The unceasing pain of Chernobyl

From April 23 to May 31, in the Official Documents Service Department of the National Library of Belarus (2nd floor, room 207), a thematic book exhibition "The Enduring Pain of Chernobyl" was opened. The exhibition dedicated to the International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl Disaster and the 35th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl Disaster was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December 8, 2016 (resolution 71/125) and is celebrated annually on April 26, starting in 2017. The date of the Day was not chosen by chance - it was on this day, in 1986, that the largest man-made disaster of the 20th century in terms of damage and consequences occurred, the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (Chernobyl nuclear power plant), as a result of which almost 8.4 million people were exposed to radiation ...

Resolution 71/125, “Long-term consequences of the Chernobyl disaster” was initiated and prepared by the delegation of the Republic of Belarus. Together with our country, 60 countries of the world have become co-authors of the new document on the Chernobyl problem.

In 1990, the General Assembly adopted resolution 45/190, calling for "international cooperation to mitigate and overcome the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant." This was the beginning of the work of the United Nations to rebuild the affected areas. Over the past 35 years, UN organizations and large non-governmental organizations and foundations have carried out over 230 different projects related to research and assistance in such areas as: health, nuclear safety, psychosocial rehabilitation, economic recovery, the environment and the production of clean products. ... An important achievement was the completion in 2019 of the installation of a new sarcophagus over the old Shelter. More than 45 donor countries have allocated 2.2 billion euros for the implementation of this project - this is one of the largest projects of international cooperation in the field of nuclear safety.

The restoration and transformation of Chernobyl remains a major long-term challenge. This tremendous work can only be done through the collective action of all partners at all levels. The United Nations system remains firmly committed to the full recovery and sustainable development of the affected regions through innovative approaches, in collaboration with the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and to ensure that the legacy of Chernobyl serves to create a safer environment around the world and in the interests of all people.

The exhibition offered to the attention of users introduces documents, including monographs, scientific reports, materials of international scientific conferences and research, which contain information about the socio-economic, psychological, environmental consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The exposition presents collections of memoirs of the liquidators of the accident, as well as documents that will acquaint the reader with the measures taken by governments, agencies of the United Nations system, civil society organizations to overcome the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.

The exhibition features about 100 documents in Russian, Belarusian, English and German: books, periodicals, booklets.

The exposition includes the following thematic sections:

• The Chernobyl accident: the scale of the tragedy;
• Ecological and socio-economic consequences of the Chernobyl disaster;
• Social and medical consequences of the Chernobyl accident;
• International cooperation and international assistance in overcoming the consequences of the accident and restoring the affected regions.

The exhibition will be of interest to medical workers, ecologists, sociologists, economists, specialists in the field of nuclear energy, international law and international relations, students and teachers of universities, as well as all those who are interested in issues related to the Chernobyl tragedy and its consequences.

Useful links

• International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl Disaster
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
• International Chernobyl portal of the ICRIN project
• Global issues on the agenda: nuclear energy
• Anniversaries of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
• Decade of Rehabilitation and Sustainable Development of Affected Regions (third decade after Chernobyl) (2006-2016)
• Radiological and medical impact of Chernobyl. Radiation Protection and Health Committee Assessment
• Department for Elimination of Consequences of the Catastrophe at the Chernobyl NPP of the Ministry of Emergencies of the Republic of Belarus
• International Scientific Conference "Chernobyl: 30 Years Later"
• Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM of Russia)
• State Emergency Service of Ukraine
• Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology (Slavutich, Kiev Region)
• All-Russian public organization "Chernobyl" Union of Russia
• Pripyat city website
• Institute for Safe Development of Nuclear Power Engineering of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• The situation at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant
• Chernobyl Forum

Documentation

Resolutions

• Resolution proclaiming 26 April International Day of Remembrance for the Chernobyl Disaster (A/RES/71/125)
• Strengthening international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster (A/RES/68/99)
• General Assembly resolution to hold a special commemorative meeting of the Assembly on 26 April 2011 to mark the anniversary (A/RES/65/131)
• Address of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States in connection with the 25th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (S/2011/45)

Conventions and declarations:

• Conventions and declarations on nuclear safety

Additional reports

• Final review of the CORE Program "Cooperation for the rehabilitation of living conditions in the regions of Belarus affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster" (2004-2008)
• The legacy of Chernobyl: medical, environmental and socio-economic implications and recommendations to the governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine
• Medical consequences of the Chernobyl accident and special health care programs

The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the opening hours of the library.
Entrance with a library card or a ticket for a socio-cultural center.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 34.

Official Documents Service Department