Forum "Chornobyl's Legacy for the Nuclear Safety of the World"

22.04.2016

On April, 22nd famous politicians, prominent scientists, best nuclear power, ecology, radiobiology and radiation medicine experts met in the Arts and Culture Center of NTUU ‘KPI’ on the international forum "Chornobyl's Legacy for the Nuclear Safety of the World".

Ambassadors of several countries, employees of plenty diplomatic representative offices, representatives of 34 world countries, heads of 11 ministries of Ukraine, representatives of scientific institutions, universities, civil organization, state deputies, ChNPS catastrophe liquidators, lecturers and KPI students also participated in the forum.

The forum was opened by the first vice-president of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, member of Forum Program Committee, Anton Naumovets. ‘On April 26th this year 30 years have passed since the world first heard the name ‘Chornobyl’. Since then it became the synonym to dreadful technogeneous catastrophe and huge ecological disaster – he stressed. – The influence touched the population of many countries; as a result, the consequences of the accident are not only connected with Ukraine. The world community received powerful and clear signal that the ‘peaceful atom’, to be more specific, nuclear core carries significant threat if not treated properly and professionally. These were difficult 30 years of heroic advance of a big number of people who sacrificed their health and even life to manage destroyed reactor.’

Leonid Kravchuk, the President of Ukraine (1991-1994), Valdis Zatlers, the President of Latvia (2007-2011), liquidation participant of ChNPS accident, Ostap Semerak, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Vadym Prystaiko, the vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Viktor Shafranskyi, vice-minister of Health Care of Ukraine, Ivan Rybak, head of subcommittee on state monitoring of environment of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ecological Policy, Resource Consumption and ChNPS accident liquidation, Shigeku Sumi, Exraordinary and Authorized Ambassador of Japan in Ukraine, were present at the opening ceremony. Ivan Rybak read Andrii Parubii’s greeting word, head of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The Forum’s format was the thematic plenary sessions: ‘Chornobyl and new strategy for world nuclear safety’, ‘Chornobyl lessons: technological, humanitarian and international aspects’, ‘The tasks of still not solved problems of destroyed block №4 of Choronobyl Nuclear Power Station’.

Vince Novak, director of the Nuclear Safety Department from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, George Kent, assistant of Extraordinary and Authorized Ambassador of the USA in Ukraine in 2011-2014, Toichi Sakata, special counsellor of the President of Japanese Nuclear Power Agency, Victor Bariakhtar, academician of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, honoured citizen of Slavutych, Yurii Shcherbak, member of the Presidium of Ukrainian Peace Council, scientist, writer and journalist, Andrii Serdiuk, president of the National Academy of Medical Sciences in 2011-2016, Igor Gramotkin, general director of Chornobyl NPS, Borys Prister, senior scientist of the Institute of NPS security, academician if the National Academy of Agriculture in Ukraine, Fudong Li, representative of the Centre of nuclear and radiation security of P.R. China, Volodymyr Kashtanov, senior engineer of the Project ‘Measures plan at ‘Shelter’ object’ and others participated in the meeting. Almost all speeches very concerned not only with important, but also useful scientific and practical information, sometimes new for the majority of listeners, and generalized personal experience of the speakers, each of whom made a great contribution in overcoming the ChNPS catastrophe consequences. Thus, the forum’s materials handbook (should be released soon) will benefit everyone who is professionally involved into the topicality of nuclear safety in its all aspects – physical, technological, humanitarian, medical etc.

During the breaks, all could have got acquainted with two exhibitions places in the hall of Arts and Culture Centre of NTUU ‘KPI’: the photo exhibition and graphic works handed for the student art competition ‘Chornobyl: 30 years later’ and exposition of photographic works made in Chornobyl and Prypiat by a famous Polish journalist, honoured citizen of Slavutych, Valdemar Sivinskyi.

In Forum summarizing document, the participants expressed confidence and certainty that international cooperation and exchange of the best experience in the sphere of planning, location, construction and exploitation of the nuclear power objects will facilitate in their security level improvement. Besides, participants called corresponding establishments and regulating organs of countries with nuclear power stations to pay world’s attention to final resolution of Chornobyl problems, particularly, fulfilment of the next stage of transforming ‘Shelter’ object into ecologically secure system.