A/HRC/9/22 page 4 I. UPDATE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR A. Country missions 1. United Republic of Tanzania 8. At the invitation of the Government, the Special Rapporteur carried out a mission to the United Republic of Tanzania from 21 to 30 January 2008. The main objective of the mission was to study the impact of small-scale and large-scale mining activities on the local population. 9. The Special Rapporteur is grateful to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for its invitation and the cooperation that was extended to him during his mission. He would like to highlight in particular the excellent cooperation and assistance that was extended to him by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Energy and Minerals. He would like to call on the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to be better prepared for forthcoming missions of special procedures mandate-holders. 10. The Special Rapporteur would also like to thank the United Nations country team, in particular the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for their efficient and generous support in organizing the mission, particularly in providing the technical and local knowledge for the mission. 11. The Special Rapporteur has submitted to the Council a report on his mission to the United Republic of Tanzania (A/HRC/9/22/Add.2). 2. Côte d’Ivoire/Netherlands 12. At the time of writing, the Special Rapporteur is scheduled to visit Côte d’Ivoire from 4 to 8 August 2008. The Special Rapporteur is grateful to the Government of Côte d’Ivoire for extending an invitation to him. The Special Rapporteur will also be carrying out a visit to the Netherlands in the coming months. He warmly thanks the Government of the Netherlands for its cooperation. 13. The objective of the joint mission to Côte d’Ivoire and the Netherlands is to study the human rights impact of the Probo Koala case. On 19 August 2006, a ship called the Probo Koala offloaded up to 500 tons of toxic waste for disposal around the district of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The toxic waste, which was composed of an alkaline mix of water, gasoline, and caustic soda, allegedly gave off many poisonous chemicals, including hydrogen sulphide. According to official statistics from the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, a total of 16 persons died and up to 100,000 sought medical treatment due to exposure to these wastes. However, some sources give higher figures. 14. The Probo Koala was chartered to the Dutch company, Trafigura. Before the waste was dumped around the city of Abidjan, Trafigura attempted to have the waste processed in Amsterdam. Reports indicate that Amsterdam Port Services BV, the company that had contracted to take the waste, changed its mind after its staff reported a foul smell emanating from the waste.