When countries plan to review, plan or build nuclear facilities safety should be a priority, Joseph Goddard, who is the permanent representative of Barbados to the United Nations, on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (GRULAC), said in the United Nations Tuesday.

"More than ever before our watchword must be 'safety first'," Goddard said while addressing a special commemorative meeting of the UN General Assembly in observance of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe.

The permanent representative also stressed the need for international cooperation, in particular in the area of research and follow-up studies to cope with the health consequences and the long-term environmental impact of the disaster.

History's worst nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, impacting areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and representatives from affected countries marked the anniversary by ringing the UN peace bell outside the global organization's headquarters here.

"The GRULAC region has offered significant cooperation assistance to the affected countries," Goddard said.