The Legacy Program: Annual Report 1998

The Legacy Program:

Annual Report 1998

Basel, 9 March 1999

Dr. Stephan Robinson, St.Galler-Ring 9, CH-4055 Basel

Tel./Fax +41-61-382 91 97 - email greencross@ubaclu.unibas.ch

Introduction

In retrospect, 1998 was an intense working year in an increasingly difficult environment. The economic breakdown in Russia on 17^th August paralysed the entire banking sector, resulting in difficulties for many projects, especially in the regions. Also national and international political crises made an impact.

But 1998 had many good moments too. The practical and pragmatic way, how the Legacy Programme is operated, is widely accepted. What was deemed impossible a few years ago - a NGO offering key services in disarmament - is today reality. It can be said, that the Russian chemical weapons disarmament process would proceed with even more difficulties without the services of Green Cross.

The following sections describe project progress within the different programme modules in more detail.

Radleg (=Radiation Legacy) (Russia, Switzerland)

Radleg collects and compiles data on location, size and scale of the nuclear contamination of the environment by the military use of nuclear materials, and advocates clean-up priorities.

The results of the archive and field searches started in 1994 on Novaya Zemlya (bomb tests); North-West Russia (nuclear fleet); Moscow (R&D); Chelyabinsk, Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk (plutonium breeding); Altai (bomb tests); and Vladivostok (nuclear fleet) have been published at the end of 1998 in Russian in a popular book, which complements the previously published scientific reports and Geographical Information System.

Chemtrust (=Chemical Weapons, Trustbuilding for their destruction)

(Russia, USA, Switzerland)

Chemtrust facilitates chemical weapons destruction through information of and mediation between citizens and the army, independent scientific investigations on debated issues, and social-medical projects in favour of stockpile communities.

Investigation of a former chemical weapons destruction site in Penza (Russia, middle Volga basin)

In 1993, the Russian Army returned a piece of forest, which was formerly used as a destruction site for old ammunition, to the administration of the Penza Oblast. Three dead plots of land repanding a sickening smell were quickly noticed. The proximity to the nearby chemical weapons stockpile Leonidovka as well as interviews held with former employees of the depot soon led to the suspicion that old chemical weapons must have been incinerated here by open pit burning in the 50s and 60s.

Upon request by the Penza Oblast authorities, Green Cross performed from autumn 1997 to summer 1998 an independent investigation of the site. The soil samples that were analysed showed arsenic concentrations exceeding permissible levels by 3'000-65'000 times, traces of mustard gas and its products of transformation, as well as dioxins and furanes (200'000-500'000 permissible levels). The analyses of water samples showed a migration of the substances to the only drinking water reserve of Penza. 2-3 other similar destruction sites are suspected.

The results have been summarised in a 100-page final report (see www.gci.ch) and presented on 15^th October at a press conference to the citizens and administration of Penza. Presently, Green Cross together with the Penza Administration and the Russian Army is designing a strategy for site remediation and attempts to rise the considerable funds needed.

Training of medical staff and authorities in areas of chemical weapons storage (Russia)

The treatment of poisoning inflicted by chemical weapons as well as the emergency preparedness of stockpile communities requests a lot of specific and not widely available expertise. So far, Green Cross experts have trained personnel in 5 Russian stockpile communities in the frame of 10-days courses on medical and emergency issues (Shchuch‘ye, Kizner, Kambarka, Pochep, Penza). A centralised course in Moscow gathered the heads of medical departments of different regions. The relevant experience gathered in the courses currently helps the Russian Ministry of Public Health to draft necessary new legislation and training curricula for people working at the future chemical weapons destruction facilities. In addition, the training material used in the frame of the courses is requested by hospitals from all over Russia.

Kizner Hearing (Russia)

The 4^th Russian public hearing on chemical weapons disarmament took place on the 26^th and 27^th of May in Kizner and Izhevsk (Udmurt Republic, Western Ural). Aims of the hearing were to inform the Kizner population on the concept of the future chemical weapons destruction facility; to facilitate a free exchange of views between all stakeholders; and to provide citizens with the opportunity to ask questions and to express concerns directly to the people in charge.

Several hundred people, who not all could be accommodated in the town hall, attended the hearing. Thus, the presentations were transmitted to the central square by loudspeakers. Main groups of questions raised centred on the general state of health and the emergency preparedness of the community, but also on job opportunities at the future facility and infrastructure investments. All presentations were published in Russian and English proceedings (available at www.gci.ch).

Public outreach offices (Russia)

For the last two years, Green Cross operates public outreach offices in different Russian chemical weapons stockpile communities. The offices are visited each month by hundreds of citizens who seek information on their nearby chemical weapons stockpile and the Federal Destruction Programme. In 1998, the number of offices could be increased from two to four (Kurgan, Shchuch'ye, Penza, Pochep), the financing of a fifth office (Kizner, opened in February 1999) was still under negotiation.

The publication of a series of brochures and fact sheets answering citizen's main concerns and questions was continued. An evaluation of the visitor's questions helps to define upcoming issues as early as possible. Quarterly lecture tours bring key decision-makers directly to the stockpile communities.

Citizens involvement in chemical weapons disarmament (USA)

The American Legacy Programme focuses on building consensus between stakeholders in the national chemical weapons destruction programme and on encouraging further democratic input into destruction research, technology development, and policy-making, with the goal of leading to a destruction of the arsenals in a timely, safe, and environmentally sound manner.

Global Green USA participates as one of the three national environmental and arms control organisations in the national ‘Dialogue on Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment' (DACWA) for the AltTech II program of the U.S. Army. It was selected as one of four members of the Citizens' Advisory Technical Team to be actively engaged in the proprietary procurement process for chemical weapons destruction technologies.

A key issue today in chemical weapons disarmament is the involvement of citizens in the decision making process. The USA and Europe know different successful models, from which the Russian process could profit. In preparation of a workshop on Citizen Advisory Commissions in Moscow, Global Green USA has researched the experience of more than 25 citizens' groups, and prepared a workshop document summarising basic ground rules, structures and main lessons learned.

Different activities

On the 4^th November, Green Cross Russia organised a one-day Forum in Moscow to mark the first anniversary of the Russian ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention. All stakeholder groups (central ministries, regional authorities, army, scientific institutions, and NGOs) attended it. The Forum made a layout of all unresolved questions in the Russian chemical weapons destruction process. Several regions decided to draw, with the help of Green Cross Russia, investment plans in order to facilitate foreign investments in local infrastructure development. The missing investments in local infrastructure are a main obstacle today in the chemical weapons destruction process.

A main concern of citizens living around chemical weapons stockpile is a possible impact of the stored weapons on their health. An investigation in collaboration with the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine (University of Basel, Switzerland) explored the question, whether any conclusion about such a link are possible in view of the quality of the existing epidemiological data and the present state of the Russian health system.

In November, an evaluation workshop of the public outreach activities of Green Cross Russia took place in Moscow. The representatives of regional and local authorities, NGOs, army, scientific institutions, and central ministries had mainly positive comments about the work done. Different constructive proposals were also made for the future work.

Conweap (=Conventional weapons) (Russia, Estonia, USA, Switzerland)

Conweap promotes military base clean-up and conversion as well as the environmentally sound destruction of weapon inventories.

In the next years, several hundred military bases will be closed down in Russia. They all share one problem, massive soil and aquifer contamination with oil products and chemicals. Upon request by the Russian army, a mission to Pskov (Russian-Estonian border) in March 1998 investigated options to clean up a major kerosene spill at a military airport. In collaboration with the Institute for Terrestrial Ecology and Soil Biology of the ETH Zürich (Switzerland), remediation methods appropriate for Russian conditions should be introduced in the frame of a pilot project. Due to political problems out of our control the project had to be stalled, a substitute project on a strategic missile base is presently under evaluation.

Global Green USA's Legacy Forum in San Diego on 19^th November highlighted subjects like military base closure, cleanup, demilitarisation, and redevelopment in Southern California. Participants included representatives of all military service branches, federal, state, and local government, and community organisations. GGUSA also participates in the National Dialogue on Military Munitions to help facilitate the development of "green munitions", the cleanup of unexploded ordnance, and appropriate management of firing ranges, and the demilitarisation of weapons inventories.

Green Cross Estonia continued its clean-up of shore lines from unexploded ammunition. It also prepares a major inventory project which should compile all military legacy in Estonia (unexploded ammunition, spills, toxic waste).

Socmed (=Social and medical care) (Russia, Belarus, Switzerland)

Socmed improves the public health services and social infrastructure in regions affected by former military activities.

For many years, Green Cross organises therapy camps for children and their families living in the Chernobyl area or around chemical weapons stockpiles. Two camps in Belarus and one in Russia this year hosted a total of 650 children for 24 days. The camps' programme does not only contain medical treatment but also environmental education and institution building.

The more than 2 million people living in the Chernobyl Zone of Belarus have virtually no chance for being resettled. A mother and child programme teaches food preparation techniques minimising radio nuclide contents in home-grown foodstuff (as garden plots are usually the only source of food for the entire family).

Miscellaneous

Though the members of the Legacy Programme are convinced that the focus of the programme should be on practical fieldwork, the participation on conferences is important for expanding the network and disseminating information. Several key conferences as well as donor institutions have been visited in the course of the year. Green Cross Netherlands has started to explore different options to step actively into the Legacy Programme.

Acknowledgments

Credits go to our financial donors for their support, namely the Division for Co-operation with Eastern Europe and the CIS (Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (American Department of Defence), the Trust for Mutual Understanding, the Compton Foundation, Rockefeller Financial Services, the Turner Foundation, and many individual donors.

Special thanks go to all the people without whom the Legacy Programme could not be realised.