UN General Assembly adopts resolution on the Chornobyl disaster: why the US voted against it

The UN General Assembly in New York has supported the resolution "Strengthening international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster" initiated by Ukraine and a group of states. About this reported Ukrinform.

"97 countries voted in favor of the resolution, eight voted against, and 39 abstained. The resolution was opposed by Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Nicaragua, Niger, and the United States.

Representative of the American delegation at the General Assembly meeting saidthe US voted against the resolution due to the mention in the text of the resolution of the Sustainable Development Goals, which the current US administration opposes.

"The United States voted against the text because of the reference to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," she said.

According to the diplomat, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals "promote a soft global governance agenda that is incompatible with national sovereignty and contrary to U.S. interests." At the same time, she emphasized that the United States supports international standards for the safety of nuclear facilities and efforts to prevent nuclear incidents at such facilities in Ukraine "during the Russian-Ukrainian war."

The resolution recognizes the large-scale and lasting consequences of the Chornobyl disaster and the needs of the affected areas. It also emphasizes the role of the United Nations, in particular the Development Program, in the short- and long-term recovery of these regions.

Particular attention is focused on the events of February 14, 2025, when a Russian drone attack damaged the new safe confinement over the destroyed Chornobyl NPP unit. The resolution states that the incident "jeopardized decades of international progress in ensuring the safety of the facility."

The General Assembly emphasized the need for international support for the restoration of the site and encouraged states and partners to support international cooperation on Chernobyl.

The document also provides for changes in the spelling of the name Chornobyl in English in accordance with the Ukrainian transliteration instead of Chernobyl. Accordingly, the name of the International Day of Remembrance of the Chornobyl Disaster, which is celebrated annually on April 26, should be corrected.

The General Assembly decided to hold a special meeting on April 24, 2026, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident.

The adoption of the resolution is an important step towards overcoming the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster, noted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. They thanked all the countries that supported it.

"In an attempt to avoid responsibility for its crimes, the Russian Federation tried to get an alternative document submitted by the Russian satellite Republic of Belarus, without any mention of Russia's attacks on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant facilities, adopted in the UN General Assembly hall," the statement said.

• On the night of February 14, a Russian drone with an explosive warhead hit the shelterwhich protects against radiation from the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Subsequently, in Magate reportedthe report said that the protective arch over the power unit lost its main safety functions after the impact.