Americas

Americas

UN chief urges international community to "look ahead" on Chernobyl anniversary

26 April 2012 18:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said here on Thursday that on the 26th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the international community should not only remember the past, but also examine ways to help those affected by the disaster and enhance nuclear safety for the future, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"As we pay our respects to the past, we also need to take stock and look ahead," Ban said a statement released here by his spokesperson.

On April 26, 1986, the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl in Ukraine experienced a series of explosions, causing a spread of radiation across Ukraine and neighboring countries.

"On this occasion, we remember the hundreds of emergency workers who risked their lives in responding to the accident; the more than 330,000 people who were evacuated from surrounding areas with little hope of return; the thousands of children who later contracted thyroid cancer; and the six million people still living in the affected areas of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine," the statement said.

Ban emphasized in the statement the UN’s commitment to the UN Action Plan on Chernobyl and the Decade on Recovery and Sustainable Development for Chernobyl-affected areas proclaimed by the UN General Assembly for the 2006-2016 period.

"The Action Plan emphasizes social and economic development and the promotion of healthy lifestyles and community self-reliance," said the statement. "In the remaining years of the decade, the focus will be on helping the targeted communities adapt to the conditions in which they are living."

Ban visited the Chernobyl site in 2011, according to the statement, where he witnessed the resilience of those affected by the disaster.

In the statement, he called on the international community to support areas impacted by Chernobyl as they "continue their longstanding efforts towards recovery and normalcy."

The statement also cited efforts of the international community to prioritize and strengthen nuclear safety, particularly in the aftermath of the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011.

"At the Kiev Summit on Safe and Innovative Use of Nuclear Energy, the international community highlighted the importance of strengthening the global nuclear safety regime," said the statement. "The urgency of that work was underscored by the nuclear accident in Fukushima nuclear power plant last year. The Seoul Nuclear Security Summit also recognized the need to increase synergy between nuclear safety and nuclear security."