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
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