The UK Program of social assistance to Slavutych is over

During the work of the Third Final International Conference “Social and Economic Revival of Localities after the Closure of Nuclear Facilities” Svetlana Lynkevych, Head of Information and Analytical Department of the Chornobyl Center, presented a report on the results of the project on publication of the International Chornobyl Center’s INSIGHT Magazine. The Conference was held on April 16-19, 2007 in Slavutych and gathered about 100 participants from Russia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the UK.

Results of the UK Program “Mitigation of Social and Economic Consequences after the Closure of Nuclear Facilities in Central and Eastern Europe” were summarized at the conference. Among the main Program’s results is creation of opportunities for the employment of the nuclear plant’s former personnel, including opportunities for their occupational guidance and retraining according to the requirements of labor market; business and entrepreneurship development; increase of local communities’ potential.

Being the important informational constituent of the Program, INSIGHT Magazine provided information about Slavutych’s coping with the consequences after the closure of the nuclear plant, performance of works at the Chornobyl NPP site and within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, ecological condition of the contaminated areas; the efforts of the Government of Ukraine and international community in solving a set of Chornobyl issues.

During the conference, the delegates shared their experience in social and economic revival of NPP satellite-towns: Slavutych, Kozloduy and Visaginas, discussed mechanisms and effectiveness of national and municipal support to local development.

Participants of the forum visited social facilities and enterprises established within the framework of the Program’s projects in Slavutych and also made a tour of the Chornobyl NPP.