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UN PhotoUN / CHORNOBYL FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY
STORY: UN / CHORNOBYL FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY
TRT: 06:34
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 24 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
24 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
3. Wide shot, President of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock walking up to the rostrum
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly:
“In the aftermath of Chornobyl, the first instinct of the back then authorities was to conceal information, delaying protective measures and increasing exposure for those who might otherwise have been spared. Even hundreds of kilometers apart, the contrast was stark between populations that received, and followed, timely warnings and public health guidance, and those left in the dark. One of the clearest lessons of Chornobyl is that many lives could have been saved through transparency and early action – like the simple warning not to give milk to children.”
5. Wide shot, Annalena Baerbock addressing General Assembly
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly:
“As we mark forty years since Chornobyl, today, let us honour memory with responsibility by ensuring that nuclear technology is used strictly for peaceful purposes, supported by robust international safeguards, compliance with international law, and cooperation through the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, so that disasters such as Chornobyl never occur again.”
7. Wide shot, USG Ryder walking up to the rostrum
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Guy Bernard Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General:
“Perhaps most of all, Chornobyl underscores the vital importance of countries working together, and sharing information and experiences, to build a culture of safety around this remarkable power source.”
9. Wide shot, USG Ryder speaking at the rostrum
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Guy Bernard Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General:
“Inconceivably, we have seen military activity directly impacting Chornobyl itself. Since 2023 — one year after the start of the war — an IAEA team has continuously been in place at the Chornobyl site, supporting nuclear safety, namely in the follow-up of a drone strike last year. The message is clear. All military activities near nuclear sites must cease immediately.”
11. Wide shot, Ukrainian Ambassador approaching the rostrum
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrii Melnyk, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“We also have to remember that Chornobyl disaster was not an accident. The catastrophic nuclear explosion was the result of a reckless criminal experiment, carried out on direct instructions from Moscow, in blatant violation of all basic safety protocols. As a consequence, over 2200 settlements, towns and villages in Ukraine with a population of 2.4 million people were severely contaminated with long lived radionuclides.”
13. Wide shot, Ukrainian Ambassador speaking at the rostrum
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrii Melnyk, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“On the 13th of February 25, a Russian combat drone struck the new safe confinement at the Chornobyl NPP, jeopardizing decades of collective international efforts to make the site safe and secure.”
15. Wide shot, Ukrainian Ambassador speaking at the rostrum
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrii Melnyk, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“The Chornobyl site was not the only nuclear facility captured by Russia. For the first time in history, one country has illegally occupied an operating nuclear power plant using armed force. On March 1st, Russian troops seized the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which remains under occupation to this very day as a hostage, terrorizing not only Ukraine but the entire international community. This nuclear blackmail, this nuclear nightmare must end. Russia has to return the plant to Ukraine immediately and unconditionally.”
17. Wide shot, Belarusian Ambassador approaching the rostrum
18. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Aleksei Panfiorov, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the Republic of Belarus:
“After the collapse of the USSR, we were a young country, and we were forced to begin our independent life under conditions where 23 percent of our territory was contaminated with radionuclides. For comparison, for Ukraine, this indicator was 7 percent, for Russia 1.5 percent. Yes, we were also afraid. We resettled people, we relocated them. We didn't understand what to do with our own land. But we did realize one simple thing — that we had no other country. And now, for four decades, our agrarians, ecologists and environmentalists have been working on recovery of these territories. We have state programs implemented to overcome the consequences of the catastrophe, including population health improvement, restoring nature management, housing construction, and research work. The volume of financing for these programs from 1990 to 2025 amounted to the equivalent of 20 billion USD. Today, the area of radioactively contaminated territory of Belarus has decreased by almost half, and to normal conditions are about 45 percent of towns and villages that used to be.”
19. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador approaching the rostrum
20.SOUNDBITE(Russian)Dmitry Chumakov, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“The accident reminded us that human beings are not all powerful, that are capable of mistakes, and that any technologies, even the best-intentioned ones without proper prudence, can become a source of threat. Today, we recall the heroes who took part in the liquidation of the consequences of the accident. Those who did not falter, who did not retreat, and who to the end discharged their professional and humanitarian responsibility.”
21. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador speaking at the rostrum
22.SOUNDBITE(Russian)Dmitry Chumakov, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“The Chornobyl tragedy has always served to unify the world community, and we regret that today there are madmen who use it for settling political scores. And today, also, the Ukrainian delegation did not pass up an opportunity to repeat its false accusation against Russia. In particular, let me underscore it once again. Our country does not strike at nuclear infrastructure facilities are related safety infrastructure objects.”
23. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador leaving the rostrum
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly:
“I now invite representatives to stand up and observe one minute of silent prayer or meditation for the victims of the Chornobyl disaster.”
25. Wide shot, a minute of silence
“Many lives could have been saved through transparency and early action,” the United Nations General Assembly President said, marking forty years since the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
Addressing General Assembly in New York today (24 Apr), President of the United Nations General Assembly Annalena Baerbock said, “In the aftermath of Chornobyl, the first instinct of the back then authorities was to conceal information, delaying protective measures and increasing exposure for those who might otherwise have been spared. Even hundreds of kilometers apart, the contrast was stark between populations that received, and followed, timely warnings and public health guidance, and those left in the dark. One of the clearest lessons of Chornobyl is that many lives could have been saved through transparency and early action – like the simple warning not to give milk to children.”
She added, “As we mark forty years since Chornobyl, today, let us honour memory with responsibility by ensuring that nuclear technology is used strictly for peaceful purposes, supported by robust international safeguards, compliance with international law, and cooperation through the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, so that disasters such as Chornobyl never occur again.”
Also addressing the assembly, Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General Guy Bernard Ryder said, “Perhaps most of all, Chornobyl underscores the vital importance of countries working together, and sharing information and experiences, to build a culture of safety around this remarkable power source.”
Turning to ongoing military activity near the site, Ryder added, “Inconceivably, we have seen military activity directly impacting Chornobyl itself. Since 2023 — one year after the start of the war — an IAEA team has continuously been in place at the Chornobyl site, supporting nuclear safety, namely in the follow-up of a drone strike last year. The message is clear. All military activities near nuclear sites must cease immediately.”
Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Andrii Melnyk, said, “We also have to remember that Chornobyl disaster was not an accident. The catastrophic nuclear explosion was the result of a reckless criminal experiment, carried out on direct instructions from Moscow, in blatant violation of all basic safety protocols. As a consequence, over 2200 settlements, towns and villages in Ukraine with a population of 2.4 million people were severely contaminated with long lived radionuclides.”
Melnyk added, “On the 13th of February 25, a Russian combat drone struck the new safe confinement at the Chornobyl NPP, jeopardizing decades of collective international efforts to make the site safe and secure.”
He also said, “The Chornobyl site was not the only nuclear facility captured by Russia. For the first time in history, one country has illegally occupied an operating nuclear power plant using armed force. On March 1st, Russian troops seized the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which remains under occupation to this very day as a hostage, terrorizing not only Ukraine but the entire international community. This nuclear blackmail, this nuclear nightmare must end. Russia has to return the plant to Ukraine immediately and unconditionally."
Belarus's representative noted that 23 percent of his country's territory had been contaminated with radionuclides following the disaster — compared to seven percent for Ukraine and 1.5 percent for Russia — and said state programs to overcome the catastrophe's consequences had been funded to the equivalent of 20 billion USD between 1990 and 2025. He added that the area of radioactively contaminated territory in Belarus had since decreased by nearly half, with roughly 45 percent of formerly affected towns and villages returned to normal conditions.
Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Chumakov said, “The accident reminded us that human beings are not all powerful, that are capable of mistakes, and that any technologies, even the best intentioned ones without proper prudence, can become a source of threat. Today, we recall the heroes who took part in the liquidation of the consequences of the accident. Those who did not falter, who did not retreat, and who to the end discharged their professional and humanitarian responsibility.”
Chumakov added, “The Chornobyl tragedy has always served to unify the world community, and we regret that today there are madmen who use it for settling political scores. And today, also, the Ukrainian delegation did not pass up an opportunity to repeat its false accusation against Russia. In particular, let me underscore it once again. Our country does not strike at nuclear infrastructure facilities are related safety infrastructure objects.”
The representatives also observed a minute of silence for the victims of the Chornobyl disaster.
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