Chornobyl: 18 years later.
Seventeen years have passed since the disaster that has no precedents in modern history - the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Since April 26, 1986 the name of this small town lost its original geographical meaning and became synonymous with disaster. Although we mostly call it a technological disaster, it is human by its nature. Chornobyl catastrophe, economic difficulties in Ukraine as well as a number of other factors have led to a wide scale humanitarian crisis. This is especially acute in rural regions, where disaster affected areas belong, and became apparent in the breakdown of the traditional way of agricultural management, appearance and mass dissemination of social apathy, consumer's attitudes, distrust to administrations and official media information, general decrease of social and economic activeness of population. The situation has remained gloomy despite incredible humanitarian relief efforts of the affected countries' Governments, enormous investment of resources that they have made and international support.
But today entirely new approaches are being explored to help millions of people affected by the Chornobyl catastrophe. Report "The Human Consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. A Strategy for Recovery" commissioned by UNDP and UNISEF with the support of UN-OCHA and WHO outlines a ten-year strategy for tackling with and reversing downward spiral. The top priority in terms of recovery activities is remaining to be a person and all the recovery is targeted at the protection of people. The recommendations have been designed to address the human needs resulting directly or indirectly from the accident. The aim is to promote long-term recovery through a new consensus between the main parties involved, new partners and a new generation of initiatives designed to assist the individuals and the communities concerned to take future in their own hands. We hope, that this new approach will help millions of people affected by the Chornobyl nuclear accident.
And you can see how it works by the example of the UNDP Chornobyl Recovery and Development Programme In Ukraine.
In September 2002 the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine together with the Ministry of Ukraine of Emergencies and Protection of Population from the Chornobyl Catastrophe Consequences have launched Chornobyl Recovery and Development Programme (CRDP) that was elaborated for 2002-2005 and financed by UNDP Ukraine, Swiss Development Cooperation Fund and UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Programme is the third phase of the UNDP Chornobyl Programme that worked in 1999-2002. Centres for psychosocial rehabilitation (Community Development Centres) were created in its framework for disaster affected population in Kyiv and Zhytomyr Oblasts.
In the UNDP CRDP framework, a Programme of community development through social mobilization (a process of population activation that facilitates uniting people in groups and community organizations for solving current community problems) and participatory planning (a process of joint activities and active cooperation of population and local administration while elaborating local community development plans) is being implemented at the affected territories. It is aimed at the increase of people's activeness in the process of decision making and decision implementation to raise social-economic level of rural regions.
Thus, socio-economic development of the affected regions - restoration of social infrastructures, improvement of health services and education etc. - is based on people's participation in the process both in decision making and in their practical realization.
Programme is targeted at uniting efforts of local population self-governance organs, local administrations, Governments of Ukraine and international organizations with the purpose of the development of self-governance institutions on community level, provision of active and sustainable participation of population in the governance and solving of socio-economic problems and community development.
Today the Programme covers 10 regions of Ukraine, affected by Chornobyl, where the active work is being carried out with communities, and 20 Community Organizations have been already created.
For instance, Community Organization "Renaissance" was established in the end of June 2002 in Ripky Region, Chernigiv Oblast, at the general community meeting. Its aim is - sustainable development of Nedanchichi community. It includes restoration of infrastructure, realization of village social, economic and ecological projects both those that needed additional funding and projects that community can implement by its own savings and efforts. Thus in July 2002 the Community Organization with the support of local and regional administration and a seed grant from CRDP reconstructed the school workroom, were children had their labour lessons, and in August the community successfully completed reconstruction of one of the water supply branches in the village.
Community Organization is growing up and is uniting now 172 families. Its members have defined village priority problems and elaborated community development plans up to the year 2010. Such a prospective planning not only makes the "Renaissance" Organization closer to the idea of participatory planning realization, i.e. forming administration plans based on the local initiatives, but it also gives an opportunity to people to see theirs and their children's future despite all the misfortunes.
We feel that above activities are the steps in the right direction. The Programme meets the purpose that was briefly expressed by Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Coordinator of the International Cooperation on Chornobyl, Kenzo Oshima "...We must ensure that we help people to help themselves, to regain a normalcy in their lives the legacy of Chernobyl behind them, as much as possible".
But many still remains to be done to reach the aims of "A Strategy for Recovery". And we are sure with your support, with the support of the International Community it will be done.
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