International Cooperation on Chernobyl
updated information on ongoing and planned activities of un organisations and major international organisations
February 1999
United Nations Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl
The last Information Note containing updated data on ongoing and future projects and activities related to Chernobyl, was published by the former United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs (Chernobyl Desk) in September 1996. It covered summaries of activities of UN agencies and major international organisations, from the beginning of 1995 up to mid-1996. Specific highlights were related to important Chernobyl conferences held in 1995 and 1996, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the accident.
An important event in the period passed since then was the assessment of future needs, undertaken by a joint inter-agency mission in April/May 1997, following a decision of the Ministerial Committee on Chernobyl taken in December 1996. This mission resulted in the definition and publication of a new "Inter-Agency Programme of International Assistance to Areas Affected by the Chernobyl Disaster", in Autumn 1997. This Programme includes more than 60 official project proposals in specific activity sectors such as health, socio-psychological rehabilitation, environment and agriculture, economic rehabilitation and new information strategy. The Programme was presented during a special meeting to the donor community in November 1997, in the course of the 52nd Session of the UN General Assembly, and subsequently to a pledging conference held in the UN building in Geneva in March 1998. The total programme cost were estimated at about 90 million US$. Unfortunately, only 1.8 million US$ were pledged or received after this conference; they were used for funding some of the projects defined in the Programme.
Taking into account this result and the still existing heavy consequences of the accident for the populations concerned, the new UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affaires, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, has - in his capacity as the United Nations Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl - agreed with the Governments of the three most affected countries (Belarus, Russia and Ukraine) to establish a list of humanitarian priority projects, defined already in the overall Programme, and to present them once more to the donor community in the course of 1999, in the form of a special appeal. Those priority projects have been added to this Information Note (see Annex).
The Chernobyl Desk at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva will continue to act as a focal point for all enquiries concerning on-going and planned activities and assist the UN Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl in discharging his responsibilities with respect to coordination of efforts for mitigating and minimizing the consequences of the disaster in the years to come.
II. ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM(This chapter informs on activities of agencies which have provided to the UN Chernobyl Desk the required information).
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
During the last two years (from July 1996 until now), WHO promoted the implementation of three projects of the International Programme on the Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident (IPHECA). These projects are:
- Accident Recovery Workers (Liquidators) Project
- International Thyroid Project (ITP)
- Dose Reconstruction Project.
Extra-budgetary funds were obtained from the Government of the Netherlands for ITP. These funds have been used for supplying reagents, small equipment and some medicaments for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer in children affected by the Chernobyl accident. In addition, funds were used for the examination of children residing in the radionuclide contaminated territories of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, for iodine deficiency and investigation of the role of iodine deficiency in thyroid cancer etiology.
The "Liquidator" Project and "Dose Reconstruction" Project have been carried out using resources provided by the three countries. Unfortunately, these two projects have not received any extra-budgetary funds and this fact makes it extremely difficult to perform these projects effectively. However, some progress has been achieved in the development of standardized approaches for the establishment of an international database for liquidators in order to evaluate radiation health risks, and for the implementation of effective treatment and rehabilitation methods for this group of affected population. Nevertheless, without donors’ support the three countries are not able to provide appropriate health care to liquidators.
In addition to the activities mentioned above, WHO initiated with EC, National Cancer Institute of USA, and Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation (Japan), and Ministries of Health of the three States, a project entitled "International cooperation for post-Chernobyl NIS Thyroid tissue, nucleic acid and data banks". This project is aimed at assisting the three countries in the verification of diagnosis of thyroid pathology in children, control of treatment and study of radiogenic thyroid carcinogenesis. This project is under development and at the stage of discussions of the financial and organizational needs between the above-mentioned donor organizations and Ministries of Health of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The second project which is also under development has the provisional title of "Medical relief for children affected by the Chernobyl accident through the development and implementation of health telematics". It is planned that this project will be carried out by WHO and the Ministry of Health of Belarus with financial support from the Sasakawa Health Trust Fund (US$ 1,000.000). At present, the official procedures are in progress in order to arrange all financial aspects of this project.
INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)
The IAEA continued to be involved in post-Chernobyl activities in the three affected countries.
Operating projects are:
- Rehabilitation of EKORES Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility (Belarus)
- Biolubricants from rapeseed grown on contaminated land (Belarus)
- Upgrading of calibration facilities for radiation therapy (Belarus)
- Establishing regulatory procedures and standard laboratory (Belarus)
- Harmonization of radiation measurement procedures (Belarus)
- Training for safe operation and management of NPPs, and human resources development (Ukraine)
- Upgrading WWER reactor pressure vessel inspection capacity (Ukraine)
- Assist a the thermal power plant in the construction of an electron beam scrubbing facility (Ukraine)
- Assist in upgrading radiation and nuclear safety regulatory capacity (Ukraine)
- Reduction of radionuclides in human food and environment (Ukraine)
- Environmental impact for the Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 (Ukraine)
- Strategy for radioactive waste management (Ukraine)
- Environmental impact assessment of mining and milling (Ukraine).
Other projects of a more general nature in which the three countries participate, cover issues like marine environmental assessment of the Black Sea region, improving nuclear power plant management, operational safety of NPP’s, and radiation protection in NPP’s, as well as nuclear accident preparedness.
Project proposals for which extrabudgetary funding is sought in 1999-2000 refer to reduction of external exposure doses in contaminated villages and rehabilitation of Chernobyl affected territories, reduction of radionuclides in human food and environment, and also training in radiation and waste safety.
FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)
The FAO provides technical support, through the Joint FAO/IAEA programme, to some Chernobyl related activities (please refer also to the IAEA chapter):
Reduction of Radionuclides in Human Food and Environment (IAEA TC Project UKR/9/007)
The objective of this project is to reduce the internal radiation dose to the population by introducing effective techniques for control and reduction of radionuclides in food and water. Specifically, the aim is to remove Sr-90 and Cs-137 from milk using a magnetic separation technique. While the FAO/IAEA joint programme was involved in providing technical support at the initial stages of this project, it was subsequently passed to a different Division within the IAEA, in which more relevant expertise could support the second phase of the project.
Biolubricants from Rapeseed Grown on Contaminated Land (IAEA TC Project BYE/5/004)
The objective of this project is to establish a pilot plant for the production of biolubricants from locally produced rapeseed grown on contaminated land, and introduce Quality Assurance procedures in the production of such value-added biolubricants. Over 1.4 million hectares of prime agricultural land in Belarus are contaminated by radionuclides (mostly Cs-137 and Sr-90) as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The authorities consider this land unsafe to produce foodstuffs, and consumers are wary of purchasing food grown in the Chernobyl region even though they may comply with international radiological safety standards. Belarus imports almost all its lubricant and fuel requirements for energy, electricity and transport, including that required in the forestry industry - 34% of the national land area is under forests. An alternative use for contaminated land is to grow crops for subsequent processing into industrial products, specifically lubricants and possibly biofuels. Early studies have shown that the oil produced by a number of varieties of rapeseed and linseed is almost devoid of Cs-137 and Sr-90. Within the context of this project it is anticipated that small volumes of chain-saw oil, refined to international standards from rapeseed oil, will be produced for testing within the national forestry industry.
FAO/IAEA Co-ordinated Research Programme on Radionuclide Transfer from Air, Soil and Freshwater to the Foodchain of Man in Tropical and Subtropical Environments
This research programme, conducted in conjunction with the International Union of Radioecology (UIR) and involving scientists from 14 countries, concluded that higher or lower uptake of radionuclides by plants is not crop specific. If an agro-ecosystem shows a relatively high or low uptake for one crop, then all crops will show this behaviour. Consequently, the uptake of a radionuclide by a range of crops can be predicted by studying the uptake of the same radionuclide by one or two indicator crops or crop groups, e.g. cereals and broad-leaved crops.
FAO/IAEA Co-ordinated Research Programme on the Classification of Soil Systems on the Basis of Transfer Factors of Radionuclides from Soil to Reference Plants
This new research programme, to be conducted in conjunction with the UIR, aims to identify agro-ecosystems for which the soil-to-plant transfer of radionuclides deviates from the normal pattern, and will relate uptake behaviour to climate or soil properties. The experimental protocols developed and validated in the previous CRP and other UIR projects will be used with appropriate modifications. Outputs from this CRP will include information on transfer factors for Cs-137 and Sr-90 and other selected radionuclides from a range of soils to selected reference plants, correlation between transfer factors and soil properties, including an estimate of radionuclide availability, and algorithms to predict transfer factors for a range of soil conditions and crops. This information can then be used to refine assessment models and for emergency planning.
UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
Since the last Information Note, UNESCO has undertaken - on the basis of contributions from the Netherlands Government - the creation of a new social-psychological centre in Gagarin (Russia) which brings the total of such centres created by it in this country, to four. Six other centres had been created in Belarus (3) and Ukraine (3) in the foregoing years. The Organisation continues to be most concerned with the future development of the centres and stands ready to give all possible support to them with a view of their consolidation and capacity building of their staff, until they become capable to function in a sustainable and autonomous manner. UNESCO is also addressing particular attention to designing and developing of an initiative in the field of disaster preparedness, prevention and reduction, namely regarding the post-disaster socio-psychological rehabilitation. Recently, UNESCO organised a Seminar in Minsk for refresher training of the staff of the centres.
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’s FUND (UNICEF)
In discussions with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Chernobyl, UNICEF has suggested to review the strategic approach to fund raising efforts; it should be based on the work of agencies on the ground, ranging from micro-credit, to better soil handling, from improving the quality of medical care, to prevention of micronutrient deficiency including prevention of the absorption of iodine radionuclide. On the ground, UNICEF continues its programme of providing people living in Chernobyl affected areas with iodized salt. It works in this respect with NGO’s active on the ground in Belarus, and a new project for Russia and Ukraine, based on experience gained in Belarus, is under preparation. UNICEF proposes to move from an emergency mode to a development mode and therefore to assure that local UN agencies become more responsible to include Chernobyl in their situation analysis and programme responses.
UNITED NATIONS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON THE EFFECTS OF ATOMIC RADIATION (UNSCEAR)
The UNSCEAR Secretariat submitted the following statement:
In the UNSCEAR 1988 Report, average individual doses in 34 countries of the northern hemisphere and the worldwide collective dose from the Chernobyl accident were evaluated. The evaluations were based on measurements in the first year after the accident and on projections based on environmental modelling for subsequent years. Radiation doses in all countries outside the former Soviet Union were less than received annually from natural background radiation.
UNSCEAR is at present evaluating in more detail the local doses and effects of the accident. The radiation doses were higher to the individuals in the directly affected regions, and a significant increase in thyroid cancer in children has been observed. Available data are being reviewed in relation to and as a contribution to broader knowledge of radiation effects in human. The assessment will be published in the UNSCEAR 2000 Report.
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)
UNDP Office Moscow informed us about the following activities:
The Chernobyl disaster has contaminated a lot of areas not only in Ukraine and Belarus, but also in Russia. Today, more than 12 years after the accident, surface and ground water systems in some parts of the Bryansk Region, Central Russia, have to be thoroughly examined for radionuclide content. Recently, a group of researchers from two Russian institutions - NPO Taifoon (RosHydromet) and VSEGINGEO (Ministry of Natural Resources) conducted in the region two-month field studies of almost 100 local rivers, reservoirs, boreholes, dug-wells and springs. They also took 200 water and soil samples to determine the content of caesium-137 and strontium-90. The work, carried out with the support of local organisations, will continue next year. The $ 275,000 project, initiated by RosHydromet (Russian Hydrometeorological Service) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and financially supported by UNDP, will evaluate the radio-ecological status of the natural water systems to forecast possible future changes in order to ensure a safe water supply. The contribution provided by UNDP helped to buy all the necessary equipment and was decisive in conducting this year’s field surveying and monitoring.
The UN-UNDP Offices in the three countries are, furthermore, actively cooperating with OCHA in respect to monitoring of on-going projects funded by the UN Chernobyl Trust Fund and in organising missions and meetings with representatives of donor states.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO)
ILO informed us that it will provide technical assistance to the Slavutich region in new job creation for workers laid-off in connection with the gradual closure of the plant. The Swiss Government has agreed to finance a special sub-project on vocational training of unemployed persons in Slavutich for US$ 160,000.
Furthermore, the ILO will launch a new project on regional economic and labour market restructuring. Within the project, the ILO would work together with the key local economic actors - local government, labour office, enterprises, employers’ organisations, trade unions, educational institutions, civic organisations and other - on the elaboration of a longer-term restructuring and development strategy, taking into account all the strengths, weaknesses and development potentials of the Slavutich region. Also representatives of the central government would be involved in the project. This phase of the project would be concluded by a tripartite regional seminar to discuss this strategy and its implementation, coordination of activities, the time frame etc.
UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE (ECE)
No new information has been forthcoming from ECE on Chernobyl-related issues. However, its Timber Section has been actively involved in the preparation of environmental projects defined in the Inter-agency programme on Chernobyl, in particular of the regional project for the integrated management and sustainable use of radiation-contaminated forest in the three affected countries.
UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION (UNIDO)
UNIDO participated in the Inter-agency assessment mission in April 1997 during which new projects in the field of economic rehabilitation of the affected countries were defined. Furthermore, UNIDO developed a "Strategic Concept for the Production of Non-Contaminated Baby Food as Part of a Preventive Health Programme in Belarus". UNIDO submitted this proposal to UNFIP/United Nations Foundation Inc. for consideration, last August. It was also discussed with representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and of the Ministry of Emergencies, International Cooperation Department, during a Joint Mission of UNIDO and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to Belarus, last August. A reply from the UNFIP/UN Foundation is still outstanding.
UNIDO is still ready to assist in mitigating the consequences of the disaster in respect of the modernization of existing enterprises and, in particular, building up the capacity to refine oil from rapeseed grown in the Chernobyl region and decontaminated from radionuclides, in cooperation with a relevant IAEA project. An urgent need exists to provide assistance in the modernization of the existing plant in Mozyr so that it could refine the produced rapeseed oil and provide the country’s food industry with important activities. UNIDO estimates the cost of a project along these lines at US$ 1 million. UNFIP (the "Turner Fund") could be one of the options for funding this project. The Government of the Republic of Belarus will provide an in-kind contribution and the support necessary for the project’s successful implementation and follow-up operation.
The project will be implemented in close cooperation with IAEA and the Ministry of Emergencies of the Republic of Belarus. It will be fully complementary to other IAEA projects already implemented in that area. The implementation of the project will create employment, reduce dependence on imported materials and products and have high economic and social impacts on the communities dependent on the contaminated farmland. The results could be replicated in other contaminated regions, for example, in Russia or Ukraine as well.
The experience gained by UNIDO in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and other countries in transition show that the most efficient assistance for the affected regions could be focused in the following areas:
- Regional governance
- Industrial structural adjustment
- International partnership.
In addition, UNIDO could provide services in bioremediation of contaminated sites, if there were an interest and funds could be mobilized.
WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION (WMO)
WMO informs that at this time the Organisation has no contribution to make on the subject of mitigating the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. However, the agreement between the former UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and WMO for the provision of meteorological and hydrological information in support of UN humanitarian missions related to national disasters and other crisis, is still valid. Cooperation with OCHA in the provision of such data is still continuing. Other relevant activities focus on emergency responses related to nuclear accidents in the framework of the IAEA Early Notification Convention.
OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS
In addition to its coordination tasks, the organisation of donor meetings and missions, OCHA, through its Chernobyl Desk, arranged the execution of projects in specific Chernobyl-related fields. From contributions received in the UN Chernobyl Fund (which is administered by OCHA) the following projects have been financed, since 1997, under arrangements concluded with executive agencies, or are under preparation:
ACTIVITIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
The European Commission of the E.U. is continuing a large programme in support of the former USSR countries, in the fields of nuclear emergency preparedness, nuclear safety and radiation protection. Following the Chernobyl accident, the E.C. provided in particular various analytical equipment to regions affected by the accident in order to enhance the situation regarding measurements and analytical capabilities. Measures were undertaken to strengthen the capacities of the Emergency Management Organisations. (See also previous DHA-Information Note-September 1996). Such measures were based on a Needs-Assessment Study carried out by the E.C. in 1995/96, which was up-dated thereafter, in 1998. The study covered the status of Off-Site Emergency Preparedness (OSEP) in countries to nuclear accidents of Central and Eastern Europe and of the former Soviet Union. The study highlighted specific areas where assistance was needed to bring the OSEP capabilities to a viable level. The Commission responded to these pressing needs through assistance from its PHARE, TACIS and ECHO programmes. In spite of improvements achieved, further assistance is required to bring OSEP to an acceptable level. A strategic programme is therefore being developed, to achieve this within the next 4-5 years. It covers goals like radiation monitoring and early warning systems, international data exchange, emergency supplies for the populations and rescue teams, training and exercises etc.
Concerning Chernobyl-specific projects the following should be noted. A feasibility study had been financed by the Commission (TACIS) in 1995/1996 for defining measures to improve and support the work of public information in the Chernobyl affected regions. The contractor’s report was presented in September 1996 and became the basis for a follow-up project which will be funded with an amount of 700,000 ECU. A contractor has been chosen for this new project; he will be responsible for setting-up a network of information centres which will become the main actors for distribution of information on Chernobyl-related matters such as relief actions and future plans. The social-psychological centres established under the UNESCO programme will play a central role, for this purpose. (This project is linked with the project proposal defined in the Inter-agency programme on Chernobyl - Info/REG03/97.)
Another project plan refers to sustainable development of regions affected by the Chernobyl disaster. The project aims to provide guidelines for the sustainable economic development of the affected territories and for long-term public health measures to protect the population of the affected regions in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The budget estimate is 1,5 million ECU.
The E.U. has, furthermore, approved in July 1998 general humanitarian aid projects worth a total of 1.565 million ECU, for the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The aid is managed by ECHO and shall enable European non-governmental Organisations to carry out programmes over the next 12 months. More specifically, in relation to the Chernobyl aftermath, ECHO is funding thyroid cancer prevention and treatment, with an amount of 465,000 ECU. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Enfants de Tschernobyl (France) are ECHO’s partners for this project.
In the field of environment, the Direction Générale XI of the E.C. undertook - in cooperation with a number of European and NIS partner institutions - a study for the restoration of territories contaminated during and after the Chernobyl accident. The report (May 1997) is available, on request.
EUROPEAN BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (EBRD)
The Bank’s main concern is the refurbishment of the Chernobyl-Shelter, on the reactor site. The creation of a Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) has been confirmed during the first meeting of the Assembly of contributors, on 12 December 1997. The Rules of the Fund had been approved by the Board of EBRD on 7 November 1997. A pledging conference was held in New York on 20 November 1997. The Fund became operational after the first eight donors had signed Contribution Agreements and met in London with subsequent donors. At this point the Bank’s Operations Team received the mandate to lead the Chernobyl Implementation Programme (SIP) under the governance of the Assembly. Engineering contracts for four early biddable projects were placed with international industrial consortia, with 6 Ukrainian institutes as main subcontractors. The SIP is providing local employment and significantly helps to mitigate the social consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident and its subsequent closure. When the project will enter into its second phase and major construction work is underway, one of the unwritten objectives of the SIP - to create a strong self-sufficient Ukrainian Organisation to manage the restored shelter - will be realized. A joint Ukraine/EBRD Committee deals with the key project issues.
The EBRD reported also that the shelter required a number of immediate emergency repairs (e.g. repair of the huge ventilation stake; stabilisation of the beams that support the roof, to safeguard it from collapse). Another group of tasks is to define and undertake preparatory site construction work, to procure machinery and to establish health and safety conditions required for the thousands of workers, in the second phase of the project.
According to information received, the total amount requested for the SIP is US$ 750 million, of which US$ 400 million are available. This sum does not include the Ukrainian national contributions.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES (IFRC)
The IFRC continued its important programme on Chernobyl-related humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation (CHARP) in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
The new phase of CHARP became fully operational during the first quarter of 1998. Over 58,000 persons were medically screened during the first nine months of the year with indications that confirmed cases of thyroid cancer in adults and children are significantly higher than last years’s totals. The programme has been particularly successful in providing training of endocrinologists in Belarus and abroad, implementing the psycho-social support component with training in Belarus and the Ukraine, as well as with the distribution of medicine. With the excellent response to the Appeal (over 150% coverage), priorities now include expanding the programme and its components, and addressing long-term funding issues. The excellent response has provided a significant carry-over into the 1999 CHARP, but there remains a considerable need on the part of donors for a long-term funding commitment to the programme.
The Federation is one of the very few humanitarian Organisations who can claim a long-standing commitment to assisting people affected by the disaster. Since its inception in 1990, the programme has evolved significantly, providing screening of food supplies and the surrounding environment through radiometric testing, distributing measuring equipment (dosimeters), procuring and transporting six mobile diagnostic laboratories (MDL’s) based in six affected regions, monitoring background radiation, providing medical examination to adults and children in remote areas, and distributing basic health information to the population.
In 1996, an International Chernobyl workshop was held in the contaminated town of Gomel, Belarus, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. A new Plan of Action was drafted, aiming to increase thyroid gland screening from 60.000 to 90.000 people per annum and to develop a psycho-social support programme. Six new Mobile Diagnostic Laboratories (MDL’s) which were installed in 1997, have facilitated the planned increase in examinations. Three MDL’s operate in Belarus, two in Ukraine, and one in the Russian Federation. By increasing early diagnosis, the new machines will effectively deal with the most alarming after-effects of the accident - thyroid gland cancer in young people.
Since early 1997, the Psycho-Social Support (PSS) Programme has been part of the CHARP in Belarus, aiming to assist the population in contaminated territories to overcome radiation-related stress. PSS tools and simple, reliable and easily understandable information should help the community to cope with the disastrous impact of a stressful situation. The Programme has been implemented through the Visiting Nurses Service and the Belarus Red Cross. In the future, the PSS is planned to be expanded to the Chernobyl-affected regions in the Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
In addition to its core medical screening and psycho-social support activities, the CHARP distributes milk powder and vitamins among children in contaminated areas, as well as some medicine, including L-thyroxine for people with thyroid gland conditions.
Thyroid cancer sickness is of a major concern for the affected countries. Scientists indicated that the illness would peak in the year 2005 - 2010. Thus, the Federation remains concerned with regard to funding, particularly of MDLs. For this reason, OCHA intends to fund the supply of a new MDL and part of the connected operational cost. The OCHA Chernobyl Desk was also involved in preparing a contribution by the Netherlands government of US$ 270,000 which was transferred to the IFRC in view of implementing a large project in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine concerning the purchase of milk powder and multi-vitamins for children and teenagers in Chernobyl affected areas. Similarly, the OCHA Chernobyl Desk supported an IFRC request represented to the European Commission (ECHO), for the funding of equipment to be installed in the Institute of Radiation Medicine at Aksakovshina (Minsk District, Belarus); funds requested: ca US$ 300,000. This request is still under evaluation by ECHO.
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)
The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) reported that - apart from the interventions listed in the previous Information Note - no new activities are ongoing or planned which would address problems surrounding the accident. Nevertheless, NEA has set up a Group concerning Social Aspects which will be drawing on the Chernobyl experience. Also, Belarussian, Russian and Ukrainian experts have participated in INEX exercises on emergency preparedness for nuclear accidents, organised under NEA auspices. Furthermore, experts from Ukraine have been invited to participate in NEA activities and information exchange relevant to improvements in the field of nuclear safety, regulatory capability, waste management and decision making. Those actions still continue.
THE WORLD BANK GROUP
The World Bank is not involved in Chernobyl-related humanitarian projects, but instrumental in respect of technological and economic rehabilitation programmes and projects in the field of energy development in the affected countries. However, OCHA has not received any new information in this respect, beyond that listed in the last Information Note.
Even twelve years after the Chernobyl disaster, the situation in the three affected countries - Belarus, Russia, Ukraine - is still alarming and calling for continued assistance by the international community. In the field of humanitarian aid, concerns about cancer attributable to the accident still exist; the increase in the number of thyroid cancers, in particular, appearing in those who were children at the time of the accident, is of great concern to the national authorities, and needs continuous detection and monitoring efforts. This increase may persist, according to the advice of experts, for several decades. Important questions remain open with regard to human health effects of radiation; thus, research into the biological effects of radiation must continue, including the health consequences in affected parents and their posterity. The group of liquidators, in all three countries, require a particular sensitive attention. The socio-psychological impact of the accident for the population has been underlined in all international Chernobyl conferences; it may persist for a long period. Health problems, the degrading of the economic situations, general social problems of the families relocated or still living in contaminated regions, may prolong the symptoms. Environmental problems, such as the re-use of contaminated forests, control of contaminated food, water contamination and decontamination of territories, require high attention. The economic rehabilitation of the areas affected by the accident is a further important goal. Also, the negative public perception of the information supplied on the present and future impact of the accident calls for a new information strategy.
These problematic sectors were taken into consideration when the projects summarised in the new "Inter-Agency programme of the International Assistance to Areas Affected by the Chernobyl Disaster" were drafted. Some of them are extracted and resumed in the special list of priority projects which the Governments of the three affected countries have proposed to consider for immediate funding (Annex).
The United Nations General Assembly has, during its 52nd Session in 1998, confirmed the need to continue efforts for mitigating the consequences of the disaster which it considers as a major technological catastrophe in terms of its scope and the humanitarian, environmental, social, economic and health consequences arising from it. The United Nations Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl, assisted by the Geneva located Chernobyl Desk, will continue to arrange cooperation between all partners involved, on multilateral and bilateral levels, and to promote funding and implementation of specific projects, for the benefit of the countries affected and their populations.