Press Statement – February 20, 2014
On the occasion of the United Nations Social Justice Day (February 20th) supporters of the survivors of the Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal today demonstrated at the United Nation’s office in New Delhi asking the UN to provide much needed technical assistance for the survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster. The Bhopal supporters also called upon the UN to terminate its association with Dow Chemical Company, USA in view of its continuing violations of human rights through refusal to carry out toxic clean up in Bhopal.
The supporters said that it was a matter of serious concern that almost 30 years into disaster in Bhopal, not one of the UN agencies has lived up to its mandate by providing technical and other assistance towards the continuing humanitarian crisis in Bhopal. They said that while the UN has been negligent towards its responsibilities in Bhopal it has actively built its association with the corporation responsible for the ongoing disaster in Bhopal.
The supporters handed over a letter from the Bhopal survivors meant for the Secretary General: In this letter survivors demanded that the United Nations terminate the membership of Dow Chemical, current owner of Union Carbide, in the United Nations Foundation for its ongoing violations of the human rights of the people of Bhopal. They also announced that another group of supporters in the USA also delivered a copy of the letter to the UN Secretary General’s office in New York today.
In their letter the survivors said that different UN agencies could provide vital technical assistance towards medical relief and environmental remediation in Bhopal. However, agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have chosen to remain quiet for the last 30 years.
In their letter to the UN Secretary General, the Bhopal survivors have called for assistance from WHO for developing treatment protocols for exposure induced chronic illnesses. They also asked for technical assistance from UNEP for scientific assessment of the contamination of soil and ground water in and around Union Carbide’s abandoned factory in Bhopal.
The organizations urged the Secretary General to direct the United Nations Human Rights Council to produce a report on the ongoing human rights violations in Bhopal due to the acts of omission and commission by the two US corporations.
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Rashida Bi, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh 94256 88215 |
Nawab Khan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha 8718035409 |
Balkrishna Namdeo, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha 9826345423
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Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra, Bhopal Group for Information and Action 9826167369 |
Safreen Khan, Children Against Dow Carbide
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For information on the February 20th action, please contact:
Brian Mooney
E-mail: bjm5@nyu.edu
Phone: 212-998-7094
For more information on the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, North America (ICJB-NA), please contact:
Reena Shadaan
E-mail: reena.shadaan@icjb.org
Phone: 416-508-0740
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