Asian Asbestos Conference 2009

The Asian Asbestos Congress 2009 (AAC) was organised jointly by the Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC), International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims (ARIAV) and supported by the Ban Asbestos Network Japan (BANJAN), Ban Asbestos Network Korea (BANKO), Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) and the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational Accident Victims (ANROAV).Representatives of the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Occupational Health took part in this conference. The conference took place in Hong Kong on April 26-27th, 2009. The conference was attended by more than 200 participants from 24 countries representing the Asia Pacific, Europe, North and South America.  

Recognizing the urgent need for coordinated action in Asia, a new group was launched at the conference: the Asian Ban Asbestos Network (A-BAN). The formation of A-BAN is a landmark in the Asian campaign to obtain justice for the asbestos-injured and to implement a regional asbestos ban. The group which consists mainly of asbestos victims' organizations, labour unions and environmental justice groups from 16 Asian Pacific countries will work towards strengthening the grassroots Ban Asbestos movement in Asia.

For more information about AAC, HK Declaration and the A-BAN network, please visit the official website of the Asian Asbestos Conference 2009