 |
UN: Chernobyl |
UN: Chernobyl
|
“Chernobyl. All of us would like to cross this word out
of our memory. But over seven million people who live beside us cannot
afford it. Every day and every hour they continue suffering from what
happened.”
Kofi Annan, UN
Secretary-General |
Since 1986 the United Nations has
done their best to identify the most relevant ways of providing assistance
to the most affected countries – Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
Consultations involving Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO), International Atomic energy Agency (IAEA), World
Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the
Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) were held in spring 1986 in Vienna with
the purpose of establishing the International Committee on Nuclear Accident
Response. The Committee was established following adoption by IAEA Special
Session of the Convention
on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention
on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency.
The Committee’s major focuses include emergency relief, planning and design of
joint coordinated actions in case of nuclear accidents. In September 1986 the
session of the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted provisions on
radiation protection of workers for inclusion in the ILO Code (31 clean-up
workers died soon after the Chernobyl accident).
FAO established a Steering Committee on Radiation Impact on
Natural Resources and Agricultural Products. In July 1989 the Codex Alimentarius
Commission of WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization adopted permissible
radioactivity levels for foodstuffs contaminated as a result of a nuclear
accident.
A turning point in relations between the United Nations and
USSR was the year 1990 when the USSR government acknowledged the need for
international assistance and the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 45/190
«International Cooperation to Mitigate the Consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear
Accident». The Resolution provided for the elaboration of the programme for
coordination of the Chernobyl mitigation and elimination effort and empowered
one of the Deputy Secretary-General with coordination functions.
In 1992, a year after the Task Force was
established, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, which came to be called the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in 1997, began to coordinate
international cooperation on Chernobyl. To expedite financial contributions
towards the Chernobyl activities, the Chernobyl Trust Fund was established in
1991 under the management of OCHA. OCHA began to manage a range of diverse tasks and
responsibilities from strategy formulation and promotion to resources
mobilization, advocacy and channeling donors’ contributions.
The Memorandum on Understanding signed by the USSR Ministry of
Health and the World Health Organization in April 1990 provided for the
establishment of the international programme on health impacts of the Chernobyl
accident and opened up new opportunities for provision of assistance to the
affected population.
The Initial Agreement signed between the USSR and UNESCO on 1
June 1990 facilitated development of education, research, cultural and
communication programmes as well as organization of recuperative trips of
children living in the affected regions to the European countries.
After the breakdown of the Soviet Union international
cooperation on Chernobyl diminished. Therefore, in 1992 the Heads of the three
affected countries urged the UN Secretary-General to «mobilize international
effort for mitigation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident». Responding
to the appeal, the General Assembly decided that once in two years the Agenda of
its session should include the item formulated as «Enhancement of the
international cooperation and coordination of efforts for mitigation and
minimization of the Chernobyl consequences».
In 1988 the Soviet authorities stated that the sarcophagus
covering the damaged reactor could not ensure safety in the long run.
International conferences were held in 1997 and 2000 to raise funding for
shelter reinforcing in Chernobyl. The UN General Assembly gave a high appraisal
of the donors’ contribution and welcomed the decision of Ukraine to close down
the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant by 15 December 2000.
Over time it has become clear that the task of environmental
and health recovery cannot be separated from the task of development. In 2001,
UNDP, and its regional director for the three affected countries (Russia,
Ukraine, and Belarus), became part of the coordination mechanism for Chernobyl
cooperation. In the following year, the United Nations announced a shift in
strategy, with a new focus on long-term developmental approach, as opposed to
emergency humanitarian assistance.
At the international conference “Fifteen
Years after Chernobyl: Lesson Learned” which was held in Kiev the experts of
the United Nations and the International Ecological Academy acknowledged causal
connection of the nuclear accident and thyroid pathologies in children. They
also reached consensus in the assessment of health impacts of the accident.
In 2002 the United Nations presented “The Human Consequences of the
Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. A Strategy for Recovery” Report summarizing the
findings of a study commissioned by UNDP and UNICEF with the support of WHO and
UN-OCHA (the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). The key
finding of the Report is that «emergency phase» characterized by localization,
resettlement and immediate material aid should be replaced for a ten-year
«recovery phase». «…The new approach should focus on enabling the individuals
and communities affected by the disaster to enter fully into society by taking
control of their own lives and acquiring the means for self-sufficiency through
economic and human development».
In order to clarify remaining issues, and
maintain worldwide attention on Chernobyl, the United Nations has undertaken a
number of new initiatives. The Swiss-funded Chernobyl website Chernobyl.info serves as an independent forum on
Chernobyl.
The
Chernobyl Forum, an initiative of IAEA, is aimed at generating consensus on
a range of disputed issues, such as the health effects of the accident, and the
necessity of new Chernobyl research. The ICRIN (International Chernobyl Research
and Information Network), initiative launched by OCHA and SDC, is aimed at
increasing cooperation with the Chernobyl Forum, and helps compile, disseminate
and commission new research on Chernobyl.
A landmark digest report "Chernobyl's Legacy: Health,
Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts" released by the Chernobyl Forum in
September 2005 concluded that a total of up to four thousand people could
eventually die of radiation exposure from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
accident. An encouraging finding, however, is that most lands affected by
radioactive exposure are now suitable for living and farming.
The report team believes that the Chernobyl accident has had
detrimental psychological consequences for residents of the affected regions.
Given that since 2004 UNDP is responsible for coordination of UN effort on
Chernobyl, provision of information has been identified as one of the
priorities.
Since 1986, the United Nations organizations and major
Non-Government Organizations and Foundations have launched more than 230
different research and assistance projects in the fields of: health, nuclear
safety, including the construction of the Shelter, socio-psychological
rehabilitation, economic rehabilitation, environment and production of clean
foods and information.
Today many issues still require clarification. Some scientists of the three countries claim that the actual extent of contamination was 3-4 times greater due to new estimates that indicate that 65-80 percent of the radionuclides from Chernobyl reactor were released into the environment, not 3.5%. The official zone approach, which evaluated the territory of contamination and individual doses according to the density of radionuclide deposition, has been widely criticized and is under review. In addition, nobody can predict the genetic and other long-term health effects of the accident.
The consequences of Chernobyl extend far
into the future. New research is needed in order to clarify the effects of
nuclear contamination over a 10-20 year period. New research based in up-to-date
scientific knowledge could provide information that can help to treat
Chernobyl-related diseases and assist in agricultural development in
contaminated environments. While in 1991 the affected nations requested nearly $
646 million for 131 projects, they received only $8 million. In 1997, $90
million was requested for 60 projects. Only $1.5 million was pledged. Clearly,
there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done in the Chernobyl
affected region. Contributions do not yet meet needs.
* * *
On 2 February 2006 the UN General
Assembly suggested that 26 April should be observed as the International Day for
Commemorating Victims of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes and that
ceremonies to commemorate victims of catastrophes should be organized on this
day. The UN General Assembly expressed hope that UN agencies, international and
regional organizations undertake further joint effort for addressing the
Chernobyl-related problems.
|
