'Sombre anniversary' of worst nuclear disaster in history.

The very name "Chernobyl"--a small Ukranian town, where a nuclear reactor exploded exactly ten years ago on the "fateful day" 26 April 1886--had become "synonymous with disaster", General Assembly President Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal declared on 26 April.

However, the "fact that we are meeting today at United Nations Headquarters to commemorate this sombre anniversary is a clear indication of the international nature of the legacy of this accident, as well As of the importance that the United Nations continues to accord to this problem", he stated, in addressing the Assembly on the International Day Commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident, declared by Assembly resolution 50/134 of 20 December 1995.

Devastating effects

The long-term implications were "still being examined", Mr. do Amaral went on, and the most devastating effects continued to be "acutely felt by hundreds of thousands of people" in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. "Radioactive contamination, tremendous psychological stress, growing health problems and the ever-present fear of the unknown consequences that may yet manifest themselves, are tearing at the fabric of life in the affected States", the Assembly President stated.

The world community should jointly achieve a "far-reaching breakthrough" in addressing those problems, and the role the UN "can best play is a catalytic one", he suggested. It could facilitate the international community's involvement in "mobilizing purposeful support" to whichever organization or institution could most effectively respond to the priority needs. "In the amalgam of the various emergencies occurring in the world almost on a daily basis, the problem of Chernobyl commands special attention in view of its unique and persistent character", he stressed.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on 8 April had appealed (A/50/924) to Member States to continue and intensify their assistance to Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, so that a "tangible difference can be made in the lives of those still suffering at the hands of the `invisible enemy'".

The tenth anniversary of Chernobyl was a "special opportunity to express a renewed commitment to help those who are asking for our assistance", and a chance to "reinforce our common effort to respond to this continuing humanitarian and technological disaster", he stressed.

The explosion, which had released 50 million curies of radioactive isotopes into the environment, was "much more than the worst technological disaster in the history of nuclear power generation", the Secretary-General declared. It was also a "grave and continuing humanitarian tragedy". It was "a long-term problem of unprecedented complexity, which can only be tackled successfully through the combined efforts of the entire international community", he stated.

The UN remained "profoundly concerned" by the continuing impact of this disaster on the lives and health of large numbers of people, particularly children, Mr. Boutros-Ghali said.

A two-day event

The Assembly's 26 April special commemorative meeting was part of a two-day programme of activities, organized at UN Headquarters on 25 and 26 April by the Permanent Missions of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, in cooperation with the UN's Departments of Humanitarian Affairs and Public Information.

Other events included: an open expanded meeting of the ministerial-level Quadripartite Committee for Coordination on Chernobyl, which reviewed progress in international efforts over the past decade to mitigate the consequences of the disaster and discussed plans for future action; a press conference by representatives of the three affected countries; commemorative photography and art exhibitions and an exhibit of children's drawings; a concert by the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra (Ukraine) and a solo recital by a young Belarussian pianist; the screening of some award-winning documentary films on the tragedy; and an International Charity Bazaar.

Vienna conference 

The consequences of the Chernobyl accident "cannot be regarded as the problem of a few countries", Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali told the International Conference on "One Decade After Chernobyl: Summing Up the Consequences of the Accident" (8-12 April, Vienna).

"Even today, its health, social, economic and environmental dimensions, both immediate and long-term, remain to be defined", he said in a message delivered on his behalf on 9 April by Director-General Hans Blix of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In welcoming the forum, Mr. Boutros-Ghali hoped that it could assist the affected States, as well as donor countries and organizations, to "focus their relevant activities and assistance on the most pressing tasks, for much more needs to be done to help those still suffering".

The five-day Conference, attended by more than 800 scientists and government officials, was jointly sponsored by the IAEA, the World Health Organization and the European Commission. It reviewed many scientific, medical, environmental, social and political issues involved in assessing Chernobyl's legacy in the context of major changes over the past decade in the countries of the former Soviet Union.