The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday called for the peaceful use of nuclear technology as the world marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

At a special commemorative meeting, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock said: "As we mark 40 years since Chernobyl, today, let us honor memory with responsibility by ensuring that nuclear technology is used strictly for peaceful purposes, supported by robust international safeguards, compliance with international law, and cooperation through the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, so that disasters such as Chernobyl never occur again."

Chernobyl's scale showed that nuclear technology, even when used peacefully, is fundamentally different from other technologies, she added.

On April 26, 1986, explosions ripped through reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, spreading radioactive contamination across Ukraine, Belarus and other parts of Europe.

Baerbock reminded the assembly that over 8 million people were exposed to radiation, thousands died, and children developed leukemia and other life-changing illnesses.

In remarks delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Chernobyl as "the most significant nuclear accident in history." "We also remember how this tragedy revealed the best of the human spirit," he said about first responders and the multinational recovery efforts that followed.

"Chernobyl was never only a national tragedy," but a lesson that "the consequences of nuclear accidents are shared by the international community," Guterres said, underscoring the vital importance of countries working together and sharing information and experiences to build a culture of safety around nuclear power.

Dmitry Chumakov, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, also said the accident holds an important lesson.

"Human beings are capable of mistakes," he said. "Any technologies, even the best-intentioned ones, without proper prudence can become a source of threat."