CHORNOBYL ECONOMIC development FORUM

(ChEDF)

November 2-3, 2007
Borodyanka, Kyivska oblast

                                                                  First Announcement

on organization of the Third Annual Meeting of the Chornobyl Economic Development Forum (ChEDF)

The Chornobyl Economic Development Forum (ChEDF), initiated by the UNDP, was launched in 2005 by the representatives of central and regional authorities, local self-governance authorities, businesses, international and national governmental and non-governmental organizations. The ChEDF’s activities are directed to contributing to economic recovery, creating conditions to elaborate a successive strategy of economic development for affected territories, drawing the investments, strengthening and developing civil society.

The organization of the Third Meeting of the ChEDF is scheduled for November 2-3, 2007.

There are invited to participate in the Forum heads of central and local bodies of executive authorities, self-governance; deputies of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, representative of businesses, investment and consulting companies, potential investors, especially companies-members of the UN Global Compact in Ukraine as well as representatives of the embassies of Canada, Poland, Switzerland, delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine, diplomatic representatives of the other countries in Ukraine, leading experts in the field of socio-economic development, representatives of foreign and national NGOs and mass media.

On August 1-22, 2007, a group of Oxford volunteers will visit Ukraine. The goal of the visit is to provide knowledge resources and strengthen the community development process in the Chornobyl-affected areas of Ukraine through international cooperation, as well as to increase public awareness about the consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe and process of the community development.

The organizers of the event are: the UNDP Chornobyl Recovery and Development Programme (CRDP), Oxford University Ukrainian Society and National University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy".

On July 3-5, 2007, the CRDP team participated in the capitalization workshop “Experiences of integrating social mobilization in local development”, organized by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) at Foros (Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine).

The main objectives of the capitalization workshop were to exchange and to share experiences on social mobilization and the ways of its integration into the institutional structures in Ukraine as well as to elaborate recommendations for promoting social mobilization as a key approach for development in Ukraine.

Mogilev, Belarus, 15-16 May: Representatives of UNDP-led Chornobyl Recovery and Development Programme (CDRP) have shared their experience in undertaking local area-based approach for the recovery and development of Chornobyl affected areas at the national seminar "The Experience and Perspectives of the Post-Chornobyl International Cooperation: Lessons Learned by the Cooperation for Rehabilitation (CORE) Programme" in Belarus.

Brusyliv District, Zhytomyr Region, 11 May: Local community organizations have united their efforts with the authorities and international aid organizations to open youth centres in the two villages for Chornobyl-affected youth.

Following in-country debate on Chornobyl legacy and international community position on helping Ukraine in addressing this issue, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Mr. Francis O'Donnell comments in his op-ed on the organization's strategy and actions in Ukraine for the revival of the territories worst hit by the Chornobyl disaster:  

On April 19, 2007, the 16th International conference on Chornobyl started at the UN Headquarters in New York. This international event has been dedicated to the 21st commemoration anniversary of Chornobyl disaster. It aims at attracting additional international attention to the Chornobyl-related topics and contributing to remembering about the consequences of the worst nuclear accident in history the effects of which are still being felt today. This and other events confirm one more time that the United Nations’ agencies continue to pay considerable attention to the Chornobyl-related problems and mitigation of Chornobyl fall-out. 

For the second year in a row, 14 representatives of local government from Chornobyl-affected areas of Ukraine participated in a study tour to Poland to gain experience in local development strategies elaboration and implementation.

Borodyanka, Kyiv region, 25 April: Sports and Recreation Centre has opened in Borodyanka, revealing an outstanding partnership result between local authorities, entrepreneurs and international donors for the communities in one of Ukraine’s Chornobyl-affected areas.

Chernihiv Region, March 28: H.E. Mr. Mutsuo Mabuchi, Ambassador of Japan in Ukraine, has opened a Japanese Embassy-backed sanitary-hygienic project at the Pakul village. The project became one more example of the effectiveness of UNDP-led Chornobyl Recovery and Development Programme’s (CRDP) approach to overcoming the effects of the world’s worst nuclear accident in Chornobyl.

Kyiv Region, 9 March: A delegation of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has paid a visit to the projects implemented within the UNDP-led Chornobyl Recovery and Development Programme (CRDP) in Borodyanka district. The goal of the working visit was to familiarize CIDA’s representatives with UNDP/CRDP activities and achievements.

New York, 14 February 2007—At a ceremony today at United Nations headquarters, the world’s top-ranked women’s tennis player, Maria Sharapova, was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). At the same time, Sharapova announced a donation of $100,000 to UNDP Chernobyl-recovery projects.