The role of the UN in overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster

In Kiev, the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Director General of the UN Office in Vienna, Mrs. Margaret Joan Anstee, was on a short working visit.

At a meeting with journalists in the press center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Mrs. Anstee, summing up her visit, said

‘At the end of last year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on international cooperation to eliminate the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. In March of this year, the UN Secretary General commissioned me to become the coordinator of this program. My current mission has a very specific goal: together with the governments of Ukraine, Belarus, the Russian Federation and the Union as a whole, develop a master plan that we could present to the international community at a forum to be held in early July in Geneva.

In this difficult time for the world, there are other tragedies, but the tragedy of Chernobyl, the fifth anniversary of which was marked by the humanity, continues. I hope that my visit will contribute to the rapid mobilization of assistance to the victims of Chernobyl in the form of specific projects in the field of agriculture, health, education, and social protection and industry.

My colleagues and I visited Chernobyl and Pripyat. I saw Chernobyl near. I saw it with my own eyes - courageous and brave people work here. They are true professionals, and one can only envy their stamina. It becomes clear why, without exception, all UN member states agreed to allocate $20 billion to the USSR to overcome the consequences of the largest catastrophe of the twentieth century. It is imperative to coordinate the efforts of the world community as soon as possible for the implementation of the assistance program.

In the photo: Mrs. Margaret J. Anstee during a visit to the Kiev Children’s Specialized Hospital No. 14

I had a meeting in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, talked with representatives of the government of the republic, took part in the International Seminar “Euro Chernobyl-2”, visited the children’s specialized hospital No. 14, where I saw children whose diseases are caused by the Chernobyl disaster, I got acquainted with the statistics of diseases, I learned what help the children’s clinics need.

A great impression on my colleagues and me was made by an exhibition of paintings by Peter Yemets. For three years he painted his works in a 30-kilometer zone. They became a real document of the era. I told the author that I was delighted with his talent.

I would like to raise another question. People are already accustomed to seeing the UN as a political organization. Undoubtedly, this is so, since its main task is the maintenance of peace. However, this understanding is too narrow.

If we turn to the UN Charter, then its goals, such as the improvement of the socio-economic status of mankind, the struggle against all types of discrimination are also stated in it. And although people do not always have a clear idea of themselves, more than 80 percent of the community budget is spent on social and economic programs. I head the third UN headquarters in Vienna, from where, in particular, our programs concerning social policy and development are coordinated. This includes the fight against drug trafficking, crime prevention, improvement of the status of women, children, youth, the disabled, the elderly and other programs.

In our work, we strive not only to foster international cooperation at the highest level - to conclude treaties or conventions, to develop basic directions for action in a particular area, but also to implement specific projects at the local level.

All this fully applies to the Chernobyl problem. Although our resources for specific programs are limited, our assistance is not only in money, but also in technical assistance. In addition, we can play a catalytic role in establishing bilateral and multilateral contacts between certain organizations in different countries.

Chernobyl has given us many lessons. We keep finding out more and more of its new consequences. We are not sure that we will discover in five, ten or twenty years. The task of scientists, and first of all physicians, is to thoroughly investigate and summarize the sad experience of Chernobyl, so that this treasury of experience and knowledge can become the property of all mankind.

One cannot consider the Chernobyl catastrophe as a local one. This is a global event affecting all of humanity, so the entire international community should focus its efforts on overcoming the terrible consequences of Chernobyl.’