The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the adoption on April 22 by the UNESCO Executive Board at its 224th session of the resolution initiated by Ukraine “40 Years of the Chornobyl Disaster: Commemoration and Lessons Learned”.
The MFA of Ukraine continues to work on promoting the Chornobyl dossier in the development of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/111 of December 10, 2025, reaffirming the importance of maintaining priority focus on the consequences of the Chornobyl tragedy at the global level.
By adopting the resolution, UNESCO Member States have acknowledged 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 the memory of humanity and for strengthening international cooperation to prevent and minimize the consequences of similar disasters. Furthermore, the decision specifically emphasizes the importance of using the lessons of Chornobyl to shape modern approaches to preparedness, resilience and response to global challenges.
We express our gratitude to each of the Member States of the UNESCO Executive Board that supported this decision. We are especially grateful to the co-authors of the project: Albania, Argentina, Chile, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mauritania, Monaco, Panama, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador, Afghanistan and Tunisia.
We would like to emphasize once again that the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster is of great significance not only for Ukraine, but also for the entire international community. This tragedy has had a significant impact on cultural heritage, causing the loss of tangible and intangible traditions, as well as documentary heritage in the affected territories. The global recognition of this heritage is demonstrated by the inclusion of documents related to Chornobyl in the International Memory of the World Register Program.
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 the formation of a safer and more sustainable world.