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UN Honors Victims of Chernobyl Nuclear Tragedy

The United Nations marked the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl today by honouring the victims of the worst nuclear accident in history and stressing the need to do more to help communities in the affected areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.

More than 300,000 people were displaced and roughly six million were affected by the accident that took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 26 April 1986, which contaminated a swathe of territory half the size of Italy.

"The Chernobyl anniversary is an occasion both to remember the human cost of the disaster and to take stock of the many problems that still linger," Ambassador Maria Rubiales de Chamorro of Nicaragua, Acting President of General Assembly

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that the anniversary is a time to remember the heroism of the firefighters and other emergency workers, as well as the plight of millions of people who were uprooted from the contaminated regions and those still living in the affected areas.

He added that the anniversary, as well as the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant last month, calls for reflection and robust global debate on how to achieve the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and maximum safety.

Mr. Ban has outlined a five-step plan to enhance nuclear safety, beginning with "a top to bottom review" of current nuclear safety standards, both at the national and international levels. The plan also strengthening the work of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), putting a sharper focus on the nexus between natural disasters and nuclear safety, undertaking a cost-benefit analysis of nuclear energy, and building a stronger connection between nuclear safety and nuclear security.

Source: United Nations