A/HRC/12/26 page 2 Summary Shipbreaking is an important industry for developing countries, especially in South Asia. It represents an important source of raw material supply and provides jobs to tens of thousands of persons. The practice is inherently sustainable, given that over 95 per cent of a ship can be recycled: steel is rerolled and used in construction; machinery and equipment are reused; and oils and fuels are reused or recycled. While in principle the recycling of end-of-life vessels constitutes the best option for ships that have reached the end of their operating life, the extremely poor working practices and environmental conditions prevailing in most shipbreaking yards continue to be the source of widespread concern in the international community. Every year, about 600 end-of-life ships containing large amounts of toxic and hazardous substances and materials, including asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, heavy metals, oils and fuels, are sent to the beaches of South Asia, where they are dismantled without concrete covering or any containment other than the hull of the ship itself. This method of ship dismantling, commonly referred to as “beaching”, generates high levels of pollution of coastal soil, air, sea and groundwater resources, and adversely affects local communities, which often rely on agriculture and fishing for their subsistence. Working in shipbreaking yards is a dirty and dangerous job. Every year, a great number of workers die or are seriously injured because of work-related accidents or occupational diseases related to long-term exposure to hazardous materials present on end-of-life ships. Workers do not usually receive any information or safety training. They live in makeshift facilities which often lack basic minimum requirements such as sanitation, electricity and even drinking water. There is a general lack of medical facilities and social protection, and injured workers or their relatives hardly receive any compensation for work-related accidents resulting in fatal injuries or permanent disabilities. In the last decade or so, several organizations and mechanisms have contributed to developing an international regulatory framework aimed at addressing these serious concerns. These efforts have culminated in the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, adopted on 15 May 2009 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Special Rapporteur welcomes the adoption of this new Convention, which represents a positive step towards creating an enforceable regulatory regime aimed at ensuring that end-of-life ships do not pose unnecessary risks to human health or the environment when scrapped. Nevertheless, he considers that the new Convention alone is not sufficient to bring about significant improvements in the working practices prevailing in shipbreaking yards or in the elimination of the serious environmental pollution that shipbreaking yards generate. Therefore, the Special Rapporteur calls on all relevant stakeholders, including shipbreaking States, flag States, the shipbreaking industry and international organizations, to consider adopting and implementing additional measures to address negative impacts of shipbreaking that are not covered by the new Convention.