United Nations Headquarters, Wednesday, 6 February 2002, 4:00 p.m.

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining us.

In my capacity as United Nations Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl, I welcome you to this briefing in which we launch a new report entitled "The Human Consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident: A Strategy for Recovery".

With me today are my UN agency colleagues: Mr. Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Ms. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund, Mr. Kalman Mizsei, Deputy UN Coordinator for Chernobyl and Assistant Administrator of UNDP, and Mr. Douglas Gardner, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, who flew in from Kiev especially for this launch to represent all three UN Country Teams.

We are pleased to present to you this new report, which was prepared fifteen years after the disaster at Chernobyl. It contains the findings of a study completed in July-August of 2001 at the initiative of UNDP and UNICEF country offices in the three affected countries - Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine - with support from my office and WHO. Broad consultations among UN system organizations were carried out in the drafting process of this report. The study and the report have received the support of the members of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Chernobyl, including IAEA, FAO, the World Bank and others. The study was undertaken by a group of acknowledged international specialists and national experts in ecology, health and economics.

Why a fresh needs assessment of Chernobyl fifteen years after the accident? A number of reasons: 1) the world needs to know as much as possible about the effects - not only immediate, but also long-term - of such accidents. It needs to be better prepared should there be a next time; 2) Chernobyl is an issue which can foster wide-ranging cooperation within the international community, among individuals, communities and governments; and, most importantly 3) the international community must not turn its back on the people and governments of the three most affected countries; after a decade and a half of involvement, and assistance, the international community must not leave the job half done, when there are still outstanding needs. The objective of the assessment was precisely to obtain credible information on the current conditions in which people affected by the Chernobyl accident are living fifteen years after the explosion, and to make recommendations on how best to address their needs now and into the future.

Ever since Chernobyl was first brought to the United Nations in 1990, four years after the accident, the international community has been providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the people who are suffering its consequences. Over the course of fifteen years, the nature of the problem has evolved. Recognizing this, a change of direction was considered necessary and a new process was initiated, whereby the role played by UNDP, UNICEF and other developmental agencies, would be more prominent. The three Governments in the region supported this change of direction and new emphasis on development, not forgetting the basic humanitarian nature of the problem as far as the affected people are concerned.

Two concrete actions were undertaken in this regard last year: first, the Secretary-General appointed a Deputy UN Coordinator for Chernobyl in the person of UNDP's Regional Director for Europe and the CIS, Mr. Kalman Mizsei, to complement my work, in light of this new direction; and, second, the current study was commissioned to revisit the issue of Chernobyl from the new, developmental angle, to obtain a clear picture of the current situation and to make concrete recommendations.

The most important finding of the report is that the consequences of the radioactive contamination as a result of Chernobyl - such as thyroid cancers in those who were children at the time of the accident, internal irradiation due to the consumption of contaminated foods, psychological effects of the accident and other health problems - are still very much felt in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The report points out, however, that not all health problems can be attributed directly and exclusively to the effect of radiation. Significantly, it finds that health problems linked to Chernobyl reflect complex interactions between health, ecology, economics and community development.

Accordingly, the report makes recommendations, aimed at recovery and sustainable development. It proposes, among others, that special, targeted attention be accorded to the health needs of the victims of thyroid cancer and other direct victims of the accident; a long-term, well-funded and recognized programme of research on the environmental and health consequences of Chernobyl. Such a programme could be undertaken under the umbrella of a proposed International Chernobyl Foundation, which could serve as catalyst for Chernobyl research and assistance world-wide; promotion of investment and micro-financing schemes in local communities, and other measures. The objective of this strategy is to make sure that resources are directed to those most in need while encouraging and enabling the majority of the populations to progress to a state of self-sufficiency. The goal is to give people control over their own lives, and give communities control over their own futures, in a context of sustainable economic and social development within the coming decade.

The report contains around twenty project concepts, each addressing a particular development need. They range from promoting innovative radio-protective techniques in private agriculture and strengthening primary-level health care to promotion of inward investment and creation of credit unions in the affected regions. These project concepts are intended to stimulate targeted cooperation between relevant international organizations, donors and the voluntary sector. More elaborate versions of these projects are also available in their draft form. We will be fine-tuning them within the next two-three months and will be presenting them to the donor community for their support.

In early Spring, I intend to make my own visit - my second - to the region, to obtain first-hand information on the current conditions there, and to finalize the preparation of concrete proposals for donor support. Shortly after my visit to the three countries, we are thinking of organizing a meeting which will bring together members of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force, regional and intergovernmental organizations, the Governments of the most affected States, donors and the voluntary sector. Together, we hope to energize support for this programme and to infuse fresh impetus to the international cooperation on Chernobyl through the effective implementation of the proposals presented in the strategy for recovery.

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