The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine and a group of states aimed at enhancing international cooperation and coordination of actions to study, mitigate, and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Voting and Positions of Countries
The document was supported by representatives of 97 states, while eight countries voted against it, and 39 abstained. Among those who voted against were Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Nicaragua, Niger, and the USA.
All proposals to amend the text of the resolution from Belarus were rejected. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that Russia attempted to promote an alternative document submitted by Belarus, which contained no mention of Russia’s attacks on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant facilities.
Key Provisions of the Resolution
The UN General Assembly document acknowledges the long-term serious consequences of the disaster and emphasizes the need to support affected communities and territories. The UN and the UN Development Programme are assigned a special role in the recovery processes, facilitating both short-term and long-term rehabilitation.
The resolution highlights “serious concern” regarding the damage to the new safe confinement over the destroyed reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant due to a Russian drone attack on February 14, 2025. This incident, according to the authors of the document, jeopardized decades of international efforts to ensure the safety of the site and underscores the need for further assistance from the international community for the restoration of Chernobyl.
“Belarus has lost any moral authority and right to initiate decisions on the Chernobyl issue within the UN, considering its role in facilitating Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as the consequences for Chernobyl and the exclusion zone.”
The UN General Assembly calls on all states and international partners to engage in cooperation to address Chernobyl issues. Furthermore, the document includes a recommendation to change the English spelling of Chernobyl — from now on, the transliteration “Chornobyl” will be used instead of “Chernobyl.”
The resolution also provides for a special session of the UN General Assembly on April 24, 2026, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.