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New York - In a statement issued on the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, a spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world to remember the pain and loss of the disaster, but at the same time expressed hope about the prospects for a return to normalcy in the affected regions.

“Science has shown that, after two decades, a return to normal life is a realistic prospect for people living in the Chernobyl-affected regions,” the spokesperson said on behalf of the Secretary-General.

“The key to solving the Chernobyl challenge lies in sustainable social and economic development,” said Kori Udovicki, Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “We can help by helping communities build new livelihoods, improve local infrastructure, regain a sense of self-reliance, and overcome often excessive fears about the hazards of radiation.”

Charged by the Secretary-General with responsibility for UN-wide coordination of Chernobyl recovery efforts, UNDP spearheads development programs in the Chernobyl-affected areas of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. These efforts were the focus of a UNDP-hosted video briefing held on 26 April with the Emergencies Ministries of the three most-affected countries. Participants proposed that the UN formally designate a “Decade of Sustainable Development” for the Chernobyl area.

The UN’s hopeful message was echoed by tennis star Maria Sharapova, who since February has served as a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on Chernobyl recovery efforts. “I think there are two important things in life that helped me once, and young people living in the Chernobyl territories today need them badly too,” Sharapova said. “They are self-confidence and opportunities to fulfil their potential.”

Sharapova’s parents fled the Chernobyl region shortly after the 1986 nuclear accident, and her grandmother still lives in Gomel, Belarus. Sharapova has already donated $100,000 to support eight youth-oriented UNDP projects in rural communities in Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. She plans a future visit to the Chernobyl-affected regions to meet with children who are benefiting from these projects.

Sharapova sees her donation to UNDP as a way to help the young people of Chernobyl learn to help themselves. “We cannot live their lives for them,” she said, “but we can help them believe in their abilities and provide them with opportunities for self-fulfilment through education, sports, work, and participation in community life”.

Authoritative scientific findings issued in 2005 by the UN Chernobyl Forum, a consortium of eight UN agencies led by the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and UNDP, have confirmed that the overwhelming majority of people living in Chernobyl-affected regions have little to fear from radiation, but face a keen need for better social and economic opportunities.