Press releases

MINSK, 27 April (BelTA) – Ms Adi Roche, the head of the Irish charity organization “Chernobyl Children International”, proposed to declare 26 April the International Chernobyl Remembrance Day. Ms Adi Roche spoke on behalf of Belarus at the General Assembly’s commemorative meeting in observance of the 30^th Anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe held in the organization’s New York headquarters on 26 April 2016, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It was for the first time in modern history of the UN General Assembly official proceedings that a foreign citizen spoke on behalf of a delegation of another UN member state. Belarus granted this honorary right to the representative of Ireland to show both the global nature of the Chernobyl consequences and also the absence of boundaries for multinational cooperation to deal with the consequences of such disasters and help victims,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Adi Roche’s speech at the UN General Assembly helped draw attention to an important component of international Chernobyl cooperation, namely practical work of many humanitarian organizations and all people who cannot stay indifferent and sincerely respond to pain and sorrow of other people.

The commemorative meeting in observance of the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe was initiated by Belarus, Russia and Ukraine through the 2013 UN General Assembly Resolution on Chernobyl. The UN member states paused in a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims of the disaster. President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft made a statement followed by the address of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon delivered by his Chef de Cabinet Edmond Mulet.

Adi Roche is the founder and voluntary CEO of the Irish social and humanitarian organization “Chernobyl Children International”, a public and political figure in Ireland. In 1998 Ms Adi Roche was awarded the Order of Francysk Skaryna for her special contribution to the humanitarian assistance to Belarus. She became the first foreign citizen to be honored with the Belarusian highest award. The organization led by Ms Adi Roche conducts its main activities in Belarus through projects in the Chernobyl-affected regions, including social and humanitarian projects (building family-type orphanages, hospices), medical assistance programs for children and people with disabilities.