Ukraine’s activities in the United Nations on the Chornobyl catastrophe

The UN plays a leading role in international efforts to minimize the long-term effects of the Chornobyl disaster.

Since 1990, the UN General Assembly has adopted the resolution on strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster (since 1993 - on a two-year basis, and since 2007 - on a three-year basis). The next consideration of the "Chornobyl" UN General Assembly resolution will take place in 2022.

On the occasion of the closure of the Chornobyl station, in December 2000, the 55th session of the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on the closure of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, which welcomed the decision of the Government of Ukraine to close the station. In the early 1990s, relevant resolutions and decisions on Chornobyl were approved by the Economic and Social Council and the United Nations Children's Fund.

During the period 1994-2004, the "Chornobyl" issue was under the competence of the Deputy UN Secretary-General, Emergency Humanitarian Aid Coordinators Akashi (Japan), Vieira di Mello (Brazil), Oshimi (Japan), Egeland (Norway).

Since April 27, 2004, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been coordinating its work in this area. The coordinator of the international Chornobyl cooperation is one of the highest officials in the UN hierarchy - UNDP Administrator Steiner (Germany), which attests to the importance of the issue on the UN agenda.

In 1991, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Chornobyl was established within the United Nations to deal with the coordination of UN operational activities in the Chornobyl area “in the field.” The group, currently chaired by United Nations Administrator J. Steiner, includes representatives of the United Nations Development Program, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Foundation on Population, the United Nations Environment Program, the International Labor Organization, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, and others x international structures, in particular the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The latest meeting of the group took place on April 24, 2020, via video-conference, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Traditionally, a series of activities to draw attention to the Chornobyl issues, covering the economic, social, and medical spheres, are held in April at the UN. Ove the last 20 years, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN, in cooperation with the non-governmental organization "World Information Transfer," conducts international thematic conferences on health and environment on Chornobyl issues.

At present, the United Nations' approach to Chornobyl is to focus on the gradual transition from humanitarian aid to supporting the socio-economic development of the affected territories.