United Nations General Assembly A/RES/60/216 Distr.: General 29 March 2006 Sixtieth session Agenda item 73 (b) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 22 December 2005 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/60/496 and Corr.1 and 2)] 60/216. International cooperation and coordination for the human and ecological rehabilitation and economic development of the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 52/169 M of 16 December 1997, 53/1 H of 16 November 1998, 55/44 of 27 November 2000 and 57/101 of 25 November 2002, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General, 1 Recognizing that the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing ground, inherited by Kazakhstan and closed in 1991, remains a matter of serious concern for the people and Government of Kazakhstan with regard to the long-term nature of its consequences for the lives and health of the people, especially children and other vulnerable groups, as well as for the environment of the region, Taking into consideration the results of the international conference on the problems of the Semipalatinsk region, held in Tokyo in 1999, which have promoted the effectiveness of the assistance provided to the population of the region, Recognizing the important role of national development policies and strategies in the rehabilitation of the Semipalatinsk region, and taking note with satisfaction of the elaboration of the Kazakhstan national programme entitled “Complex solution of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site problems for 2005–2007”, Recognizing also the contribution of different organizations of the United Nations system, donor States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to humanitarian assistance and to the implementation of the projects aimed at the rehabilitation of the region and the role of the Government of Kazakhstan in this regard, Recognizing further the challenges Kazakhstan faces in the rehabilitation of the Semipalatinsk region, in particular in the context of the efforts by the Government of Kazakhstan to ensure an effective and timely achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, _______________ 1 05-50056 A/60/302.