IAEA Chernobyl Forum

Chernobyl Forum

Background- On 3-5 February 2003, at the Agency Headquarters in Vienna, representatives from the IAEA, other United Nations organizations (FAO, UN-OCHA, UNDP, UNEP, UNSCEAR, WHO and The World Bank) and Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, established and launched the "Chernobyl Forum".
During this organizational meeting, the participants came to an agreement about the terms of reference and work plan of the Forum. This meeting is considered as an initial one-in-a-series of meetings to be organized during 2003-2005 in order to scientifically clarify the radiological environmental and health consequences of the Chernobyl accident, to provide advice on and to contribute to a scientifically sound remediation and health care programmes, and to consider the necessity of, and opportunities for continued research/learning lessons.
A Second Meeting of the Forum was held on 10-11 March 2004 at the Agency Headquarters in Vienna. The main objectives of this Second Meeting were to monitor the Forum's operations during 2003 and to define the work plan for 2004-2006. The participants decided, inter-alia, to:

• Continue the work of the Forum’s expert groups “Environment” and “Health” and complete their reports by the end of 2004
• Organize the public conference of the Chernobyl Forum in September 2005 aiming at informing governments and the general public about the Forum’s findings and recommendations
• Widely disseminate the Forum’s findings and recommendations during 2005–2006 and beyond

Second Meeting's Statement

The practical aim of the Third Chernobyl Forum Meeting held in Vienna on 18-20 April 2005 was to consider the Forum’s technical reports drafted by the expert groups in 2003-2004. Another important issue for consideration was organization of the International Conference entitled “Chernobyl: Looking Back to Go Forwards”, to be held in Vienna on 6 and 7 September 2005, prior to the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. This conference, involving international, governmental and public representatives, experts and mass media, should present the Forum’s findings and recommendations as consensus within the United Nations system to a wide audience. The participants of the Third Chernobyl Forum Meeting decided, inter alia, to:

• Approve the Forum’s technical reports on environmental and health consequences of the Chernobyl accident, as well as remediation and health care programmes prepared by the expert groups in 2003-2004 with amendments discussed during the meeting
• Consider the approved reports with amendments as a common position of the Forum members, i.e., of the eight UN organizations and the three more affected countries, regarding environmental and health consequences of the Chernobyl accident as well as recommended future actions, i.e. as consensus within the United Nations system.

Third Meeting’s Statement


For further information please contact NSRW Decommissioning
http://www-ns.iaea.org/meetings/rw-summaries/chernobyl_forum.asp