Rio+20 Side Event: "Protecting Our First Environment"
Protecting women’s health and future generations from harmful environmental impacts was the topic of the event organised by WECF, IPEN and members of the Women’s Major Group today at Barra Arena at the Rio+20 conference.
14.06.2012 | WECF news from Rio+20
Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, Senior Advisor IPEN International POPs elimination network and AWHHE representative Lusine Nalbandyan explained how hormone disrupting, persistent and bio-accumulative chemicals and reproductive health accumulate in our bodies, and that each baby born today already has hundreds of such harmful chemicals in its body. Lloyd -Smith: “It is inacceptable that our children are born with this toxic burden, which is likely to create long term irreversible health damage, such as infertility and cancer”.
Dr. Olga Speranskaya, Co-chair of IPEN, winner of the Goldman Environment Prize, Russia gave testimonies of the widespread use of toxic substances in children’s products, she presented key points of the statement for a chemical free future which some 1000 people have signed and presented to governments at Rio+20 (www.ipen.org). “There are numerous examples of exposure sources of toxic chemicals including obsolete pesticide stockpiles which threaten the health of local people. NGO campaigns help to collect health data from affected communities and develop health improvement plans for territories”..
Alexandra Caterbow, Environmental Health expert, WECF international, presented two concrete examples of campaigns the toxic-free-toys campaign and the “nesting”-campaign on healthy indoor environments for new born babies. “it is inacceptable, but unfortunately, most toys nowadays contain a range of harmful substances, from carcinogenic cadmium and formaldehyde, to hormone disrupting plastic-softeners such as phthalates. Our children are the guinea pigs of industry”.
The toxic free toys campaign carries out test-your-toys events around Christmas time, where the public is invited to come and test their toys with specialists from laboratories – these events always obtain great press coverage. The nesting campaign has websites in 8 languages, consumer information guides, and gives trainings for health professionals. “We call on governments at Rio+20 to ban Hormone disrupting, persistent and bio-accumulative chemicals from our daily lives” concluded Caterbow.
Andrea Carmen, IITC (The International Indian Treaty Council), presented the link between the rights of indigenous peoples and environmental health. Their implementation and enforcement is urgently needed. Many cases show that especially women and children are victims. In Rio Yaqui (Mexico), for instance, where toxic chemicals were sprayed over crops, the rate of children born with permanent health damage was much higher than in a control group outside the sprayed area. The worst birth defects were the “Jelly Babies”, children born without bones. Countries such as USA, continue to export pesticides which are so toxic that they are banned in their own country. To address the problems of indigenous peoples, the 1st International Indigenous Women`s Environmental and Reproductive Health Symposium states “Indigenous women are life givers, life sustainers and culture holders. Our bodies are sacred places that must be protected, honored and kept free of harmful contaminants in order for the new generations of our Nations to be born strong and healthy.”
The side event was organised by together with IPEN International POPs Elimination Network and members of the Women’s Major Group.
Related News
Inspiring activities and results of the Women's Major Group and WECF at the Rio+20 summit
An overview of some of the positions and activities of the many, which were organised by members of the Women’s Major Group during the 2 weeks of the Rio+20 negotiations and events from 13 – 22 of June 2012, Brazil
16.07.2012 | WECF International Newsletter
Rio+20 Commitments by the Network of Women Ministers and WECF
The Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment, of which WECF is one of the civil society members, met at the Rio+20 summit in Brazil on the 20th of June, and presented its commitments to strengthen women's leadership in Sustainable Development, alongside UN Women, UNDP, IUCN and UNEP, during an event organised in the UNEP pavilion.
13.07.2012 | WECF News
Women creating food sovereignty
Women organisations from Pakistan, Colombia, Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinnea showed case studies of how their food sovereignty and livelihoods are being destroyed by commercial logging, mining and industrial agriculture activities, and how women are resisting.
12.07.2012 | WECF News
Key gains and losses in the Rio+20 negotiations from the perspective of gender equality and women’s priorities
Coming to Rio, it was already clear that the outcome document would be weak. The draft document contained some very worrying language against human rights, women’s rights, indigenous people’s rights, and against the precautionary principle
06.07.2012 | WECF International
Human right to water and sanitation – attacked from a transboundary perspective during the Rio+20 negotiations
Article by Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director, WECF Women in Europe for a Common Future. WECF was organising partner for the Major Group “Women” for the Rio+20 negotiations
28.06.2012 | Sascha Gabizon
