Events

MINSK, 2 June (BelTA) – UNDP Administrator Helen Clark took note Belarus’ high interest in restoring the Chernobyl-hit regions, BelTA has learned.

According to Helen Clark, the UN ministerial working group on Chernobyl issues met on 30 May. It was the first meeting of the group outside New York. Last year we issued a resolution on Chernobyl which calls for a dialogue after 2016, the time the decade dedicated to the mitigation of the accident aftermath completes, the UNDP Administrator said. Helen Clark emphasized the need to share the relevant experience. According to her, in Belarus she saw a high interest in restoring the Chernobyl-hit territories. In her words, next year Belarus will have a great opportunity to gather all the experience gained in the accident response efforts and share it with the world community.

According to Helen Clark, the UNDP, in cooperation with the European Union, will provide necessary assistance to local communities, starting from Gomel Oblast. In her words, these efforts will take the social and economic development of the Chernobyl regions onto a new level.

Helen Clark paid a visit to Gomel Oblast and the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The program of Helen Clark’s visit also included meetings with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and ministers.