Kyiv welcomes UNESCO decision to mark 40th anniversary of Chornobyl disaster
UNESCO's Executive Board on April 22 adopted a decision initiated by Ukraine titled "+" and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry welcomed the move, saying it sends an important signal of unity among the organization's member states.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the adoption on April 22 by UNESCO's Executive Board, at its 224th session, of the decision initiated by Ukraine, '40 years of the Chornobyl disaster: commemoration and lessons learned,'" the ministry said in a comment posted on its website on Wednesday.
The ministry said Ukraine continues to work on advancing the Chornobyl dossier in furtherance of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/111 of December 10, 2025, reaffirming the importance of maintaining priority attention at the global level to the consequences of the Chornobyl tragedy.
"With the adopted decision, UNESCO member states affirmed the special importance of the lessons of the Chornobyl disaster for all areas of UNESCO's mandate: cultural and natural heritage, education, science, communication and information, as well as for preserving humanity's memory and strengthening international cooperation to prevent and minimize the consequences of similar catastrophes. In addition, the decision specifically emphasizes the importance of using the lessons of Chornobyl to shape modern approaches to preparedness, resilience and response to global challenges," the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to each of the UNESCO Executive Board member states that supported the decision.
"We are especially grateful to the co-authors of the draft: Albania, Argentina, Chile, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mauritania, Monaco, Panama, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador, Afghanistan and Tunisia," it said.
The comment again stressed that the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster is important not only for Ukraine but for the entire international community.
"This tragedy had a significant impact on cultural heritage, causing the loss of tangible and intangible traditions, as well as documentary heritage in the affected territories. Evidence of the global recognition of this heritage was the inclusion of documents related to Chornobyl in the International Register of the Memory of the World Programme," the ministry said.
"Today's decision sends an important signal of the unity of UNESCO member states and their shared responsibility for preserving historical memory, strengthening international cooperation and preventing similar tragedies in the future. Ukraine sees it as a contribution to shaping a safer and more resilient world," the ministry said.