20th Commemoration Anniversary of Chornobyl catastrophe

Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, April 26, 1986- the routine 20-second shut down of the system seemed to be another test of the electrical equipment. But seven seconds later, a surge created a chemical explosion that released nearly 520 dangerous radionuclides into the atmosphere. Based on the official reports, near 8,400,000 people in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were exposed to the radiation, which is more than the population of Austria. About 155,000 sq. km of territories in the three countries were contaminated, which is almost half of the total territory of Italy. Agricultural areas covering nearly 52,000 sq. km, which is more than the size of Denmark, were contaminated with cesium-137 and strontium-90, with 30-year and 28-year half-lives respectively. Nearly 404,000 people were resettled but millions continued to live in an environment where continued residual exposure created a range of adverse effects.

Many count the year 1990 as a crucial point in the United Nations involvement in the Chornobyl recovery. The Soviet Government acknowledged the need for international assistance. As a result, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 45/190, which called for “international cooperation to address and mitigate the consequences at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant”. This Resolution also entrusted one of the Under-Secretary-General with the task of coordinating the Chornobyl co-operation and called for the formation of an Inter-Agency Task Force.

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 Chornobyl. 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 Chornobyl 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. In 2002, the UNDP launched Chornobyl Recovery and development Programme, aimed at mitigating Chornobyl Catastrophe consequences and ensuring social and economic recovery of the Chornobyl affected territories and communities.

The accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986 caused widespread radioactive contamination in southern and eastern Belarus, south-western Russia and northern Ukraine. In Ukraine, more than 163, 000 people were resettled in the years following the accident, but it is estimated that more than one million people still live in Chornobyl-affected areas. For these men, women and children the accident’s long-term effects continue to present real and significant challenges to overcome.

The economy of the Chornobyl region of Ukraine collapsed in the years after Chornobyl. With radiological contamination, agricultural production was halted in areas near to the reactor and local products gained an unenviable ‘Chornobyl’ stigma in the eyes of consumers, making it extremely difficult for local producers to sell their goods on the market. Depressed economic conditions were worsened by the effects of Ukraine’s economic transition; investment declined sharply and with the restructuring of Soviet-era collective farms many jobs evaporated.

The negative health situation in affected communities is further exacerbated by the severed sense of community that has resulted from the disaster. For those who remain in contaminated areas, poverty parallels great uncertainty about the continued effects of radiation exposure. And among people who were forcibly relocated from the most severely affected areas, many have found it difficult to adapt to new surroundings, find new work and get on with prosperous lives. Moreover, a general sense of fatalism, apathy and hopelessness pervades and people have lost their sense of individual and community pride. With this reality, numerous studies have recorded significant psychological health disorders, including anxiety, depression and a general lack of hope for the future. This victim’s syndrome has resulted in higher suicide rates, alcoholism and drug abuse as well as increased incidences of crime, vandalism and other negative social behaviour.

The Chornobyl Recovery and Development Programme (CRDP) launched its activities based on the recommendations of the report “The Human Consequences of the Chornobyl Nuclear Accident. A Strategy for Recovery”, initiated by the UN Agencies in February 2002. CRDP forms the third phase of the UN Chornobyl Programme, which had been operating in 1999-2002.

The goal of CRDP’s activities is to support the efforts of the Government of Ukraine to mitigate long-term social, economic and ecological consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe, to create more favorable living conditions and promote sustainable human development in Chornobyl affected regions. Due to the partnerships with international organizations, oblast and rayon state administrations, village councils, scientific institutions, non-governmental organizations and private businesses, CRDP supports community organizations in the implementation of their initiatives on economic, social development and environmental recovery as well as promotes information distribution about the Chornobyl catastrophe within Ukraine as well as internationally.

During 2005 there took place a series of very important events that became an important step towards social and economic recovery of the Chornobyl affected areas and raised public awareness about the Chornobyl related problems on the eve of the 20th Commemoration Anniversary of the Chornobyl Catastrophe. They are:

• UNDP Partners Visit to the Chornobil affected area in Zhitomyr region (11 April 2006, Zhitomyr region)
• Study tour of the representatives of the UNDP Byelorussia and CORE programme (Byelorussia) to Ukraine (February 20-24, 2006, Kyiv, Ukraine).
• UNDP Chornobyl Sub-Regional Meeting (24-25 February 2005, Kyiv)
• International Chornobyl Forum in Vienna (6-7 September 2005)
• International Sub-regional Conference “Chornobyl affected regions in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine – from recovery to new developmental approach” and Chornobyl Economic Development Forum (ChEDF) (31 October – 2 November, 2005, Chernihiv)
• Chornobyl Section of the 3rd Human Rights Films Festival (10-16 December 2005, Kyiv)

The year 2006 has a special significance not only for the United Nations and Ukraine but also for the whole world. It’s the 20th Anniversary of the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. For commemorating this date and attracting public attention to the Chornobyl catastrophe consequences, there will be organized conferences, forums and seminars worldwide. The nearest events in which the CRDP is organizer and active participant are the following:

• Exhibiton of children's paintings on Chornobyl in UN House (April 19 - May 4, 2006)
• Visit to Ukraine of the UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis (April 24-26, 2006)
• International Conference "Twenty years after the Chornobyl accident. Future Outlook" (24-26 April, 2006, Kyiv, Ukraine)
• Chornobyl: International Conference (April 19-21, 2006, Minsk, Belarus)
• Series of press-trips for international and Ukrainian journalists (March-April, 2006)

• Analytical study of Proffessor J.Osiatynski
• Research on Analysis Information Needs of the Population Affected by the Chornobyl disaster
• Report of the Chernobyl Forum 2003-2005 (second revised version)