General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

21 December 1990

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                        A/RES/45/190
                                                        71st plenary meeting
                                                        21 December 1990
 
  International co-operation to address and mitigate the consequences
  of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Expressing profound concern about the ongoing effects on people's lives
 and health of the disaster at Chernobyl, which had serious national and
 international consequences of unprecedented scale,
 
      Especially concerned about the state of health of the children who
 suffered and continue to suffer from the effects of increased radiation and
 who may suffer from possible long-term effects of radiation,
 
      Taking into account the provisions of the World Declaration on the
 Survival, Protection and Development of Children and the Plan of Action for
 Implementing the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development
 of Children in the 1990s adopted by the World Summit for Children, held in New
 York on 29 and 30 September 1990, which, inter alia, refer to the need for
 concrete measures to be taken at the national and international levels for
 children in especially difficult circumstances, including victims of man-made
 disasters who have been exposed to radiation,
 
      Taking into account also the need to continue taking comprehensive
 measures to study, address and mitigate the consequences of the accident,
 especially measures to protect against radiation and to safeguard the health
 of the population, including, as appropriate, resettling the population in
 uncontaminated areas, improving the environment in the contaminated areas and
 preventing further possible transboundary radioactive effects,
 
      Increasingly aware of the need to improve the co-ordination of ongoing
 international efforts to study and minimize the radiological and other
 consequences of the disaster at Chernobyl,
 
      Stressing the importance of public education and communication in
 addressing the concerns of the population of the contaminated areas regarding
 the effects of man-made radiation, including its long-term effects,
 
      Recalling its resolution 44/224 of 22 December 1989, in which it,
 inter alia, recognized the need to strengthen international co-operation in
 rendering assistance in cases of environmental emergency,
 
      Taking note with satisfaction of Economic and Social Council resolution
 1990/50 of 13 July 1990 on international co-operation to address and mitigate
 the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant,
 
      Taking into account the efforts made by the United Nations and
 organizations of the United Nations system to study, mitigate and minimize the
 radiological, socio-economic and other consequences of the disaster at
 Chernobyl,
 
      Welcoming the growing international solidarity with the victims of
 Chernobyl, especially the children, as well as the willingness on the part of
 Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the
 business community, scientific bodies and individuals to increase medical,
 food and other humanitarian assistance for the rehabilitation of the affected
 population,
 
      Recognizing the particular importance of completing the international
 independent assessment of the radiological consequences of the accident at the
 Chernobyl nuclear power plant, co-ordinated by the International Atomic Energy
 Agency, 
 
      1.   Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General
 and invites him, in the light of the findings contained in that report and
 other relevant reports and in consultation with the agencies concerned, to
 continue to take appropriate measures to address and mitigate the consequences
 of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in particular to support
 efforts made within the United Nations system by the Administrative Committee
 on Co-ordination and the Inter-Agency Committee for the Response to Nuclear
 Accidents to harmonize, strengthen and co-ordinate international projects
 aimed at mitigating the consequences of the disaster at Chernobyl, and to
 consider, inter alia, opportunities to:
 
      (a)  Formulate a programme for co-ordinating the activities to be carried
 out by the organs, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system
 involved in efforts to address and mitigate the consequences of the disaster
 at Chernobyl;
 
      (b)  Entrust one of the Under-Secretaries-General with the task of
 co-ordination;
 
      (c)  Set up a task force responsible for stimulating and monitoring the
 activities of the United Nations system in this field;
 
      (d)  Appeal for voluntary contributions to complement the regular
 budgetary resources used by United Nations organs and agencies for the
 implementation of activities aimed at mitigating the consequences of the
 disaster at Chernobyl;
 
      2.   Requests the organs, specialized agencies and programmes of the
 United Nations system, in considering possible technical and other special
 assistance for the areas most affected, particularly in the Byelorussian
 Soviet Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the
 Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, to bear in mind the
 unprecedented nature of the radiological and environmental disaster and of the
 emergency situation in those areas resulting from the long-term effects of
 man-made radiation on present and future generations;
 
      3.   Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at
 its forty-sixth session, through the Economic and Social Council, a report on
 the implementation of the present resolution;
 
      4.   Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-sixth
 session an item entitled "International co-operation to study, mitigate and
 minimize the consequences of the disaster at Chernobyl";
 
      5.   Makes an urgent appeal to all States members of the international
 community, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the business
 community, scientific bodies and individuals to continue to provide all
 appropriate support and assistance to the areas most affected by the accident
 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in full co-ordination and co-operation
 with envisaged or planned efforts of the United Nations system.