» Press Statement by UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health

2012/12/21

International Human Rights NGO called Human Rights Now and other citizens’ group had sent a letter of request to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the independent experts in UN in order to dispatch fact-finding team to investigate the situation of the health issue in Fukushima.

By this request letter, Mr. Anand Grover of “Special Rapporteur on the right to health” in UN had come to Japan from Nov. 15th to 26th 2012. He conducted the investigation by the hearing surveys in Tokyo and Fukushima to grasp the circumstances surrounding the health issues after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

JANIC Fukushima Office introduced the resource persons for the hearing session in Fukushima prefecture and the session with Mr. Grover was held at NGO collaboration space. He listened to the voices of mothers with small children living in Fukushima, civil organizations implementing recreation programs for children, and educational officers inFukushima prefecture.

Hearing session at JANIC Fukushima Office

After these investigations, the press conference was held at the Japan National Press Club on November 26, and Mr. Grover had issued his press statement.

Mr. Arnand Grover at press conference in Tokyo

Press Statement
http://unic.or.jp/unic/press_release/2869/#entry-english

Movie of the press conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET2dVWgOmC4

In response to the Recommendations by Mr. Grover, 47 domestic civil organizations and 31 oversea civil organizations issued a statement calling for the Japanese government and the IAEA to lay the foundation on the human rights of the people to response toward the nuclear accident
http://hrn.or.jp/eng/activity/publications/statementcivil-society-statement-on-right-to-heath-of-the-people-affected-by-fukushima-nuclear-disas/

* UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health is independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council following special procedures established by UN resolution in 2000.
Special Rapporteurs investigates and issues statements on the violation of the human rights on health. Please refer to the following website for more information about Special Rapporteurs on the right to health and Mr. Anand Grover.
http://unsrhealth.org/