Nuclear Energy Update – Chornobyl ReviewAFTERNOON SESSION - Dr. Hanna Kapustyan, Mr. Denis Zdorov, H.E. Mr. Valeriy Kuchinsky, Dr. Christine K. Durbak,Prof. Karl Grossman, Ms. Jessica Williamson, Ms. Bahar Shahpar, Mr. Remy Chevalier<strong>World</strong> <strong>Information</strong> <strong>Transfer</strong>16 <strong>World</strong> Ecology ReportSummer-Fall 2010H.E. Mr. ValeriyKuchinskyFormer Permanent Representativeof Ukraine to the United NationsYour Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, students,Ladies and Gentlemen, I think that by holdingtoday’s conference, we are marking the 24th anniversaryof the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, theworst nuclear accident in the history of mankind. Weare remembering numerous victims of this terrible catastropheand are paying tribute to the governmentsof Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, the most severely affectedcountries, and in fact to the whole internationalcommunity for their strenuous efforts in minimizingthe after effects of this terrible tragedy. There is yet anotheropportunity for me to express our sincere gratitudeto the <strong>World</strong> <strong>Information</strong> <strong>Transfer</strong>, its chair andCEO Dr. Christine Durbak, and her staff, for keepingthe Chernobyl issue alive and for disseminating formany years expertise and profound knowledge of thesubject worldwide and for educating the younger generation.H. E. Mr. MykhajloBolotskyhActing Minister of Emergencyof the Government of UkraineDistinguished Participants, on behalf of the Governmentof Ukraine, let me forward the most sinceregreetings to you. I would like to remind you that on the26th of April we will mark the twenty-fourth anniversaryof the Chernobyl disaster. The destroyed reactor ofthe Chernobyl power plant cast a bleak shadow on theentire civilization. This technological disaster joineda list of huge devastating tragedies; consequently thewords “Chernobyl NPP” illustrate an unprecedentedphenomenon: nuclear energy that got out of man’scontrol.What does Chernobyl mean for Ukraine? It is aboutmore than 2 million people affected by the catastropheand its consequences; almost 10 percent of the territoryis directly contaminated by the radiation; 160,000people were forced to move from their homes and toother cities. The Chernobyl disaster became a nationaltragedy, the consequences of which are still visible. Ithas created social and economic problems that havenot diminished; they could be solved only by a complexapproach and through the joint effort of the state, science,NGOs, and of the people affected by Chernobyl,and the whole society, with the involvement of internationalassistance.Ukraine is grateful to all donor states of the NuclearSafety Account and the Chernobyl Shelter Fund thatare providing financial assistance for the constructionof storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel and the transformationof the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Shelterto an environmentally safe system. The constructionof the new safe confinement structure is ready tobe started this summer. It is also important to finalizethe project on the construction of the storage for spentnuclear fuel as well.The President of Ukraine, during his visit to theUnited States, appealed to the leaders of the G8 andthe European Union, with a proposal to renew the supportin dealing with Chernobyl related issues in such adifficult time for Ukraine, and to put forward efforts toensure continuous progress in the completion of necessaryprojects. We believe that the solidarity of nationsand states and the humanism of modern civilizationwill not leave Ukraine alone without international aid.By common effort, we have to overcome horrible consequencesof the disaster and to make sure that this willnever happen again.
Mr. Denis ZdorovBelarus Counsellor, Economic andenvironmental issues, ECOSOC,UNDP, Second CommitteeStatement of the Missionof the Republic of BelarusMadame, Chairman, Excellencies, Delegates, Colleagues,Students, Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me tobegin by thanking Dr. Christine Durbak and her teamfor her efforts to keep international attention focusedon the Chernobyl issues. Almost 24 years have passedsince the worst manmade disaster of last century, thecatastrophe at the Chernobyl power plant. But to thisday, thousands of citizens of Belarus, the Russian federation,and Ukraine, still suffer from its consequences.The 26 April 1986 became a tragic day for the wholeinternational community. From that very day, a new erahas begun: the post-Chernobyl Period.Thanks to the efforts of the Government of theRepublic of Belarus and the assistance of our internationalpartners, we have made considerable progressin solving the most urgent issues of emergencyassistance to the affected population of Belarus duringthe past two decades. Nevertheless, there are stilla number of factors that impede quick and full-scaletransition to normal life and determine the necessityfor further international cooperation. During the pastfew years, Belarus has implemented a number of stateand private programs designed to eliminate the consequencesof the Chernobyl catastrophe. Their implementationhas allowed Belarus to move forward fromthe stage of minimization of the effects of Chernobylcatastrophe to the stage of sustainable developmentof the affected territories. In this regard, cooperationwith foreign partners, especially in fields such ashealth care, socioeconomic development, and scientificstudy of the effects of the atomic radiation, acquiresadditional importance.Belarus has made considerable progress in protectingthe health of 1.3 million of its citizens, who continueto live in the contaminated areas amongst 115,000liquidators. To achieve this goal, Belarus is persistentlyimplementing a wide range of measures aimed at improvingthe quality of health services. The governmentof Belarus allocated considerable funds to constructhospitals and medical centers equipped with modernmedical equipment. The improvement of the nationalhealth care system was accompanied by regular prolificexamination of the affected population. One of the visibleresults of these measures is the stabilization of themobility rate of the affected populations, and, startingfrom 1999, the decrease of primary mobility rate betweenboth adult and children populations.To improve the health of people from the affected territories,Belarusian authorities took vigorous measuresto arrange adequate nutrition and health rehabilitationfor more than 200,000 school students. The renaissanceof the Belarusian economy and its provisions in sustainabledevelopment of the affected territories is one of thepriorities of Belarusian state policy. Presently, the governmentof Belarus has focused its main efforts on providingnormal conditions for life and work for the affectedpopulation. Therefore, in recent years, particular attentionin the Chernobyl-affected territories was paid whensupplying gasoline, quality drinking water, constructedpreschool institutions, schools, hospitals, and other socio-culturalfacilities. A generation of clean products thatmeet generally accepted standards is a necessary requirementfor sustainable development in the affected territories.To this end, a number of comprehensive programsfor the recapitalization of agricultural and forest enterprisesin the affected Gomil and Mogulov regions werecarried out. Procurement of dosimeters of livestock andfertilizers for crops has been arranged. Several steps havebeen taken to provide treatment and establishment ofcultivated lands for raising livestock at an area of almost40,000 hectares.Sustainable development is a long-term process,which requires considerable investments. It is connectednot only to the economic development, butalso to the social and psychological adaptation of peopleto new conditions of life. At the same time, thesustainable development of affected territories, withtheir unique specificities, is impossible without seriousinternational assistance. Such assistance shouldbe comprehensive, and the financially and scientificallygrounded methodological assistance becomes ofgreat importance. In this context, we highly appreciatethe work on atomic radiation effects by the UnitedNations Scientific Committee, a project aimed at thescientific systematization of experienced gained andof recommendations given to rehabilitate and providesustainable development in the affected territoriessurrounding Chernobyl.We are convinced that participation in this committeeof full-fledged members and representatives fromBelarus and Ukraine will increase its efficiency, especiallyin the “Chernobyl Direction.” Belarus, togetherwith the Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and otherUN member-states and agencies involved, stands forkeeping Chernobyl towards the top of the UN agenda.The Republic of Belarus intends to continue close cooperationwith foreign partners on the whole spectrumof prevalent Chernobyl issues.Thank you for your attention.<strong>World</strong> <strong>Information</strong> <strong>Transfer</strong><strong>World</strong> Ecology ReportSummer-Fall 201017
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