The UN has said the "emergency phase" is over in the areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in Ukraine in 1986. A resolution has been adopted by the General Assembly in New York.
It calls for continuing attention to "Chernobyl-related needs" but also urges a move to the "recovery phase".
A UN official said the body should now focus on rebuilding self-reliance of the affected population instead of treating them as victims.
undefined
undefined
The 1986 explosion spewed radioactive fallout over swathes of the then-USSR - including Ukraine, Russia and Belarus - and many other parts of Europe.
More than 330,000 people were forced to leave their homes after the world's worst nuclear accident.
Estimates of the number of deaths linked to the radiation leak vary widely, with the World Health Organization (WHO) putting the death toll at 9,000.
Experts are still studying the long-term effects on he
It said the focus should now be on helping the communities to reverse the domino effect of poverty, poor health and fear that had hampered growth in the region.
The General Assembly also requested the UN secretary general to provide a report on recovery efforts in 2010.
The declaration comes on the back of a report by the WHO which found "the health impact of the accident was much less severe than was initially feared", the BBC's Thomas Lane in New York says.
It also said the majority of the affected areas only suffered "low doses of radiation - doses that are close to naturally existing 'background levels'".