OHCHR, 27 Oct 2020
NEW YORK (27 October 2020) - The need for a human rights approach to hazardous substances and wastes is today more pressing than ever, the new Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Marcos Orellana, said on Tuesday in his first statement to the UN General Assembly since taking up the position.
"The mandate I now occupy was established in 1995. Twenty-five years on, the breadth and depth of environmental injustices resulting from exposure to hazardous substances has become clearly visible," Mr Orellana said.
During his statement, the Special Rapporteur presented the report of his predecessor, Baskut Tuncak, which reflects on recent work of the mandate and identifies challenges and opportunities going forward.
"Around the world, the human rights that everyone should enjoy regarding freedom from toxic pollution are unfortunately treated as a privilege of the few, not a right of everyone," the report says. It also stresses that, "the most vulnerable in society continue to find themselves on the wrong side of a toxic divide, under an invisible weight of systemic injustice and discrimination where the poor, workers, migrants, and minorities, among others, are more often than not legally poisoned."
"While toxic exposures can be reduced, by failing to compel human rights due diligence by key industries and to ensure access to remedies, States and businesses continue to lead us toward the increasing toxification of our planet and bodies, a common dystopian future that no one wants but for which the political will is lacking to prevent," the report notes.
One deplorable example of environmental injustice highlighted in the report – an injustice that continues - is the practice of wealthy States exporting their banned toxic chemicals to poorer nations lacking the capacity to control the risks.
"I welcome this report, which illustrates that a life with dignity is not possible on a planet contaminated with hazardous substances and wastes. In the face of pervasive and insidious environmental injustice around the world, all States have a duty to prevent exposure to toxics and uphold every person's right to live in a healthy environment," Mr. Orellana concluded.
In full: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26438&LangID=E
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