernobyl.

The site is a part of the project called "Communications platform on the long-term consequences of the Chernobyl disaster", initiated and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented in cooperation with the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme. According to Matthias Weingart, coordinator of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Minsk, the Chernobyl communication platform will be maintained and followed up by a team of experts and is to be a live undertaking in which all the interested institutions can participate and benefit from.

The formal launch of the Chernobyl.info site will take place on 25 June in Minsk, Kiev and Bern. The three cities will be linked together in real time over the Internet. We invite you to take part in the site's presentation in Minsk that will start at 10:30 at Dvorets Respubliki.

For more information, please call:
(0172) 227 - 3817 (United Nations Office in Belarus; contact person: Alexander Piskounov, Public Information Assistant);
(0172) 211 - 0025 (SDC Coordination Office; contact person: Matthias Weingart, Coordinator).

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