UN General Assembly adopts resolution on Chornobyl disaster: Russia and US vote against
Kyiv • UNN
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine on minimizing the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster. The document points to the long-term serious consequences of the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and calls on the world to help Ukraine restore the damaged infrastructure of the nuclear power plant.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine and a group of states titled "Strengthening international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe." This was reported by UNN with reference to the broadcast of the event.
Details
Representatives of 97 countries voted in favor of the document, 8 voted "against", and 39 abstained. In particular, representatives of Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Nicaragua, Niger, and the United States voted against the resolution.
The document points to the lasting serious consequences of the Chornobyl accident, the needs of affected communities and territories, and emphasizes the important role of the UN, in particular the Development Program, in the short- and long-term recovery of affected territories.
The authors of the resolution emphasize "serious concern" in connection with the damage on February 14, 2025, to the new safe confinement over the destroyed Chornobyl power unit as a result of a Russian drone attack, which "jeopardized decades of international progress in ensuring the safety of the facility."
The General Assembly also decided to hold a special meeting on April 24, 2026, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, and called on the world to help Ukraine restore the damaged nuclear power plant infrastructure.
Recall
According to the IAEA, the new safe confinement at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, damaged during a drone strike in February, lost its main safety functions.