DATE=04/08/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-288443

TITLE=U-N/CHERNOBYL (L)

BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The United Nations says millions of people continue to suffer from

the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear accident nearly 16 years after the

disastrous explosion in the nuclear reactor occurred. Lisa Schlein reports

a United Nations team of experts has just returned from the area with findings and new proposals for tackling the ongoing crisis to international donors in Geneva.

TEXT: April 26th will mark the anniversary of the worldıs worst nuclear

accident. Sixteen years after the Chernobyl disaster, the United Nations

says millions of people in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia continue to suffer

serious health, social and economic problems. Under-Secretary-General for

Humanitarian Affairs, Kenzo Oshima says the United Nations has come up with

a 10-year-strategy for tackling and reversing this downward spiral. But,

he notes, it will not be easy to revitalize international interest in this

crisis after such a long time.

///OSHIMA ACT///

The human dimension of the Chernobyl disaster has tended

to be a forgotten crisis despite the continuing nature of the very serious

problems and hardship suffered by a large population.

///END ACT///

Over the last 10 years, the focus of international assistance has been on

meeting basic needs such a food, medicine and hospital care. U-N Resident

Coordinator, Neil Buhne says relief and humanitarian assistance is useful,

but it does not address the long-term problems these people face. He says,

under the new United Nations strategy, people in the affected areas will be

expected to play an active role in the long-term economic, social and

environmental recovery of the effected area.

///BUHNE ACT///

That means, things that you do in other countries with respect to rural

development, rural enterprise development, healthy life styles education,

more work at the community level with decentralization of authority

to community levels of government.

///END ACT///

Over the past decade, a great deal of research has gone on to determine the

health and environmental consequences of the radiation fallout of

Chernobyl. Mr. Buhne says this research mainly has benefited

international scientists, and not the people living in the contaminated

areas. He says there still is a lot of uncertainty as to the effects of

radiation.

///BUHNE ACT///

This uncertainty weighs very, very heavily on all the

people in affected areas. And, I am defining affected areas very broadly.

So, we also recommend much more long-term program of research managed by an

international research board that includes leading scientists from the three

affected countries as well as internationally.

///END ACT///

The United Nations says it will work in close cooperation with Ukraine,

Belarus and Russia in realizing the goals of its long-term assistance program. It estimates the cost of implementing projects over the next 10 years at between 50 and 80 million U-S dollars. (Signed)

NEB/LS/SAB