Joint Statement on behalf of the Permanent Missions

of Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine

Dear Ms. Administrator,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of Belarus the Russian Federation and Ukraine, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for convening this meeting of the Inter - Agency Task Force on Chernobyl.

Twenty seven years ago the world witnessed one of the worst disasters in the history of the mankind. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster, that occurred on April 26, 1986, led to the loss of human lives, contamination of territories, huge number of displaced persons and loss of livelihood.

The disaster had significant political influence and changed approach to the use of nuclear energy. International standards and rules of radiation protection, national strategies of nuclear energy development, radioactive wastes handling were revised in order to enhance and strengthen nuclear safety.

It goes without saying that the Chernobyl disaster became a lesson for the humanity and forced everyone to reassess the reliability of the safety requirements for nuclear power facilities.

Annually during the past twenty seven years we mark the Anniversary of this tragic event became a symbol of the catastrophe for the people all over the world, and in particular for the people of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. 

Analysis of the causes and consequences of the catastrophe is of paramount importance in the context of the growing demand for energy resources. Globally there are more than 400 nuclear power plants in use and their number is expected to increase in the nearest future. In this regard we think that the main lesson of the Chernobyl tragedy is in the understanding of the necessity to ensure relevant safety of NPPs. Free exchange of experience and scientific researches, dissemination of technologies for nuclear safety should become the main principle of multilateral cooperation in this sphere.

The global scale of Chernobyl tragedy does not recognize national boarders and goes beyond political conjuncture, ensuring the necessity of taking full advantage of international cooperation for the solution of many problems that have arisen and still occur in the aftermath of Chernobyl.

The Governments of three most affected countries – Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine - have been undertaking significant efforts to overcome the legacy of Chernobyl catastrophe. In this respect during all these years we were striving to determine a balanced approach to the use of the contaminated areas while providing at the same time relevant radiation protection for the people living on the affected territories, to create conditions for stable economic and social development of local communities, the revival of agricultural production, medium and small business. We welcome the start work of Belarus and Ukraine in the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of the Atomic Radiation in 2012 as full-pledged members of the Committee whose expertise and experience are of great importance in dealing with the consequences of Chernobyl.

The three States emphasize the need to continue and to step up activities within the Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development (2006-2016), proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 62/9. We confirm the importance of United Nations coordinating role in the international cooperation on Chernobyl and appreciate the personal involvement and interest of the UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon to the needs and problems of the most affected countries. We also express support to the efforts of UNDP Administrator, Ms. Helen Clark, in implementation of the updated UN Action Plan for Chernobyl Recovery to 2016. We welcome the active participation of all involved UN agencies, the World Bank, International Atomic Energy Agency and other international organizations in UN Action Plan’s realization. We acknowledge commitment and valuable support of donors to the post-Chernobyl recovery efforts and implementation of a range of projects that assist local communities. It is essential that all agencies participating in the international cooperation on Chernobyl continue to apply efforts to mitigate the disaster’s consequences and to implement all agreements in this field.

We are looking forward for upcoming report by the Secretary-General on Chernobyl issue. We hope that the recommendations contained in the report will help us to elaborate the resolution at the 68^th session of the General Assembly with the aim to take appropriate practical measures to strengthen coordination of the international efforts in that area.

Notwithstanding the closure of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant at the end of last century it still remains the potential source of contamination. In this regard we are pleased to acknowledge the progress achieved in construction of the New Safe Confinement. Namely, November 24, 2012 witnessed the first ascent of the arch construction of the New Safe Confinement weighing 5,300 tons to a height of 22 meters, but much more is still to be done to complete this unique project.

Taking this opportunity I would like to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives to save their compatriots and succeeding generations from the scourges of this Catastrophe.

Finally, we express our appreciation to the work being done by the UNDP and its leading role in strengthening the international cooperation in mitigation and overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe.

I thank you.