Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, [email protected]
THE African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) is set to convene its 5th Regional Forum on Extractive Industries, Business and Human Rights, and Environment in Africa in Dakar, Senegal, from May 5 to May 6, at a time when the continent is facing increasing pressure from the global rush for critical minerals.
The event is being organised by the Commission’s Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights Violations in Africa.
In a statement, ACHPR senior public relations officer Ms Samantha Kambule said the two-day forum will be held under the theme “Advancing Responsible Extractive Governance in Africa and in the context of the global rush for critical minerals: Insights from 40 years of promotion of the African Charter.”
She added that the forum is being supported by the Open Society Foundation.
“The Forum is being convened under the theme “Advancing Responsible Extractive Governance in Africa and in the context of the global rush for critical minerals: Insights from 40 years of promotion of the African Charter,” through the support of the Open Society Foundation.
“The Forum, which is part of the promotion mandate of the Commission, is being organised within the framework of Article 45 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter).
“Within this framework, the Regional Forum, convened under the leadership of the WGEI, serves as a key multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and engagement among Governments, policymakers, civil society, affected communities, the private sector, and academia,” said Ms Kambule.
She said the programme is designed to promote the effective integration of human rights standards into extractive sector governance, while also facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experiences and supporting the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations in this area.
Among the key objectives, Ms Kambule noted, is the need to foster dialogue around the tensions between development imperatives and the protection of human and peoples’ rights in extractive industries, as well as in environmental and water governance.
The forum is also expected to strengthen accountability relating to the human rights, environmental and water impacts of extractive activities, guided by ACHPR State Reporting Guidelines on Articles 21 and 24 of the African Charter.
“The Forum will bring together stakeholders from diverse sectors, including: African union organs and institutions; National Human Rights Institutions; representation from policy, regulatory, and reporting institutions across States Parties, and development sectors; civil society organisations and community-based groups; representatives of affected communities; Extractive industry actors; and international and regional partners.
“The programme will also be attended and facilitated by Commissioners Solomon Ayele Dersso, the Chairperson of the WGEI and Dr Litha Musymi-Ogana, the Vice-Chairperson of the WGEI, in addition to Expert Members of the WGEI, and staff of the Secretariat of the Commission.
“Among other thing there will be the disseminating of the ACHPR instruments, including the Background Study on the Operations of the Extractive Industries Sector in Africa, and discussions on emerging standards like the General Comment on the right to a satisfactory environment, advancing responsible business conduct through operationalisation of Working Group soft law standards,” said Ms Kambule.
She said the regional forum forms part of the Commission’s broader promotion mandate and comes at a time when African countries are under increasing pressure to strike a balance between mineral-driven economic growth and the protection of human rights and the environment amid rising global demand for critical minerals.
