Belarus to start new int'l program on Chernobyl in 2017

Belarus hopes to launch in 2017 a new initiative aimed at the sustainable development of the regions affected by the Chernobyl accident and based on the principles of partnership, innovation and investment, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said on Monday.

"We hope the decision of the conference will promote the formation of a new stage of international cooperation on the Chernobyl issue, under the aegis of the United Nations," Makei said, at the international conference, Thirty Years after Chernobyl, in Minsk.

With the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Helen Clark attending the conference, Makei expressed gratitude to the UNDP for the support provided for Belarus on the issue of creation of the long-term development strategy for the regions affected by the Chernobyl disaster, and for the targeted aid for the people living in these territories as well.

The Minister said the implementation of the UNDP program to support Belarus in 2016-2020 had started that year, with an overall budget of more than 100 million U.S. dollars. "The implementation of these programs will be an important contribution to the UN's assistance of the national efforts of Belarus in achieving the goals of sustainable development for the period through 2030," he added.

Makei stressed that sustainable development of the territories affected by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant is the main task for Belarus. "We can also try and restore these lands to be suitable for living, growing products, which would be suitable for food," he added.

In return, Clark said that the UNDP initiated the transition from humanitarian aid for Belarus to long-term economic and social development of the territories that were affected by the Chernobyl disaster over the last 10 years.

The full-fledged support program would not be possible without the active support of Belarusian authorities, she said.

Source: XINHUA