Statement re Nuclear PP hazard 032522 

FOR COMMENT, soon to be submitted to editing (Irene Jarosewich, Main rep WFUWO to UNGC ) before posting 

TO BE posted as Google Doc for Signatures and 

Then to be sent to Addressees: 

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi; 

UN Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet; 

UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous; 

UN Women Civil Society Liaison Lopa Banerjee; 

Ambasador Mathu Joyini (South Africa), Chair of CSW 66;  

Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh (UAE), President of the UN Security Council; 

Ms. Gladys Acosta Vargas, Chair of CEDAW; 

Federico Villegas, President of the United Nations Human Rights Council;

 send to the Permanent Missions supporting Ukraine (40 signed onto statement read at the end of the CSW 66 by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield; 

Ukraine ministers and delegates to the CSW 66

(Dr Mini Murthy   and others. )

Mohinder Watson also mentioned for further distribution to plug into networks of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, NGO Committees on status of Women  NA/Europe and other Caucuses, etc etc  World Vision UNICEF  

Statement on the threat of nuclear disaster

created by Russia’s War Actions against Ukraine  

On 25 March, the participants of the NGO Forum of the 66th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, gathered for a discussion of Russia’s war against Ukraine -- organized by the National Council of Women of Ukraine and sponsored by the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations with the support of the International Council of Women, the International Alliance of Women and many other international women’s associations – resolved to direct a statement to the leadership of the United Nations, the UN Women responsible for the empowerment of women worldwide, and the leaders of the international community, to express the solidarity with Ukraine that was strengthened over the duration of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and to address the common peril we face as citizens of the world.  

In keeping with our agreed-upon conclusions made on the morning of 25 March 2022, 

We, the undersigned, signal our extreme concern that the actions taken by the Russian Federation in its continued invasion of Ukraine and the brutal, unprovoked war waged against Ukrainian independence have resulted in an untenable situation of global peril. The seizure by Russian troops of the Chornobyl power plant and Exclusion Zone on 24 February 2022; and the seizure of the southeast Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station on 3 March 2022, have exposed Ukraine, its near region, even all of Europe and potentially the globe, to cataclysmic nuclear threat. The irresponsible behavior of the occupying Russian troops has compromised the physical integrity and power sources for nuclear reactors; caused lapses in personnel rotation and administrative management routines, have disabled safety controls, including radiation monitoring systems; and have created an information black out that precludes the careful monitoring of the overall stability of three of Ukraine’s total of 15 reactors operating across the country. We unequivocally demand immediate unfettered access for experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the immediate and full withdrawal from Ukraine of all Russian military forces so that a full assessment and corrective plan can be implemented for nuclear safety and security. 

On march 2 (at a meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors) , the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi outlined 7 indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security. 

The Seven Pillars are:

1) The physical integrity of the facilities – whether it is the reactors, fuel ponds, or radioactive waste stores – must be maintained;  

Currently, the territory of the Chornobyl exclusion zone is in jeopardy due to Russian military activity, especially the transport and storage of weaponry, which, if exploded, would  be a catastrophe of unknown proportions. In the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia plant in Enerhodar, Russian troops have ill-advisedly detonated unexploded bombs embedded in the walls of neighboring structures in the compound. The wildfires occurring naturally in the Chornobyl zone but exacerbated by dry weather conditions,  may spread uncontrolled, potentially affecting spent fuel storage and radioactive waste management facilities 

 2) All safety and security systems and equipment must be fully functional at all times;  

On February 24, the operation of the Chornobyl power plant was interrupted, causing grave consternation of the world community. 

3) The operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure; 

From 26 February to 21 March, the staff of the Chornobyl plant was denied the opportunity for rotation. The staff are under stress, being harassed by Russian troops keeping them under surveillance. 

4) There must be secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites; 

The Chornobyl plant suffered the severance of its single electric supply due to damage done by Russian troops to the power lines. Power was restored by using diesel powered generators. Inadequate power can lead to irrevocable inset of instability. 

5) There must be uninterrupted logistical supply chains and transportation to and from the sites; 

Neither Ukraine nor the world community is able to provide the Chornobyl or the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants the necessary material without dealing with untrained Russian occupants who are not equipped to understand the danger of the situation.   

6) There must be effective on-site and off-site radiation monitoring systems and emergency preparedness and response measures;  

The Central Analytical Laboratory in Chornobyl was looted and it is still unable to provide reports about the safety of the Exclusion Zone including its current radiation levels.  

7) There must be reliable communications with the regulator and others.  

Communication of the Russian occupants with the Ukrainian atomic regulation authorities cannot be considered reliable, due to the in competence of the occupation forces. 

For a full month, the Director general of the IAEA has been unable to gain access to the captured nuclear power plants, the IAEA has not been able to conduct an inspection by its specialists. We regret to conclude that the IAEA has been rendered completely helpless in the face of this potentially cataclysmic danger. 

Signed

National Council of Women of Ukraine

World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations

Others…