Bhopal survivors ask UN offices in Delhi, New York and Geneva to get involved in rebuilding Bhopal

By TCN News,

Bhopal: On the occasion of the World Social Justice Day survivors of the Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal today sent a letter to the United Nations asking the UN to provide much needed technical assistance for the survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster.


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The Bhopal survivors 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 letter from the Bhopal survivors were delivered to the UN offices in New Delhi and in New York by supporters.

The letter stated 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. It said that while the UN has been negligent towards its responsibilities in Bhopal it has actively built its association with corporation responsible for the ongoing disaster in Bhopal.

The Bhopal 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 said that their supporters in USA were also delivering a copy of the letter to the UN office in New York today.

Bhopal 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 have 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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