UN special rapporteur ‘deeply troubled’ by asbestos and paraquat impasse

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances has said he is

“deeply troubled” by obstacles to the listing of asbestos and paraquat under the Rotterdam Convention.

Speaking this week at the opening of the 2015 Conference of parties to the Convention, Special Rapporteur Baskut Tuncak said, “Both asbestos and paraquat are undeniably hazardous substances, the use of which has profound impacts on the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to adequate housing or the right to food, the right to safe working conditions, and other basic human rights.

“It is both legally and morally unjustifiable for countries to continue to obstruct the listing of asbestos and paraquat under the Rotterdam Convention and derogates from their obligation to realize the right to access information”.

The IUF will be lobbying along with NGO allies for paraquat to be included in the Rotterdam Convention and also supporting activities to get asbestos included.

Read Baskut Tuncak’s full speech here.