International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day

The United Nations (UN) has announced the International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl disaster on April 26.

In order to raise awareness of the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general, International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day was born on April 26th every year.

The Persistent Legacy of the Chernobyl Disaster

In 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant caused spreading a radioactive cloud over large areas of the Soviet Union, now the territory of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Nearly 8.4 million people in three countries have been exposed to radiation.

Only international assistance was acknowledged by the Soviet government in 1990 that the General Assembly adopted resolution 45/190, calling for “international cooperation to resolve and mitigate the consequences at home.” Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the beginning of the United Nations' involvement in the restoration of Chernobyl. To coordinate the Chernobyl cooperation, an Inter-Agency Task Force was established. In 1991, the founder of Chernobyl Trust was the United Nations; however, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was the manager at present. Since 1986, there were more than 230 different research and support projects in the areas of health, nuclear safety, recovery, environment, and manufacturing, clean food and information that were launched by the United Nations and major NGOs.

In 2002, the Chernobyl strategy has been informed to have a little change with a new focus on a long-term development approach by the United Nations. UNDP and regional offices in the three affected countries have spearheaded the implementation of the new strategy. There is still a lot of work to be done in the affected area. To support to public programs both in nation and in the world to reach the sustainable development of these territories, the UN established the International Chernobyl Research and Information Network (ICRIN) in 2009.

On December 8th, 2016, a resolution designating April 26th as the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that recognized three decades after the disaster, severe and persistent long-term consequences remained and that affected communities and territories continued to experience the needs of involve. The General Assembly invites all Member States, relevant organs of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, to observe this day.

Recent developments

Completing the placement of the new secure detention facility in place of the old shelter is an important milestone achieved in 2019, with €2.2 billion provided by more than 45 donor countries through the fund Managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The new secure detention facility was handed over to the Government of Ukraine on July 10, 2019. The scope of the project is one of the largest one in the field of nuclear safety and in terms of international cooperation as well.

As UN agencies have shifted their focus from humanitarian assistance to prevention, recovery, recovery and capacity building, an integrated approach to sustainable development has been adopted to address the needs of affected areas and communities. Agencies, funds and programs have corporate closely with the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine to provide development assistance to the communities affected by Chernobyl.

Raise awareness

International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day has a lot of interesting activities around the world to raise awareness about the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Adi Roche, founder of the non-profit Chernobyl Children International, called for efforts to bring "innovation and perseverance to discover new means, new initiatives aimed at alleviating the suffering of the people in the affected lands.”