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Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
First Lady's Office
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Speechwriting
Subseries:
Laura Schiller: HRC Speeches 9/95 - 11/96, Clinton/Gore Speeches 1996
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HRC Speeches 5/96 - 6/96: [5/1 Chernobyl Event]
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1
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
SPEECHES
MAY-JUNE 1996
NOTE: Campaign speeches in separate binder
May
Craftsmen's Guild, Pittsburgh
5/1
Chernobyl event
6/7
Roundtable Discussion with Working
5/7
St. Peter's College Conference (video)
Families, Pittsburgh
5/7
Liberty Hill Foundation dinner (video)
6/8
Remarks for Florida Society of Newspaper
5/7
Ben Gurion Medical School (video)
Editors and Florida Press Association
5/7
National Associationof WIC Directors
6/8
Remarks at Valencia Community College
(video)
6/10
Remarks for Opening of Cassidy's Place
5/7
Women Incorporated (video)
6/10
Remarks to the 58th Annual Convention of
5/7
Breast Cancer Awareness Event
the Communication Workers of America
5/7
Benefit for the C&O Canal
6/11
Tribute to Dr. C. Everett Koop (video)
5/10
Policy Alternatives Dinner
6/11
Tribute to Jane Alexander (video)
5/10
Presidential Awards for Math and Science
6/11
Remarks for the Fourth SIDS International
5/10
Mother's Day Adoption Event (talking
Conference
points), Roosevelt Room
6/12
Remarks for Triton College
5/11
University of Arkansas Commencement
6/12
Remarks for the National Association of
5/11
Fort Smith Tornado Victims
Hispanic Journalists
5/15
Congressional Club Luncheon
6/14
Remarks for Women Presidents Summit
5/18
Drew University Commencement
(video)
5/21
Freedom Forum Foreign Journalists
6/14
Remarks for Children's Conference,
Memorial
Kansas City, MO
5/21
Senate Spouses luncheon
6/14
Lunch with Children's Advocates, Kansas
5/22
Colorado Children's Conference
City, MO (talking points)
5/22
Colorado Forum Childrens' Advocacy
6/15
Remarks for the 1996 Scholastic Art and
Breakfast (talking points)
Writing Awards Ceremony
5/22
AARP Biennial Convention
6/17
Women's Health Briefing (talking points)
5/23
University of MD Commencement
6/21
Senate Spouses Luncheon (talking points)
5/28
Washington Interfaith Network
6/21
Remarks for California Women's Agenda
5/28
Hispanic reception--South Lawn
Conference (video)
5/28
National Council for International Health
6/21
Remarks for National Association of
(video)
Commissions for Women (video)
5/28
National Forum for Survivors of Violence
6/21
Tribute for Archbishop Iakovos (video)
(video)
6/21
Remarks for the American Council on
5/28
Natl. Assoc. For the Education of Young
Education GED Conference (video)
Children Professional Development (video)
6/21
Remarks for the 25th Anniversary
5/28
Tribute to Bishop Richard and Julia Wilke
Celebration, Natl. Ctr. for Youth Law (v)
(video)
6/21
Remarks for Hadassah, 82nd National
5/28
Reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Art
Convention (video)
Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art
6/21
Remarks for U.S. Dept. of Education
5/30
Dedication of Covenant House California
Satellite Town Meeting (video)
5/30
Remarks for Muslim Women's League and
6/21
Tribute to Jane Alexander, Women in Film
Muslim Public Affairs Council Luncheon
Humanitarian Award (video)
5/30
Children's Action Network, Hollywood
6/21
Remarks for Olympic Torch Departure
Policy Center Reception for Children
Ceremony
5/30
Anti-Drug Anti-Tobacco Discussion,
6/22
Remarks to the National PTA 100th
McClatchy High School, Sacramento
Annual Convention
6/24
Remarks for the Gore Family Conference,
June
Nashville, TN
6/5
Everybody Wins! End of School Year
6/24
Statement on Woodward's book The
Celebration
Choice
6/5
Statement upon the death of Muriel Alper
6/24
Remarks, Benefit Luncheon of Mothers
6/6
Remarks for the Communitarian Network
Against Violence in America, Seattle
6/7
Roundtable Discussion Manchester
Chornobyl event
5/1
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
REMARKS FOR CHERNOBYL CHALLENGE '96
THE WHITE HOUSE
MAY 1, 1996
Welcome to the White House for this special commemoration of
the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy. I want to
thank all of you for taking part. Let me also extend a special
welcome to the Ambassadors of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. They
have joined us today to recognize the many individuals and
organizations who have helped with relief efforts in the
aftermath of Chernobyl -- and to rededicate ourselves to the
healing and recovery that must continue into the future.
Ambassador Shcherbak [Share-BOCK], we are particularly
indebted to you. You were one of the first medical doctors to
respond to the tragedy at Chernobyl. And in the years since, few
have done as much as you, Mr. Ambassador, to educate people
around the world about the medical and scientific realities of
the Chernobyl disaster and what they portend for humanity's
future. Thank you.
It is a great privilege for me to serve as honorary chair of
Chernobyl Challenge '96, which has convened experts, advocates
and lay people from across the spectrum to devise new strategies
for coping with the aftermath of Chernobyl. Already there have
been symposia of scientists, journalists, academics, church
leaders, business people and others who are working on these
matters. This evening, at St. John's Church, there will be a
prayer service for the victims of Chernobyl. Each of these
gatherings gives us an opportunity to reflect on what we all need
to do as citizens of the world to help those still coping with
this unfolding tragedy.
Today's event is one of profound mourning, but also profound
hope. Mourning because the people of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia
have suffered so much in the ten years since the explosion and
fire at Chernobyl's Unit 4 Reactor. Today, let us pray for those
who lost their lives, and those who live each day with
uncertainty about their own health and well-being.
But we are also here for a celebration of hope. As we so
often see when tragedies occur, Americans and others have
responded with concern and compassion. They -- you -- have
answered the worst of man-made catastrophes with the best of
human nature.
Even before the gravity of Chernobyl was fully revealed,
offers of humanitarian assistance began pouring in. And they have
continued year after year.
1
The private voluntary organizations, including those
represented in this room, have supplied well over 1,000 tons of
medicine and medical equipment and supplies to people in affected
areas. Those donations alone are worth more than $100 million.
Private voluntary organizations have established special
hospitals for the people -- many of them children -- afflicted
with thyroid cancers, leukemia, and other disorders stemming from
exposure to radioactive elements. As part of the recovery effort,
American doctors have gone to the former Soviet Union and
patients have come to the United State for care.
Other organizations here today have focused on the
disaster's environmental consequences. Some are helping address
the overwhelming public health challenges faced in the region.
Still others are helping study and evaluate the long-term effects
of the disaster. Through these and other activities the private
volunteer community continues to focus the world's attention on
the consequences and lessons of Chernobyl.
But these organizations cannot -- and should not -- do all
the work alone. I am proud to say that the generosity of private
volunteers has augmented humanitarian relief efforts by the
United States government, particularly the delivery of medicines
and treatment.
Together, these efforts convey a message of compassion and
healing that tells the victims of Chernobyl that the world will
not forget them or the tragedy they have endured.
Two years ago, and again last year, I was in the former
Soviet Union and I had the opportunity to visit hospitals in
Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. I met with patients, many of them
children, suffering from Chernobyl's aftermath. I talked to
doctors and nurses who told me they were seeing increases in
respiratory illness, heart disease, birth defects, male
infertility and other reproductive problems. They told me about
abnormally high rates of thyroid cancer and thyroid diseases in
children -- diseases that before the catastrophe rarely appeared
in people so young.
In Kiev, I talked to pregnant women who worried about what
Chernobyl would mean for their children -- and their children's
children.
And at each hospital I visited, I saw extraordinary work
being done by health care professionals under extremely trying
circumstances. Doctors and nurses were facing a chronic shortage
of medicine and supplies -- everything from syringes to MRI
machines, and simple antibiotics to chemotherapy medications.
2
Thanks to the contributions of our government and many
organizations -- and to the partnerships that our own hospitals
have established with hospitals in these three countries -- lives
are literally being saved every day.
Just in the brief time I was in Minsk, I saw American
doctors from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh sharing new
treatment techniques with their Belarussian counterparts.
I watched soldiers deliver large boxes of blankets,
syringes, bandages, and medicine provided through Operation
Provide Hope, a program run by our military that sends surplus
medical supplies and equipment to the former Soviet Union. I was
able to pass out crayons and coloring books donated by American
companies, and even Boston Celtics caps that the team sent over.
of course, this was just a fraction of the American relief
work going on there. And a fraction of the work that remains to
be done by all of us, and by others around the world.
As we celebrate today the many good deeds born of the
Chernobyl tragedy, let's not forget that humanitarian assistance
to that region is not a short-term investment. The people and
nations of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are struggling to build
the infrastructure and institutions needed to sustain democracy
and repair the human spirit after harsh decades of
totalitarianism. It is our duty -- our moral responsibility as
believers in freedom and a democratic way of life -- to help
them.
Chernobyl is rare in the litany of global tragedies. Unlike
bombings, wars, earthquakes, and other natural and man-made
disasters, we may never fully know the extent of damage done by
the explosion and fire at Chernobyl ten years ago.
Some of the more obvious after-effects are well-documented.
We know about families that have had to relocate, entire
watersheds that are contaminated, rich farmlands that are
unusable and the array of medical problems befalling the people
of that region.
But what about the ultimate impact on the environment? On
the food chain? On human genetics?
And what about our own capacity to recognize that a tragedy
like Chernobyl affects not just the people of Ukraine, Belarus
and Russia, but people in every nation of the world?
The history of the Chernobyl region is one of endurance. The
nuclear disaster was a horrible chapter in that history. But from
that crucible has emerged an opportunity to create something far
better in its place. An opportunity to add another chapter that
3
speaks to the resilience of Chernobyl's people, and the caring
and compassion of our entire global family.
Thank you for your work, your prayers, and your continued
commitment to this important cause.
And now, I have the honor of introducing a man whose
attention to Chernobyl and its aftermath has never wavered -- the
Vice President of the United States, Al Gore.
###
4
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 1, 1996
REMARKS BY FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHORNOBYL TRAGEDY
THE WHITE HOUSE
Thank you and please be seated. And please know how welcome
you are here at the White House for this special commemoration of
the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear tragedy. I want to
thank all of you for taking part. But there are a few people I
would like to acknowledge who are here in the audience: Senator
Claiborne Pell, Brian Atwood, Ambassador Jim Collins, John Holem,
Richard Morningstar, others who have worked on behalf of the
United States government to assist those who have dealt on the
front lines with the tragedy. I also want to extend a special
welcome to the Ambassadors who were just introduced to all of
you. Ambassadors of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. They have
joined us today to recognize the many individuals and
organizations who have helped with relief efforts in the
aftermath of Chornobyl -- and they are here also to join with us
in rededicating ourselves to the healing and recovery that must
continue into the future.
Ambassador Shcherbak, we are particularly indebted to you.
You were one of the first medical doctors to respond to the
tragedy at Chornobyl. And in the years since, few have done as
much as you, Mr. Ambassador, to educate people around the world
about the medical and scientific realities of the Chornobyl
disaster, and what they portend for humanity's future. I would
like to ask Ambassador Shcherbak to stand, so that we may thank
him.
Before the Vice President and I came into this room, we were
in the Blue Room with the Ambassadors and the wives who are here,
and the other dignitaries that I just acknowledged, and
Ambassador Shcherbak reminded the Vice President and me that it
was on May 1, ten years ago, that children were encouraged and
even required to participate in May Day activities, despite the
dangers of fallout and continuing damages from Chornobyl. And
those who are in this room, who have worked on behalf of all of
the people affected by Chornobyl, know what a terrible aftermath
that has caused in the lives of so many children.
That is why it is a great privilege for me to serve as
1
honorary chair of Chornobyl Challenge '96, which has convened
experts, advocates and lay people from across the spectrum to
devise new strategies for coping with the aftermath of Chornobyl.
Already there have been symposia of scientists, journalists,
academics, church leaders, business people and others who are
working on these matters. This evening, at St. John's Church,
there will be a prayer service for the victims of Chornobyl. Each
of these gatherings gives us an opportunity to reflect on what we
all need to do as citizens of the world to help those still
coping with this unfolding tragedy.
Today's event is one both of mourning, but also of hope.
Mourning because the people of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia have
suffered so much in the ten years since the explosion and fire at
Chornobyl's Unit 4 Reactor. Today, let us pray for those who lost
their lives, and those who live each day with uncertainty about
their own health and well-being.
But we are also here for a celebration of hope. As we so
often see when tragedies occur, here and around the world,
Americans and others respond with concern and compassion. They,
and you, the entire human family, have answered the worst of man-
made catastrophes with the best of human nature.
Even before the gravity of Chornobyl was fully revealed,
offers of humanitarian assistance began pouring in. And they have
continued year after year.
The private voluntary organizations, including those
represented in this room, have supplied well over 1,000 tons of
medicine and medical equipment and supplies to people in affected
areas. Those donations alone are worth more than $100 million.
Private voluntary organizations have also established
special hospitals for those people -- many of are children --
afflicted with thyroid cancers, leukemia, and other disorders
stemming from exposure to radioactive elements. As part of the
recovery effort, American doctors have gone to the former Soviet
Union and patients have come to the United State for care.
Other organizations here today have focused on the
disaster's environmental consequences. Some are helping address
the overwhelming public health challenges faced in the region.
And still others are helping to study and evaluate the long-term
effects of the disaster. Through these and other activities the
private volunteer community continues to focus the world's
attention on the consequences and lessons of Chornobyl.
But these organizations cannot -- and should not -- do this
work alone. I am pleased that the generosity of private
volunteers has augmented humanitarian relief efforts by the
United States government, particularly the delivery of medicines
2
and treatment.
Today, these efforts convey a message of compassion and
healing that tells the victims of Chornobyl that the world will
not forget them or the tragedy they have endured.
Two years ago, and again last year, I was in the former
Soviet Union and I had the opportunity to visit hospitals in
Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. I met with patients, many of them
children, suffering from Chornobyl's aftermath. I talked with
doctors and nurses who told me they were seeing increases in
respiratory illness, heart disease, birth defects, male
infertility and other reproductive problems. They told me about
abnormally high rates of thyroid cancer and thyroid diseases in
children -- diseases that before the catastrophe rarely appeared
in people so young.
In Kiev, I talked to pregnant women who worried about what
Chornobyl would mean for their children -- and their children's
children.
And at each hospital I visited, I saw extraordinary work
being done by health care professionals under extremely trying
circumstances. Doctors and nurses face chronic shortages of
medicine and supplies -- everything from syringes and simple
antibiotics to chemotherapy medications and MRI machines.
Thanks to the contributions of our government and many
organizations -- and to the partnerships that our hospitals have
established with hospitals in these three countries -- lives are
literally being saved every day.
Just in the brief time I was in Minsk, I saw American
doctors from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh sharing new
treatment techniques with their counterparts in Belarus.
I watched soldiers deliver large boxes of blankets,
syringes, bandages, and medicine provided through Operation
Provide Hope, a program run by the United States military that
sends surplus medical supplies and equipment to the former Soviet
Union. I was able to pass out crayons and coloring books donated
by American companies, and even Boston Celtics caps that the team
had sent.
Of course, this was just a fraction of the American relief
work going on. And a fraction of the work that remains to be done
by all of us.
As we celebrate, today, the many good and important deeds
that were born of this tragedy, let's not forget that
humanitarian assistance is not a short-term investment. The
people and nations of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are struggling
3
to build the infrastructure and institutions needed to sustain
democracy and repair the human spirit after harsh decades of
totalitarianism. It is our duty, it is our moral responsibility,
as believers in freedom and democracy -- to help them.
Chornobyl is rare in the litany of global tragedies. Unlike
bombings, wars, earthquakes, other natural and man-made
disasters, we may never fully know the extent of damage done by
the explosion and fire at Chornobyl ten years ago.
Some of the more obvious after-effects are well-documented.
But what about the ultimate impact on the environment? On the
food chain? On human genetics? And what about our own capacity to
recognize that a tragedy like Chornobyl affects not just the
people of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, but people in every nation
of the world?
The history of the people in the region of Chornobyl is a
history of endurance. The nuclear disaster was a horrible chapter
in that history. But from that crucible has emerged an
opportunity to create something far better in its place. An
opportunity to add another chapter that speaks to the resilience
of the people of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, and to the caring
and compassion of our entire global family.
We are very grateful for all of you in this room, and for
the many, many others you represent. Who through your work, your
prayers, and your continued commitment to this important effort
have already made a difference, and will continue to do so.
There is certainly, much more that we need to be doing, and
Chornobyl Challenge '96 I hope will identify those efforts. But
we have three people here today, who have been deeply involved in
assessing and evaluating, understanding, and working to
ameliorate the consequences of Chornobyl. First we will hear
from our Vice President, he will talk to us about the efforts and
commitment of the Administration and the United States
government. Next, we will here from Alex Kuzma, who as the
coordinator of Chornobyl Challenge '96 will talk to us about the
commitment of the American relief community. And finally we will
hear from Vova Malofienko, a courageous 12 year old who will tell
of his personal story about the treatment he has been receiving
in this country for Chornobyl related illnesses.
And now, I have the honor of introducing a man whose
attention to Chornobyl and its aftermath has never wavered, who
in many respects tried to warn all of us about some of the issues
we are now dealing with, because of his commitment to the
environment and to the future that we all share together in this
world -- the Vice President of the United States.
###
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"ocrText": "FOIA Number:\n2006-1733-F\nFOIA\nMARKER\nThis is not a textual record. This is used as an\nadministrative marker by the William J. Clinton\nPresidential Library Staff.\nCollection/Record Group:\nClinton Presidential Records\nSubgroup/Office of Origin:\nFirst Lady's Office\nSeries/Staff Member:\nSpeechwriting\nSubseries:\nLaura Schiller: HRC Speeches 9/95 - 11/96, Clinton/Gore Speeches 1996\nOA/ID Number:\n24622\nFolderID:\nFolder Title:\nHRC Speeches 5/96 - 6/96: [5/1 Chernobyl Event]\nStack:\nRow:\nSection:\nShelf:\nPosition:\nS\n61\n2\n4\n1\nFIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON\nSPEECHES\nMAY-JUNE 1996\nNOTE: Campaign speeches in separate binder\nMay\nCraftsmen's Guild, Pittsburgh\n5/1\nChernobyl event\n6/7\nRoundtable Discussion with Working\n5/7\nSt. Peter's College Conference (video)\nFamilies, Pittsburgh\n5/7\nLiberty Hill Foundation dinner (video)\n6/8\nRemarks for Florida Society of Newspaper\n5/7\nBen Gurion Medical School (video)\nEditors and Florida Press Association\n5/7\nNational Associationof WIC Directors\n6/8\nRemarks at Valencia Community College\n(video)\n6/10\nRemarks for Opening of Cassidy's Place\n5/7\nWomen Incorporated (video)\n6/10\nRemarks to the 58th Annual Convention of\n5/7\nBreast Cancer Awareness Event\nthe Communication Workers of America\n5/7\nBenefit for the C&O Canal\n6/11\nTribute to Dr. C. Everett Koop (video)\n5/10\nPolicy Alternatives Dinner\n6/11\nTribute to Jane Alexander (video)\n5/10\nPresidential Awards for Math and Science\n6/11\nRemarks for the Fourth SIDS International\n5/10\nMother's Day Adoption Event (talking\nConference\npoints), Roosevelt Room\n6/12\nRemarks for Triton College\n5/11\nUniversity of Arkansas Commencement\n6/12\nRemarks for the National Association of\n5/11\nFort Smith Tornado Victims\nHispanic Journalists\n5/15\nCongressional Club Luncheon\n6/14\nRemarks for Women Presidents Summit\n5/18\nDrew University Commencement\n(video)\n5/21\nFreedom Forum Foreign Journalists\n6/14\nRemarks for Children's Conference,\nMemorial\nKansas City, MO\n5/21\nSenate Spouses luncheon\n6/14\nLunch with Children's Advocates, Kansas\n5/22\nColorado Children's Conference\nCity, MO (talking points)\n5/22\nColorado Forum Childrens' Advocacy\n6/15\nRemarks for the 1996 Scholastic Art and\nBreakfast (talking points)\nWriting Awards Ceremony\n5/22\nAARP Biennial Convention\n6/17\nWomen's Health Briefing (talking points)\n5/23\nUniversity of MD Commencement\n6/21\nSenate Spouses Luncheon (talking points)\n5/28\nWashington Interfaith Network\n6/21\nRemarks for California Women's Agenda\n5/28\nHispanic reception--South Lawn\nConference (video)\n5/28\nNational Council for International Health\n6/21\nRemarks for National Association of\n(video)\nCommissions for Women (video)\n5/28\nNational Forum for Survivors of Violence\n6/21\nTribute for Archbishop Iakovos (video)\n(video)\n6/21\nRemarks for the American Council on\n5/28\nNatl. Assoc. For the Education of Young\nEducation GED Conference (video)\nChildren Professional Development (video)\n6/21\nRemarks for the 25th Anniversary\n5/28\nTribute to Bishop Richard and Julia Wilke\nCelebration, Natl. Ctr. for Youth Law (v)\n(video)\n6/21\nRemarks for Hadassah, 82nd National\n5/28\nReinstallation of the Greek and Roman Art\nConvention (video)\nCollection, Metropolitan Museum of Art\n6/21\nRemarks for U.S. Dept. of Education\n5/30\nDedication of Covenant House California\nSatellite Town Meeting (video)\n5/30\nRemarks for Muslim Women's League and\n6/21\nTribute to Jane Alexander, Women in Film\nMuslim Public Affairs Council Luncheon\nHumanitarian Award (video)\n5/30\nChildren's Action Network, Hollywood\n6/21\nRemarks for Olympic Torch Departure\nPolicy Center Reception for Children\nCeremony\n5/30\nAnti-Drug Anti-Tobacco Discussion,\n6/22\nRemarks to the National PTA 100th\nMcClatchy High School, Sacramento\nAnnual Convention\n6/24\nRemarks for the Gore Family Conference,\nJune\nNashville, TN\n6/5\nEverybody Wins! End of School Year\n6/24\nStatement on Woodward's book The\nCelebration\nChoice\n6/5\nStatement upon the death of Muriel Alper\n6/24\nRemarks, Benefit Luncheon of Mothers\n6/6\nRemarks for the Communitarian Network\nAgainst Violence in America, Seattle\n6/7\nRoundtable Discussion Manchester\nChornobyl event\n5/1\nFIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON\nREMARKS FOR CHERNOBYL CHALLENGE '96\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nMAY 1, 1996\nWelcome to the White House for this special commemoration of\nthe 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy. I want to\nthank all of you for taking part. Let me also extend a special\nwelcome to the Ambassadors of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. They\nhave joined us today to recognize the many individuals and\norganizations who have helped with relief efforts in the\naftermath of Chernobyl -- and to rededicate ourselves to the\nhealing and recovery that must continue into the future.\nAmbassador Shcherbak [Share-BOCK], we are particularly\nindebted to you. You were one of the first medical doctors to\nrespond to the tragedy at Chernobyl. And in the years since, few\nhave done as much as you, Mr. Ambassador, to educate people\naround the world about the medical and scientific realities of\nthe Chernobyl disaster and what they portend for humanity's\nfuture. Thank you.\nIt is a great privilege for me to serve as honorary chair of\nChernobyl Challenge '96, which has convened experts, advocates\nand lay people from across the spectrum to devise new strategies\nfor coping with the aftermath of Chernobyl. Already there have\nbeen symposia of scientists, journalists, academics, church\nleaders, business people and others who are working on these\nmatters. This evening, at St. John's Church, there will be a\nprayer service for the victims of Chernobyl. Each of these\ngatherings gives us an opportunity to reflect on what we all need\nto do as citizens of the world to help those still coping with\nthis unfolding tragedy.\nToday's event is one of profound mourning, but also profound\nhope. Mourning because the people of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia\nhave suffered so much in the ten years since the explosion and\nfire at Chernobyl's Unit 4 Reactor. Today, let us pray for those\nwho lost their lives, and those who live each day with\nuncertainty about their own health and well-being.\nBut we are also here for a celebration of hope. As we so\noften see when tragedies occur, Americans and others have\nresponded with concern and compassion. They -- you -- have\nanswered the worst of man-made catastrophes with the best of\nhuman nature.\nEven before the gravity of Chernobyl was fully revealed,\noffers of humanitarian assistance began pouring in. And they have\ncontinued year after year.\n1\nThe private voluntary organizations, including those\nrepresented in this room, have supplied well over 1,000 tons of\nmedicine and medical equipment and supplies to people in affected\nareas. Those donations alone are worth more than $100 million.\nPrivate voluntary organizations have established special\nhospitals for the people -- many of them children -- afflicted\nwith thyroid cancers, leukemia, and other disorders stemming from\nexposure to radioactive elements. As part of the recovery effort,\nAmerican doctors have gone to the former Soviet Union and\npatients have come to the United State for care.\nOther organizations here today have focused on the\ndisaster's environmental consequences. Some are helping address\nthe overwhelming public health challenges faced in the region.\nStill others are helping study and evaluate the long-term effects\nof the disaster. Through these and other activities the private\nvolunteer community continues to focus the world's attention on\nthe consequences and lessons of Chernobyl.\nBut these organizations cannot -- and should not -- do all\nthe work alone. I am proud to say that the generosity of private\nvolunteers has augmented humanitarian relief efforts by the\nUnited States government, particularly the delivery of medicines\nand treatment.\nTogether, these efforts convey a message of compassion and\nhealing that tells the victims of Chernobyl that the world will\nnot forget them or the tragedy they have endured.\nTwo years ago, and again last year, I was in the former\nSoviet Union and I had the opportunity to visit hospitals in\nUkraine, Belarus and Russia. I met with patients, many of them\nchildren, suffering from Chernobyl's aftermath. I talked to\ndoctors and nurses who told me they were seeing increases in\nrespiratory illness, heart disease, birth defects, male\ninfertility and other reproductive problems. They told me about\nabnormally high rates of thyroid cancer and thyroid diseases in\nchildren -- diseases that before the catastrophe rarely appeared\nin people so young.\nIn Kiev, I talked to pregnant women who worried about what\nChernobyl would mean for their children -- and their children's\nchildren.\nAnd at each hospital I visited, I saw extraordinary work\nbeing done by health care professionals under extremely trying\ncircumstances. Doctors and nurses were facing a chronic shortage\nof medicine and supplies -- everything from syringes to MRI\nmachines, and simple antibiotics to chemotherapy medications.\n2\nThanks to the contributions of our government and many\norganizations -- and to the partnerships that our own hospitals\nhave established with hospitals in these three countries -- lives\nare literally being saved every day.\nJust in the brief time I was in Minsk, I saw American\ndoctors from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh sharing new\ntreatment techniques with their Belarussian counterparts.\nI watched soldiers deliver large boxes of blankets,\nsyringes, bandages, and medicine provided through Operation\nProvide Hope, a program run by our military that sends surplus\nmedical supplies and equipment to the former Soviet Union. I was\nable to pass out crayons and coloring books donated by American\ncompanies, and even Boston Celtics caps that the team sent over.\nof course, this was just a fraction of the American relief\nwork going on there. And a fraction of the work that remains to\nbe done by all of us, and by others around the world.\nAs we celebrate today the many good deeds born of the\nChernobyl tragedy, let's not forget that humanitarian assistance\nto that region is not a short-term investment. The people and\nnations of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are struggling to build\nthe infrastructure and institutions needed to sustain democracy\nand repair the human spirit after harsh decades of\ntotalitarianism. It is our duty -- our moral responsibility as\nbelievers in freedom and a democratic way of life -- to help\nthem.\nChernobyl is rare in the litany of global tragedies. Unlike\nbombings, wars, earthquakes, and other natural and man-made\ndisasters, we may never fully know the extent of damage done by\nthe explosion and fire at Chernobyl ten years ago.\nSome of the more obvious after-effects are well-documented.\nWe know about families that have had to relocate, entire\nwatersheds that are contaminated, rich farmlands that are\nunusable and the array of medical problems befalling the people\nof that region.\nBut what about the ultimate impact on the environment? On\nthe food chain? On human genetics?\nAnd what about our own capacity to recognize that a tragedy\nlike Chernobyl affects not just the people of Ukraine, Belarus\nand Russia, but people in every nation of the world?\nThe history of the Chernobyl region is one of endurance. The\nnuclear disaster was a horrible chapter in that history. But from\nthat crucible has emerged an opportunity to create something far\nbetter in its place. An opportunity to add another chapter that\n3\nspeaks to the resilience of Chernobyl's people, and the caring\nand compassion of our entire global family.\nThank you for your work, your prayers, and your continued\ncommitment to this important cause.\nAnd now, I have the honor of introducing a man whose\nattention to Chernobyl and its aftermath has never wavered -- the\nVice President of the United States, Al Gore.\n###\n4\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nOffice of the Press Secretary\nFor Immediate Release\nMay 1, 1996\nREMARKS BY FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON\nREMARKS AT THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHORNOBYL TRAGEDY\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nThank you and please be seated. And please know how welcome\nyou are here at the White House for this special commemoration of\nthe 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear tragedy. I want to\nthank all of you for taking part. But there are a few people I\nwould like to acknowledge who are here in the audience: Senator\nClaiborne Pell, Brian Atwood, Ambassador Jim Collins, John Holem,\nRichard Morningstar, others who have worked on behalf of the\nUnited States government to assist those who have dealt on the\nfront lines with the tragedy. I also want to extend a special\nwelcome to the Ambassadors who were just introduced to all of\nyou. Ambassadors of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. They have\njoined us today to recognize the many individuals and\norganizations who have helped with relief efforts in the\naftermath of Chornobyl -- and they are here also to join with us\nin rededicating ourselves to the healing and recovery that must\ncontinue into the future.\nAmbassador Shcherbak, we are particularly indebted to you.\nYou were one of the first medical doctors to respond to the\ntragedy at Chornobyl. And in the years since, few have done as\nmuch as you, Mr. Ambassador, to educate people around the world\nabout the medical and scientific realities of the Chornobyl\ndisaster, and what they portend for humanity's future. I would\nlike to ask Ambassador Shcherbak to stand, so that we may thank\nhim.\nBefore the Vice President and I came into this room, we were\nin the Blue Room with the Ambassadors and the wives who are here,\nand the other dignitaries that I just acknowledged, and\nAmbassador Shcherbak reminded the Vice President and me that it\nwas on May 1, ten years ago, that children were encouraged and\neven required to participate in May Day activities, despite the\ndangers of fallout and continuing damages from Chornobyl. And\nthose who are in this room, who have worked on behalf of all of\nthe people affected by Chornobyl, know what a terrible aftermath\nthat has caused in the lives of so many children.\nThat is why it is a great privilege for me to serve as\n1\nhonorary chair of Chornobyl Challenge '96, which has convened\nexperts, advocates and lay people from across the spectrum to\ndevise new strategies for coping with the aftermath of Chornobyl.\nAlready there have been symposia of scientists, journalists,\nacademics, church leaders, business people and others who are\nworking on these matters. This evening, at St. John's Church,\nthere will be a prayer service for the victims of Chornobyl. Each\nof these gatherings gives us an opportunity to reflect on what we\nall need to do as citizens of the world to help those still\ncoping with this unfolding tragedy.\nToday's event is one both of mourning, but also of hope.\nMourning because the people of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia have\nsuffered so much in the ten years since the explosion and fire at\nChornobyl's Unit 4 Reactor. Today, let us pray for those who lost\ntheir lives, and those who live each day with uncertainty about\ntheir own health and well-being.\nBut we are also here for a celebration of hope. As we so\noften see when tragedies occur, here and around the world,\nAmericans and others respond with concern and compassion. They,\nand you, the entire human family, have answered the worst of man-\nmade catastrophes with the best of human nature.\nEven before the gravity of Chornobyl was fully revealed,\noffers of humanitarian assistance began pouring in. And they have\ncontinued year after year.\nThe private voluntary organizations, including those\nrepresented in this room, have supplied well over 1,000 tons of\nmedicine and medical equipment and supplies to people in affected\nareas. Those donations alone are worth more than $100 million.\nPrivate voluntary organizations have also established\nspecial hospitals for those people -- many of are children --\nafflicted with thyroid cancers, leukemia, and other disorders\nstemming from exposure to radioactive elements. As part of the\nrecovery effort, American doctors have gone to the former Soviet\nUnion and patients have come to the United State for care.\nOther organizations here today have focused on the\ndisaster's environmental consequences. Some are helping address\nthe overwhelming public health challenges faced in the region.\nAnd still others are helping to study and evaluate the long-term\neffects of the disaster. Through these and other activities the\nprivate volunteer community continues to focus the world's\nattention on the consequences and lessons of Chornobyl.\nBut these organizations cannot -- and should not -- do this\nwork alone. I am pleased that the generosity of private\nvolunteers has augmented humanitarian relief efforts by the\nUnited States government, particularly the delivery of medicines\n2\nand treatment.\nToday, these efforts convey a message of compassion and\nhealing that tells the victims of Chornobyl that the world will\nnot forget them or the tragedy they have endured.\nTwo years ago, and again last year, I was in the former\nSoviet Union and I had the opportunity to visit hospitals in\nUkraine, Belarus and Russia. I met with patients, many of them\nchildren, suffering from Chornobyl's aftermath. I talked with\ndoctors and nurses who told me they were seeing increases in\nrespiratory illness, heart disease, birth defects, male\ninfertility and other reproductive problems. They told me about\nabnormally high rates of thyroid cancer and thyroid diseases in\nchildren -- diseases that before the catastrophe rarely appeared\nin people so young.\nIn Kiev, I talked to pregnant women who worried about what\nChornobyl would mean for their children -- and their children's\nchildren.\nAnd at each hospital I visited, I saw extraordinary work\nbeing done by health care professionals under extremely trying\ncircumstances. Doctors and nurses face chronic shortages of\nmedicine and supplies -- everything from syringes and simple\nantibiotics to chemotherapy medications and MRI machines.\nThanks to the contributions of our government and many\norganizations -- and to the partnerships that our hospitals have\nestablished with hospitals in these three countries -- lives are\nliterally being saved every day.\nJust in the brief time I was in Minsk, I saw American\ndoctors from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh sharing new\ntreatment techniques with their counterparts in Belarus.\nI watched soldiers deliver large boxes of blankets,\nsyringes, bandages, and medicine provided through Operation\nProvide Hope, a program run by the United States military that\nsends surplus medical supplies and equipment to the former Soviet\nUnion. I was able to pass out crayons and coloring books donated\nby American companies, and even Boston Celtics caps that the team\nhad sent.\nOf course, this was just a fraction of the American relief\nwork going on. And a fraction of the work that remains to be done\nby all of us.\nAs we celebrate, today, the many good and important deeds\nthat were born of this tragedy, let's not forget that\nhumanitarian assistance is not a short-term investment. The\npeople and nations of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are struggling\n3\nto build the infrastructure and institutions needed to sustain\ndemocracy and repair the human spirit after harsh decades of\ntotalitarianism. It is our duty, it is our moral responsibility,\nas believers in freedom and democracy -- to help them.\nChornobyl is rare in the litany of global tragedies. Unlike\nbombings, wars, earthquakes, other natural and man-made\ndisasters, we may never fully know the extent of damage done by\nthe explosion and fire at Chornobyl ten years ago.\nSome of the more obvious after-effects are well-documented.\nBut what about the ultimate impact on the environment? On the\nfood chain? On human genetics? And what about our own capacity to\nrecognize that a tragedy like Chornobyl affects not just the\npeople of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, but people in every nation\nof the world?\nThe history of the people in the region of Chornobyl is a\nhistory of endurance. The nuclear disaster was a horrible chapter\nin that history. But from that crucible has emerged an\nopportunity to create something far better in its place. An\nopportunity to add another chapter that speaks to the resilience\nof the people of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, and to the caring\nand compassion of our entire global family.\nWe are very grateful for all of you in this room, and for\nthe many, many others you represent. Who through your work, your\nprayers, and your continued commitment to this important effort\nhave already made a difference, and will continue to do so.\nThere is certainly, much more that we need to be doing, and\nChornobyl Challenge '96 I hope will identify those efforts. But\nwe have three people here today, who have been deeply involved in\nassessing and evaluating, understanding, and working to\nameliorate the consequences of Chornobyl. First we will hear\nfrom our Vice President, he will talk to us about the efforts and\ncommitment of the Administration and the United States\ngovernment. Next, we will here from Alex Kuzma, who as the\ncoordinator of Chornobyl Challenge '96 will talk to us about the\ncommitment of the American relief community. And finally we will\nhear from Vova Malofienko, a courageous 12 year old who will tell\nof his personal story about the treatment he has been receiving\nin this country for Chornobyl related illnesses.\nAnd now, I have the honor of introducing a man whose\nattention to Chornobyl and its aftermath has never wavered, who\nin many respects tried to warn all of us about some of the issues\nwe are now dealing with, because of his commitment to the\nenvironment and to the future that we all share together in this\nworld -- the Vice President of the United States.\n###\n4"
}