UN chief calls for nuclear safety on anniversary of Chernobyl disaster

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday renewed the commitment of the United Nations to support those affected by Chernobyl nuclear disaster and called for nuclear safety worldwide.

"On 26 April we marks the 29th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. We remember the hundreds of emergency workers who responded to the accident and the more than 330,000 people uprooted from their homes in its aftermath," said Ban in a statement.

On this solemn anniversary, the UN chief reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to support those affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. He called for a forward-looking strategy designed to further help the recovery of the affected areas and to work together for greater nuclear safety worldwide, according to the statement.

The United Nations proclaimed 2006-2016 a "Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development" for the affected regions, and established a UN Action Plan on Chernobyl. The Decade and Action Plan will come to an end on Dec. 31, 2016.

In response, the United Nations Development Programme Administrator and the United Nation Co-ordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl has initiated a series of consultations to define the vision for post-2016 international cooperation, according to the statement.