The Jatha was given life and born of a process called CHESS …..

  In exploring the interrelated issues of Toxics & Health, GREENPEACE created a common platform called CHESS (Community Health Environmental Survey Skillshare) to generalise individual problems, exchange knowledge and expertise, to collectively voice concerns and strengthen participation through collective action.

  CHESS was a 3 day long skillshare held between the 26 ^th – 28 ^th July 2002 and attended by over 90 participants divided into 15 groups from all over the country. Members of local communities felt the need to collect, analyze and present data on the effects of toxic contaminants in their local communities.

 

common statement of collective concern

WE are a GROUP OF COMMUNITY representatives AND PEOPLE WORKING WITH communities affected by pesticides, mining, radiation, quarrying, industrial pollution and waste dumping, concerned citizens, voluntary organisations, human rights groups, networks of campaign groups, health care professionals and social scientists NUMBERING 110 from all over the country who at Vistar, Bangalore between the 26 th and the 28 th of July 2002.

And, this meeting having deliberated upon industrial, agricultural, mining and waste disposal practices, and the health and related social impacts of such practices on communities, workforce and the environment

AND RECOGNISING THAT COMMUNITIES IN INDIA ARE unjustly EXPOSED TO THESE TOXIC SUBSTANCES and unsafe, unsustainable and destructive practices

and are concerned that poor and MARGINALISED SECTIONS of society (tribals, women, dalits) are disproportionately bearing the brunt of SUCH TOXIC substances and practices

AND RECOGnISING THAT SUCH unsafe, unsustainable and destructive practices CONSTITUTES A GROSS VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

AND RECOGNISING THAT local, national and international REGULATORy bodies, governance structures, financial, SCIENTIFIC & research institutions and THE health care profession HAVE FAILED IN THEIR DUTY TO ANTICIPATE, PREVENT AND REMEDIATE HARM ARISING FROM THE USE of such substances and practices.

and the meeting has noted that none of the polluters have been brought to book, nor HAS there BEEN ANY effort to punish the guilty.

and THE LEGISLATURE, judiciary and executive IN OUR DEMOCRATIC FRAMEWORK have failed to protect the right to life enshrined in THE CONSITUTION OF iNDIA

and recognising the fact that such substances and practices have also seriously endangered water bodies, livestock AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE AND LIFEFORMS.

and recognising that rapid depletion of natural resources and degradation of environment has affected the health and livelihoods of people and threatens the future of children, and the very right to life of FUTURE generations.

AND RECOGNISING THAT TOXIC CHEMICALS HAVE A PaRTICULARLY DELETERIOUS AND IRREVERSIBLE EFFECT ON FOETUS, CHILDREN AND THE FUTURE

and recognising that large scale displacement of PEOPLE ESPECIALLY tribals AND DALITS by many forms of development projects (large dams, mining and other projects) has negative effects on health AND THREATENS THEIR VERY SURVIVAL and such degradation and depletion has been accelerated by   globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation marked by reckless pursuit of profit by CORPORATES (WHETHER INDIAN OR Trans national, PRIVATE OR PUBLIC SECTOR) supported by WOrld trade organisation, world bank and other Multilateral lending agencies.

 

and, this meeting demands that:

effective, APPROPRIATE AND immediate steps are taken to end unsafe, unsustainable and ECOLOGICALLY DESTRUCTIVE practices and to BAN, SUBSTANCES which are hazardous to ANY forms of life.

gOVERNMENT CEASES TO SUPPORT AND SUBSIDISE THE MANUFACTURE AND USE OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES ANd UNSAFE PRACTICES AND INSTEAD PROMOTE, SUPPORT SUBSIDISE COMMUNITY DRIVEN, SAFE ALTERNATIVES AND BEST ENVIRONMENT PRACTICES

LIABILITY & COMPENSATION
HEALTH & MONITORING
government ensureS FULL AND PUBLIC   disclosure of information, studies and documentation on all such TOXIC substances and practices.

government implement the “people’s charter for health”, brought out by the people’s health assembly in 2001.

research institutions and HEALTH PROFESSIONALS discharge their responsibility to study, monitor and inform communities and decisionmakers of the health impacts of hazardous substances and practices on the people and environment.

the precautionary principle forms the basis of all policy and decision making.

the onus of proving environmental safety of all substances and PRACTICES LIES with the polluter.

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