#FIFDH18

On the 13th March 2018 the event « Pesticides: is the environment poisoned » took place in the Theater Pitoeff in Geneva, in which a representative of GIWEH was present.

Co-presented with The Public Eye and the Delegation Genève Ville Solidaire, this event was organized by the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights.

The event welcomed panelists from different areas such as a representative of Syngenta, and the debate was preceded by the projection of the movie « Poisoning Paradise » realized by KeelyShayeBrosnan& Teresa Tico. This researched documentary recounts the transformation of Hawaii from agricultural land to testing grounds for the powerful agro-chemical industry and was used as guideline for the debate.

To this date, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals are very controversial as they have a negative impact on environment, health and food safety. Their thin volatile particles spread easily and contaminate air, water and land, and accumulate everywhere, affecting the quality of resources.

Pesticides are also suspected to be a major cause of respiratory or inflammatory diseases or even cancer. Because of their proximity to treated fields, disadvantaged populations are generally the most affected. As regulations are less stringent in these regions, the population is most of the time not even informed of the products used around them or the possible consequences.

The conference served thus as a reminder of some of the fundamental human rights: the rights to health, the right to a healthy environment, to clean water and the right to information.