아래는 유엔 인권이사회 특별보고관들이 LG화학의 인도공장 가스 유출사고에 대해 공동으로 낸 입장문입니다. 이들중 특히 바스쿠트 툰작 특별보고관은 2015년 10월 한국을 방문해 가습기살균제 피해자들을 직접 만나 피해사례 청취 및 위로했고(당시 사진클릭 http://www.eco-health.org/bbs/board.php?bo_table=sub02_02&wr_id=319) 옥시레킷벤키저와 환경부 등을 조사한 후 유엔 인권이사회 보고서에서 가습기살균제 참사에 대해 SK, 옥시레킷벤키저를 적시하며 기업의 책임을 지적한 바 있습니다. 아래 한글 번역문을 붙입니다. 

Chemical industry must step up on human rights to prevent more Bhopal-like disasters: UN expert

GENEVA (14 May 2020) – A deadly gas leak at a chemical plant in India last week is a grim wakeup call for the industry to recognise and meet its responsibility to respect human rights, a UN expert said today.

“The latest disaster has rightly drawn parallels to the toxic gas leak that killed thousands in Bhopal, India, in 1984, involving another trans-national chemical company, Union Carbide of the United States,” said Baskut Tuncak, Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes. “It also illustrates the range of human rights infringements brought by our rampant consumption and production of plastics.”

On 7 May, 12 people died and more than 1,000 fell ill after a chemical factory in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh leaked styrene, a substance used to make plastics that can cause cancer, neurologic damage, and harm reproduction, impacts which may not be apparent for years after exposure. The plant, near the city of Visakhapatnam, is owned and operated by South Korean company LG Chem.   

The Special Rapporteur said he welcomed the opening of an investigation, including possible charges of homicide. Reiterating his call last year on the 35th anniversary of the Bhopal chemical disaster (https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25358&LangID=E) for the industry to implement human rights due diligence, he also urged authorities to be fully transparent and ensure those responsible are held to account.

“I am concerned about ensuring that the victims of exposure who develop diseases or disabilities later in life are provided an effective remedy,” Tuncak said. “I urge Indian and South Korean authorities, and the businesses implicated, to avoid the same mistakes and abuse of judicial procedures that have denied justice to the victims of the Bhopal disaster, who are still suffering to this day.”

“I offer my deepest condolences to the victims of this latest toxic gas leak. It is yet another preventable disaster within the chemical industry that has caused horrific suffering among innocent workers and local communities in India and is yet another reminder that around the world, mini-Bhopal chemical disasters continue to unfold with shocking regularity,” the independent expert said.

The chemical industry’s ‘Responsible Care’ initiative was adopted in 1986 after the Bhopal disaster in an effort to prevent further abuses of human rights by chemical manufacturers. “Yet this industry initiative’s principles contain no mention of human rights and fail to require that industry respects human rights in practice as required under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf),” the Special Rapporteur said.

The expert’s appeal has been endorsed by the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Business/Pages/WGHRandtransnationalcorporationsandotherbusiness.aspx) Surya Deva, Elżbieta Karska, Githu Muigai (Chair), Dante Pesce, Anita Ramasastry (Vice-chair), the Special Rapporteur on human rights and environment (https://www.ohchr.org/en/Issues/environment/SRenvironment/Pages/SRenvironmentIndex.aspx), David Boyd, and the Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health (https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/health/pages/srrighthealthindex.aspx), Danius Pūras.

ENDS

Mr. Baskut Tuncak (Turkey) was appointed Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes (https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Environment/ToxicWastes/Pages/SRToxicWastesIndex.aspx) by the UN Human Rights Council in 2014.

As Special Rapporteurs, he is part of what is known as the Special Procedures (http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx) of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

For further information and media requests please contact Mr. Alvin Gachie (+41 22 917 9971 / agachie@ohchr.org) or write to srtoxicwaste@ohchr.

<화학산업계는인권을보호하고제2, 제3의보팔참사를막아라: UN 특별보고관의일갈>

제네바(2020년5월14일) – UN의전문가는지난주인도에서발생한치명적인가스누출사고를‘업계가인권보호를위한자신들의책무를인정하고실천해야한다는뼈아픈경고’라고보았다.

“최근인도에서의공장가스누출사고는1984년인도보팔참사와똑닮았다.그때는미국의유니언카바이드(Union Carbide), 이번엔한국의LG화학이라는초국적기업이연루되었다.” UN 유해물질및폐기물처리관련인권특별보고관배스컷툰각이말했다. “또한, 인류의고삐풀린플라스틱생산과소비가어떤인권침해문제를불러일으키고있는지보여주는사건이었다.”

지난5월7일, 인도남부의안드라프라데시(Andhra Pradesh) 주에위치한한화학공장에서발생한스티렌(styrene) 누출사고로12명이숨지고1,000명이상이다쳤다. 스티렌은플라스틱제조에사용되는물질로, 암과신경손상을유발하고생식기능의장애를일으키며, 이러한증상은몇년후에야발현할수도있다. 사고가발생한비샤카파트남(Visakhapatnam)시인근의이공장은한국의LG화학이소유및운영하고있다.

특별보고관은살인혐의등에대한조사개시를환영한다고밝혔다.보고관은지난해보팔참사35주년을맞아발표했던, 기업의인권상당주의의무시행을촉구하는자신의성명문(https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25358&LangID=E)을언급하며, 책임당국들에게투명한운영과철저한진상규명을다시금강조했다.

“사고의피해자들이향후에질환이나장애가생기게되었을때적절한치료를보장받지못할까우려된다”고툰각보고관은말했다. “인도와한국정부와관련기업은보팔참사피해자들을위한정의실현을저버렸던법적절차의실수와오용을되풀이하지않아야한다. 피해자들은오늘날까지도고통받고있다.”

또한그는“가스누출사고의피해자들에게삼가깊은조의를표한다. 피할수있었던참사가화학산업계에서또발생하고말았고, 인도의무고한노동자들과지역주민들에게끔찍한고통을주고있다. 여전히오늘날세계곳곳에서소규모의보팔참사가꾸준히발생하고있다는경종을울리는사건”이라고했다.

화학산업계는‘제품전과정책임주의(Responsible Care)’ 운동은보팔참사이후화학제품제조업체에의한더이상의인권침해를막고자1986년시작된운동이다.  “하지만이운동의원칙에는인권에대한언급조차없으며, ‘UN 기업과인권이행원칙(United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights)’ (https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf)에따라기업활동과정에서인권을존중하도록요구하지않고있다”는것이보고관의지적이다.

툰각보고관의청원은‘인권과다국적기업및기타사업체의문제에대한실무그룹(Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises)’ (https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Business/Pages/WGHRandtransnationalcorporationsandotherbusiness.aspx)에의해받아들여졌다. Surya Deva, Elżbieta Karska, Githu Muigai (의장), Dante Pesce, Anita Ramasastry (부의장), David Boyd(인권과환경특별보고관(https://www.ohchr.org/en/Issues/environment/SRenvironment/Pages/SRenvironmentIndex.aspx)),그리고Danius Pūras(건강권특별보고관(https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/health/pages/srrighthealthindex.aspx)).

끝. 

배스컷툰각(터키)은2014년UN 인권이사회에의해유해물질및폐기물의환경친화적인관리와처리에관한인권영향을다루는특별보고관으로임명되었다.

특별보고관으로서그는인권이사회의특별절차에참여하고있다. 특별절차(http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx)는UN 인권시스템소속독립적전문가들의가장큰조직으로서, 개별국가의사안이나하나의주제에대한세계전역의이슈들을다루는진상조사·감시체계의총칭이다. 자발적으로근무하는특별보고관들은UN직원이아니며자신의업무에대한급여도받지않는다. 이들은정부나기관으로부터독립적으로활동하며, 보고관개개인의전문성으로세계를위해봉사한다.