DOCSLIB.ORG

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr Charles Flanagan T.D Op Ed For

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr Charles Flanagan T.D Op Ed For Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr Charles Flanagan T.D Op Ed for the first United Nations designated International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day Published in The Sunday Independent, 23 April 2017 Rarely does a single word become so powerful that it can tell the story of a million lives, but Chernobyl is one such word. Next Wednesday, April 26, marks the first UN International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. It is important that this disaster and its victims be remembered. Indeed, those affected by the 1986 explosion continue to need support in their journey towards recovery and sustainable development. The number of individual lives affected by the disaster is staggering. More than 300,000 people were displaced and thousands suffered severe health effects. Were it not for the work of some 600,000 people to prevent further fallout and clean up contaminated areas, the effects would have been far worse. We are heavily indebted to them. More than 30 years later, a large exclusion zone still exists around the former nuclear power plant, a wilderness that is a stark reminder of the long-term damage caused by the disaster. Ireland has contributed over €8 million to the international Chernobyl Shelter Fund to help secure the site. A crucial objective has been the installation of a structure, roughly twice the size of Croke Park, to isolate what remains of the reactor and the unstable sarcophagus surrounding it. A symbol of the lasting consequences of the explosion, this structure is expected to become operational later this year. The ultimate challenge, however, will be the safe disposal of the radioactive material within. As an Irish person, it is almost impossible to think of Chernobyl without taking enormous pride in the work done by Adi Roche and Chernobyl Children International (CCI). It is largely thanks to her passion and commitment that the United Nations has made the anniversary of the explosion an international day of remembrance. Over the years, CCI has delivered over €100 million worth of aid to Chernobyl-affected regions. More than 25,000 children from affected areas have come to Ireland for rest and recuperation. I commend the compassion and care of those who open their homes and their hearts to these children. In Belarus the Homes of Hope Programme provides alternatives to orphanages and CCI has pioneered an Independent Living Programme for older teenagers living in institutional care. The Chernobyl disaster and its continued aftermath also clearly bring into focus nuclear risk and the danger to humanity posed by nuclear weapons. It is now recognised that the humanitarian impact of a nuclear weapon explosion is far higher, the consequences far greater and more terrible than had previously been thought. There is, in fact, no response capacity which can deal with the humanitarian catastrophe that today’s nuclear weapons can cause. I am proud that Ireland, in keeping with our strong record and commitment to nuclear disarmament, has played a leading role in the renewed international movement to negotiate a Treaty which will prohibit all nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination. The negotiations began in March in New York with over 130 States participating, together with civil society and international partners, in a remarkable expression of joint purpose. In the interests of humanity, we must finally eliminate this most terrible weapon of mass destruction. While strongly supporting and engaging with the new Treaty negotiations, Ireland also continues its close association and strong support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons whose Review process begins next week in Vienna. Implementation of the Treaty’s Disarmament provision remains a key priority for Ireland, while the spread of nuclear weapons to new actors poses an additional and immense risk to us all. In February, I visited Hiroshima during an official visit to Japan. The horrific story told at the Peace Memorial Museum will remain with me forever. Among the displays, a photo showed a dark mark on the step of a building – the person sitting there waiting for the bank to open had simply been evaporated by the bomb. After visiting the Museum, I sat down with one of the survivors of the atomic bombing and heard her describe the bombing and its aftermath. This was a profound and moving experience. In Hiroshima the past asks a question of the present and it makes a clarion cry: “Never Again.” Next month marks another anniversary; the centenary of the birth of John F. Kennedy. In the midst of the Cold War, he reminded us that “our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” We must remember this in our ongoing commitment to those most affected by Chernobyl and in ensuring their suffering is never repeated. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • General Assembly Distr.: General 27 September 2019
    United Nations A/74/461 General Assembly Distr.: General 27 September 2019 Original: English . Seventy-fourth session Agenda item 71 (d) Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance: strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster Persistent legacy of the Chernobyl disaster Report of the Secretary-General Summary The present report is submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 71/125 on the persistent legacy of the Chernobyl disaster and provides an update on the progress made in the implementation of all aspects of the resolution. The report provides an overview of the recovery and development activities undertaken by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system and other international actors to address the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The United Nations system remains committed to promoting the principle of leaving no one behind and ensuring that the governmental efforts to support the affected regions are aimed at achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. 19-16688 (E) 041019 151019 *1916688* A/74/461 I. General situation 1. Since the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident on 26 April 1986, the United Nations, along with the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, has been leading the recovery and development efforts to support the affected regions. While extensive humanitarian work was conducted immediately after the accident, additional recovery and rehabilitation activities were conducted in the following years to secure the area, limit the exposure of the population, provide medical follow-up to those affected and study the health consequences of the incident.
    [Show full text]
  • Proposal by Tobias
    International Conference, 23-25 April 2006, House of the Teacher, Volodymyrska 57, Kyiv / Ukraine „Chornobyl is a word we would all like to erase from our memory. It [opened] a Pandora's box of invisible enemies and nameless anxieties in people's minds, but which most of us probably now think of as safely relegated to the past. Yet there are two compelling reasons why this tragedy must not be forgotten. First, if we forget Chornobyl, we increase the risk of more such technological and environmental disasters in the future. Second, more than seven million of our fellow human beings do not have the luxury of forgetting. They are still suffering, every day, as a result of what happened 14 years ago. Indeed, the legacy of Chornobyl will be with us, and with our descendants, for generations to come." Kofi Annan, April 2000 On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (Berlin), Ecoclub (Rivne, Ukraine), The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (Washington, DC), the World Information Service on Energy (Amsterdam), IPPNW (Germany) and Bündnis 90/DIE GRÜNEN (Germany) are inviting independent scientists, environmentalists, non-governmental organizations and sustainable energy experts from all over the world for the international conference „Chornobyl + 20 – Remembrance for the Future“ to take place in Kyiv/Ukraine on April 23-25. The conference will focus on three areas: First, the ongoing catastrophe of Chornobyl and its continuing consequences, including the release of a new study which reviews and analyzes the recently published report of the IAEA and WHO; second, the continuing safety, economic, proliferation and other problems posed by nuclear power generally; and third, the development of a roadmap to a sustainable energy future.
    [Show full text]
  • Construction of the Protective Shelter for the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Faces Schedule Delays, Potential Cost Increases, and Technical Uncertainties
    United States Government Accountability Office Report to the Ranking Member, GAO Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives July 2007 NUCLEAR SAFETY Construction of the Protective Shelter for the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Faces Schedule Delays, Potential Cost Increases, and Technical Uncertainties GAO-07-923 July 2007 NUCLEAR SAFETY Accountability Integrity Reliability Highlights Construction of the Protective Shelter for Highlights of GAO-07-923, a report to the the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Faces Ranking Member, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Schedule Delays, Potential Cost Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives Increases, and Technical Uncertainties Why GAO Did This Study What GAO Found In 1986, an explosion at the Although two of three construction components—site preparation and Chernobyl nuclear power plant in stabilization of the existing shelter—are nearly finished, construction of the Ukraine destroyed the reactor new shelter has fallen about 7 years behind schedule. Over the past couple building and released massive of years, the main reason for schedule slippage has been the failure to award amounts of radioactive a construction contract. The lack of a contract is partly the result of a contamination. A temporary lengthy disagreement between Ukraine and the European Bank for shelter was built over the damaged reactor to prevent further Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). In late 2006, the Chernobyl contamination. The United States nuclear power plant director told GAO that the donors should not make any is a major donor to an international additional contributions to the project until contracting issues were project to build a new shelter to resolved.
    [Show full text]
  • Chernobyl: Chronology of a Disaster
    MARCH 11, 2011 | No. 724 CHERNOBYL: CHRONOLOGY OF A DISASTER CHERNOBYL; CHRONOLOGY OF A DISASTER 1 INHOUD: 1- An accident waiting to happen 2 2- The accident and immediate consequences ( 1986 – 1989) 4 3- Trying to minimize the consequences (1990 – 2000) 8 4- Aftermath: no lessons learned (2001 - 2011) 5- Postscript 18 Chernobyl - 200,000 sq km contaminated; 600,000 liquidators; $200 billion in damage; 350,000 people evacuated; 50 mln Ci of radiation. Are you ready to pay this price for the development of nuclear power? (Poster by Ecodefence, 2011) 1 At 1.23 hr on April 26, 1986, the fourth reactor of the Cherno- power plants are designed to withstand natural disasters (hur- byl nuclear power plant exploded. ricanes, fl oods, earthquakes, etc.) and to withstand aircraft The disaster was a unique industrial accident due to the crash and blasts from outside. The safety is increased by scale of its social, economic and environmental impacts and the possibility in Russia to select a site far away from bigger longevity. It is estimated that, in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia towns." (page 647: "Zur Betriebssicherheit sind die Kraftwerke alone, around 9 million people were directly affected resulting (VVER and RBMK) mit drei parallel arbeitenden Sicherheit- from the fact that the long lived radioactivity released was systeme ausgeruested. Die Kraftwerke sing gegen Naturka- more than 200 times that of the atomic bombs dropped on tastrophen (Orkane, Ueberschwemmungen, Erdbeben, etc) Hiroshima and Nagasaki. und gegen Flugzeugabsturz und Druckwellen von aussen ausgelegt. Die Sicherheit wird noch durch die in Russland Across the former Soviet Union the contamination resulted in moegliche Standortauswahl, KKW in gewisser Entfernung van evacuation of some 400,000 people.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF: Transforming Chernobyl
    The works to transform Chernobyl into a safe and on the ground. Total costs for the Shelter secure state are nearing conclusion. The New Implementation Plan – of which the NSC is the Safe Confinement (NSC), a gigantic steel arch, most prominent element – were estimated to be has been erected and is now being equipped €2.1 billion in 2014, leaving a large funding gap with systems and tools to make the site safe for of €615 million. generations to come. The EBRD shareholders’ decision in November Impressive progress has been made and we are 2014 to commit an additional €350 million confident that the NSC will be completed and (from the Bank’s reserves) for the NSC and operational by the end of 2017. an anticipated €165 million from the G7/ European Commission have significantly The Chernobyl project would not have been reduced the funding gap. However, a shortfall of possible without the active involvement and €100 million remains. generous contributions of the international community and Ukraine. The fact that to date Ukraine is currently in a vulnerable state and more than 40 countries and the EBRD have cannot be left to bear this uniquely hazardous provided funds speaks for itself. burden alone. The EBRD welcomes the leadership of the G7 to secure the full funding As the project is now far-advanced it is possible of the project. to make a reliable cost estimate based on the final design of the NSC and the progress Suma Chakrabarti, EBRD President PART OF A LARGER The New Safe Confinement (NSC) is a structure intended to the international community’s work together with Ukraine cover the destroyed reactor unit 4 at Chernobyl, the site of got under way.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident : Its Decommissioning, The
    The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident : its decommissioning, the Interim Spent Fuel Storage ISF-2, the nuclear waste treatment plants and the Safe Confinement project. by Dr. Ing. Fulcieri Maltini Ph.D. SMIEEE, life, PES, Comsoc FM Consultants Associates, France Keywords Nuclear power, Disaster engineering, Decommissioning, Waste management & disposal, Buildings, structures & design. Abstract On April 26, 1986, the Unit 4 of the RBMK nuclear power plant of Chernobyl, in Ukraine, went out of control during a test at low-power, leading to an explosion and fire. The reactor building was totally demolished and very large amounts of radiation were released into the atmosphere for several hundred miles around the site including the nearby town of Pripyat. The explosion leaving tons of nuclear waste and spent fuel residues without any protection and control. Several square kilometres were totally contaminated. Several hundred thousand people were affected by the radiation fall out. The radioactive cloud spread across Europe affecting most of the northern, eastern, central and southern Europe. The initiative of the G7 countries to launch an important programme for the closure of some Soviet built nuclear plants was accepted by several countries. A team of engineers was established within the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development were a fund was provided by the donor countries for the entire design, management of all projects and the plants decommissioning. The Chernobyl programme includes the establishment of a safety strategy for the entire site remediation and the planning for the plant decommissioning. Several facilities that will process and store the spent fuel and the radioactive liquid and solid waste as well as to protect the plant damaged structures have been designed and are under construction.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Contribution to EBRD Chernobyl Shelter Fund: 4Th Pledge, 5Th Instalment
    Community Contribution to EBRD Chernobyl Shelter Fund: 4th Pledge, 5th Instalment Description Background The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is situated 110 Km north of Kiev. Its construction began in the 1970s and by 1983 four units were in operation producing about 10 percent of Ukraine’s electricity. Two additional units were under construction. On 26 April 1986, the world’s worst nuclear accident occurred, which destroyed Unit 4 of the power plant and resulted in the release of radioactive materials into the environment. The nearby city of Chernobyl, located about 15 km away from the power plant had a population of 12,500, but the city was not the residence of the power plant workers. When the power plant was under construction, Prypiat, a city larger and closer to the power plant, had been built as home for the power plant workers. It had a population of just under 50,000 at the time of the accident. Evacuation of the population of Prypiat began about 40 hours after the accident. Later other population areas within a 30km radius were evacuated, including the city of Chernobyl. By 14th May 1986, some 116,000 people had been evacuated. In the years following the accident, a further 220,000 people were resettled into less contaminated areas, and the initial 30 km radius exclusion zone (2800 km2) was modified and extended to cover about 4300 km2. Following the accident a Shelter (sometimes referred to as a ‘sarcophagus’) enclosing the remains of ChNPP Unit 4 was constructed under exceedingly hazardous conditions. Units 1, 2 and 3 (adjacent to Unit 4) were put back into operation, raising the fear of another accident.
    [Show full text]
  • 96/6 CHERNOBYL -10 YEARS on a Conference on Radiological
    IE9700001 RPII - 96/6 CHERNOBYL -10 YEARS ON A Conference on Radiological Protection and a Review of the Health Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident Proceedings of a Conference organised by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and held in Dublin, 30 April 1996 October 1996 3 Clonskeagh Square, Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 14. Tel: +353 1 269 7766. Telex: 30610. Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland Fax: +353 1 269 7437. An Institiuid Eireannach um Chosaint Raideolaioch Chernobyl - 10 Years On A Conference on Radiological Protection and a Review of the Health Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident Opening Address 1 Mr. Emmet Stagg, T.D., Minister of State, Department of Transport,Energy and Communications Session I: Keynote Lecture Chernobyl: The health consequences. Dr. Peter J. Waight (Canada,Consultant to World Health Organisation). 6 Session II: Environmental radioactivity in Ireland Chernobyl-related research and radiological protection activities in Ireland. 24 Dr. Barbara Rafferty (Radioecology Research Group, RPI1) and Mr. John D. Cunningham (Assistant Chief Executive, RPH). The discharges from Sellafield - how big a risk for the Irish population? 34 Dr. Tom O'Flaherty (Chief Executive, RPIl). Natural radiation hazards - radon in the home and in the workplace. 43 Dr. James P. McLaughlin (Physics Dept., University College, Dublin). Session III: Applications of ionising radiation - evaluating the hazards Radiation hazards in medicine, industry and education. 53 Mr. Christopher Hone (Manager, Regulatory Service, RPIl). Nuclear installations abroad - the accident risks, and their potential consequences for Ireland. 60 Mr. Frank J. Turvey (Assistant Chief Executive, RPIl). Session IV: Radioactive wastes and emergency preparedness The legacy to future generations - long-lived radioactive wastes and plant decommissioning.
    [Show full text]
  • International Initiative for the Chernobyl
    GC(41)/RES/21 October 1997 International Atomic Energy Agency GENERAL Distr. GENERAL CONFERENCE Original: ENGLISH Forty-first regular session Agenda item 22 (GC(41)/28) INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR THE CHERNOBYL SARCOPHAGUS Resolution adopted on 3 October 1997 during the 9th plenary meeting INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR THE CHERNOBYL SARCOPHAGUS The General Conference. (a) Recalling the Chernobyl accident of 1986, which destroyed Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, (b) Mindful that the sarcophagus enclosing the remains of Reactor 4 was built under extremely adverse conditions, was intended to serve only as an interim measure and does not represent a long-term solution to the problems posed by the destroyed reactor, (c) Noting that the Group of 7 and Ukraine have adopted the Shelter Implementation Plan developed by an international team of experts to transform the sarcophagus to an environmentally safer condition over the long term, (d) Noting that Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union are committed to raise US$300 million to support the approximately US$750 million Shelter Implementation Plan and that Ukraine will contribute in kind, and (e) Aware that Ukraine currently expends nearly 12 per cent of its national budget on dealing with consequences of the Chernobyl accident, 1. Welcomes the decision of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to establish the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, to administer the implementation of the Shelter Implementation Plan and to convene meetings at least annually of the countries contributing to the Fund for the purpose of reviewing and approving projects to implement the Plan; and GC(41)/RES/21 page 2 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Reception UN Chernobyl
    Statement by Kathy Ryan, Chernobyl Children International, Reception “Rarely does a single word become so powerful, that it can tell the story of a million lives. Chernobyl is one such word.” This is Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan endorsing the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day earlier this week. For many of us here, the adoption of this day of commemoration is the culmination of over 3 decades of work. This day will be our legacy to the generations of people who have been, and will continue to be, affected by the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Thank you, Ambassador Dapkiunas, and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the United Nations, for the coordination of these important commemorations. Adi Roche and Ali Hewson wish they could be here, but they are in Belarus right now with a team of medical volunteers, and in Ukraine tomorrow. Also this week, our convoy will deliver aid throughout Belarus, and a team of international cardiac surgeons will save children’s lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine. This exhibition is a great reflection of both the human and environmental impact of the disaster. While we rightfully celebrate the healing power of compassion, compassion is not enough. We must remain vigilant in our commitment to ensure that Chernobyl becomes progressively safer. A sobering thought: While the decrepit sarcophagus has been confined, 180 tons of radioactive material is still rumbling inside, material that will be toxic for the next 3000 years. The international community must prioritize the environmental and technological challenges of dealing with this deadly legacy.
    [Show full text]
  • Press Pack: EU Work on Nuclear Safety in Chernobyl European Union
    Press Pack: EU work on nuclear safety EuropeAid Press Pack: EU work on nuclear safety in Chernobyl Background material for the Kiev/Chernobyl press visit 22-25 February 2011 European Union actions and projects in the Chernobyl zone: making the area safe again 1 European Commission actions and projects in the Chernobyl zone: about € 470 million invested Since the Chernobyl accident, the European Commission has been working continuously to improve nuclear safety and to deal with legacy of the disaster. The European Commission has so far committed some €470 million to Chernobyl and related projects. In addition to contributions to international funds (the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and the Nuclear Safety Account) the Commission has also funded projects to study, assess and mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. Other projects addressed the social and regional consequences of the accident and provided for power replacement following the closure of the plant, as well as reform of the energy sector in Ukraine. Context Situated 110 km north of Kiev, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s (ChNPP) construction began in the 1970s. By 1983, four units were in operation, producing approximately 10 percent of Ukraine’s electricity. At the time of the accident in 1986, two additional units were under construction. The nearby city of Prypiat had a population of about 50,000 before the accident. The accident took place on the night of 25 to 26 April 1986 during a test that went dramatically wrong due to design weaknesses and safety rules not being adhered to. Following the Chernobyl accident, some 200 000 people were evacuated from the vicinity of Chernobyl and a shelter (sometimes referred to as “sarcophagus”) enclosing the remains of Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 was constructed under exceedingly hazardous conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Chernobyl Disaster to the Students, a Devastating Explosion That Occurred in Reactor 4 in 1986
    Talk with Adi Roche The TY students of Loreto were very lucky to receive a talk from Adi Roche, an Irish anti- nuclear advocate who has inspired millions. This talk was organised with the help of Ms. Pheasey. On the 24th of February at 12 o’ clock, Adi sat in front of over 100 Loreto TY students digitally. The pupils were waiting to be inspired by her powerful words and she did not disappoint. Adi started her speech off explaining to the girls about her passion of the Earth and how she was amazed by its incredible beauty. She went on to say how we can all get overwhelmed by the negative messages and tragedies we hear on social media on the news. Every day, we hear so much despair and darkness in our daily lives and how this can lead us to feel numb and helpless to the things we hear, making us believe that there is no solution. Adi emphasised that when we feel like this, to “remember the power of the human spirit” and that we can bring greater hope to the next generation. Adi then commented on the generosity of the Irish spirit and how every Irish generation produces groups of people who have a burning passion to work with and reach out to people in need around the world. “Our World is a living entity”, Adi stated and explained that while looking at Earth from afar, you could see no boundaries, conflict, damage, or war. She told us that this realisation had awakened her to the complexity of our planet.
    [Show full text]