26th April observe as Chernobyl disaster day.

KARACHI: On 8th of December2016 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 26th of  April as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day.

It is pertinent to mention here that due to 1986 Chernobyl explosion radioactive cloud covered Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation (then USSR) exposing 8.4 million of populace to radiation in that region.

In its resolution, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had recognized that decades after the disaster there remained persistent serious long-term consequences and that the affected communities and territories were experiencing continuing related needs.

UNGA invites all Member States, relevant agencies of the UN system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, to observe the day.

Ten Points from UN chronicles: 

1) The Soviet Government acknowledged the need for international assistance only in 1990.

2) That same year the General Assembly adopted resolution 45/190, calling for “international cooperation to address and mitigate the consequences at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.”

3) An Inter-Agency Task Force was established to coordinate the Chernobyl co-operation.

4) Since 1986, the UN family of organizations and major NGOs have launched more than 230 different research and assistance projects in the fields of health, nuclear safety, rehabilitation, environment, production of clean foods and information.

5) In 2002 the United Nations announced a shift in the Chernobyl strategy, with a new focus on a long-term developmental approach.

6) UNDP and its regional offices in the three affected countries took the lead in the implementation of the new strategy.

7) To provide support to international, national and public programmers targeted at the sustainable development of these territories, in 2009 UN launched the International Chernobyl Research and Information Network (ICRIN).

8) The completion of the placement of the new safe confinement over the old shelter was a major milestone achieved in 2019, with €2.2 billion provided by over 45 donor nations through funds managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

9) The new safe confinement was handed over to the Government of Ukraine on 10 July 2019. The scope of the project in terms of international cooperation is one of the largest ever seen in the field of nuclear safety.

10) Since the United Nations agencies have shifted their focus from humanitarian assistance to prevention, recovery, remediation and capacity development, an integrated approach to sustainable development was adopted to address the needs of the affected regions and communities. The agencies, funds and programs have continued to work closely with the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine to provide development assistance to the Chernobyl-affected communities.