Defiance of UN Convention!
On September 18, 2004, a United Nations motion to restrict global sales of chrysotile (white asbestos) was railroaded by Canadian and Russian asbestos stakeholders. This is only the second time that delegates to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for an International Legally Binding Instrument for the Application of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade have rejected recommendations made by the Interim Chemical Review Committee (ICRC) of the Rotterdam Convention on the listing of hazardous chemicals. The first time was in 2003 when, once again, the chemical under discussion was chrysotile.
Ignoring the ICRC's advice, which is based on detailed analysis of national prohibitions and extensive consultation with international experts, throws the entire Convention into chaos. Commenting on these developments Clifton Curtis, Director of the conservation organization WWF, said:
“Canada and Russia's objections to listing chrysotile asbestos are embarrassingly self-interested, protecting domestic exporters interested in seeing this dangerous chemical abroad… Chrysotile unequivocally meets the Rotterdam Convention's requirements, and those governments opposing its listing blatantly disregarded the treaty obligations.”
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| Canadian Delegate Barry Stemshorn |
There was widespread agreement amongst the delegates in Geneva that blocking the inclusion of chrysotile on the PIC list was inconsistent with the priorities and procedures of the Convention and was a “bad omen.”
Laurie Kazan-Allen, the Coordinator of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, who participated at the UN meeting as an observer, said:
“I am convinced that the Asbestos International Association, led by Canada, orchestrated the pro-asbestos support expressed on September 18. What was left unsaid, however, was as important as what was said. Brazil, which announced it would ban asbestos earlier this year, was silent as was the United States, a country which is in the midst of a horrific asbestos epidemic. In my opinion, the heroes of the day were the delegates from Chile, Argentina, Jamaica, Tanzania, Egypt, Gambia, the Congo and Guinea all of whom stressed the urgent need for developing countries to be given more information on the hazards of asbestos. The rejection of chrysotile for inclusion on the PIC list will fatally undermine the important work of the Rotterdam Convention. The Governments of Canada and Russia, which have put the economic interests of vested groups before the health of the global community, should be ashamed of themselves.”
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1 See chronological record of contributions, based on notes taken by Laurie Kazan-Allen during the discussion of chrysotile inclusion on September 18, 2004.
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September 22, 2004
