Baskut Tuncak was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, following the death of the previous Special Rapporteur, Marc Pallemaerts.
30 June 2014: Baskut Tuncak was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, following the death of the previous Special Rapporteur, Marc Pallemaerts.
A member of the Center for International Environmental Law’s (CIEL) Environmental Health Program, Tuncak is an attorney and chemist with experience in environmental health, international chemicals management and governance, and human rights impacts of toxic risks.
In 1995, the UN Human Rights Council created the Special Rapporteurship on hazardous wastes in response to the rise in illicit trade and dumping of hazardous wastes in developing countries. The Special Rapporter’s mandate was extended and strengthened in 2011 to include not only the movement and dumping of hazardous substances, but the entire lifecycle of hazardous products, from manufacturing to disposal. The Special Rapporteur is also tasked with monitoring the adverse effects these substances on human rights at every stage of their lifecycle. [CIEL Statement] [UNOG Press Release] [HRC Appointments]