On 26 April 1986, a remote Soviet village became synonymous with the world's worst nuclear disaster. Along with other UN agencies, the IAEA responded immediately, applying its expertise to mitigate impacts for both people and the environment.

In the past 20 years, countless organizations have been involved in efforts to assess damage and remediate the Chernobyl region. But the IAEA's contributions stand apart. We have drawn upon the unique capabilities of nuclear technologies to better understand impacts in key sectors (e.g., human health, food and agriculture, natural resource management, etc.) and to strengthen social and economic recovery.

By partnering with in-house experts and counterparts in the most affected regions (Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation), the Department of Technical Cooperation (TC) has gone one step further. As is our mandate, we have provided equipment, training and expertise to build scientific capacity at the national and regional level. To date, TC has carried out more than 50 projects in the Chernobyl region, dispersing almost $15 million. And still, our work is far from done.

On 19th April 2006, Ana María Cetto will represent the IAEA at the opening ceremony of the international conference 20 Years After Chernobyl: Strategy for Recovery and Sustainable Development of the Affected Area (Minsk, Belarus). In conjunction, TC will post a series of articles that highlight how technical cooperation is helping to address ongoing challenges and deliver long-term benefits.