Mercy International Association at the UN joined with Franciscans International and Food & Water Watch to deliver a statement on the need to address fracking concerns within human rights obligations at the 7th Meeting of the 24th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.

The intervention was made on September 11th at the Cluster Interactive Dialogue session with the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

The group urged the special rapportuers to use their respective mandate to raise awareness of human rights obligations in relation to fracking.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Ms. Francesca Restifo from Franciscans International recommended that the mandate holders:
1. Study the specific threats that hazardous wastes from hydraulic fracturing pose to the enjoyment of all human rights, including the right to water, with a view to eliminating such threats and ensuring effective redress for victims ;
2. Promote implementation of relevant legal framework and best practices;
3. Urge governments’ compliance with their obligations to ensure effective public participation in decision-making about hydraulic fracturing;
4. And, finally call for the application of the precautionary principle with regard to these new extractive practices.

Click here to read the full statement

We encourage you to watch the intervention by clicking the link. To find the intervention, locate the box to the right of the video labeled with chapters. “Franciscans International ; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas” is Chapter 34. This will bring you to the start of the introduction of Ms. Restifo.

You can access the report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. Click here to read the report

You can access the report of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation Click here to read the report

Additionally, we encourage you to share this statement on fracking with your local advocacy organizations on the ground and national government representatives. Use it as a supportive tool in addressing our fracking concerns nationally.

Messages to: Aine O’Connor rsm - MGA Co-ordinator at the UN

Image: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré