Recommendations on Exploitation of Resources and Human Rights
- The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights guarantees the protection and promotion of individual and collective rights;
- The international and regional standards including; the African charter on human and peoples rights expressly states in article 21 that all people shall freely dispose off their wealth and natural resources which shall be exercised in the exclusion interest of people, and in no case shall the people be deprived of it, the dispossessed people shall have a right to lawful recovery of its properties as well as to adequate compensation;
- The provisions of the constitutive Act in the African Union requires the promotion and protection of human rights and obligates member states to promote the social economic development of Africa and raise the standard of living of African people
- The local people should fully participate in decision making processes concerning natural resources;
- The state should adhere to mechanisms which enable transparency and accountability in management of natural resources;
- The commission should put in place a working group that will investigate human rights violations linked to the exploitation of natural resources in Africa;
- The state should take internal legislative measures to Implement the Declaration of UN on Indigenous Peoples to ensure access to natural resources;
- The Commission should condemn the patterns of human rights violations resulting from extractive sector activities in particular; mining; oil; gas, fisheries; forestry, wildlife etc;
- Subject to African charter article 24, that all people shall have the right to a general satisfactory environment favourable to their development;
- Also of big concern is the practice of unlawful exploitation and theft of natural resources which fuelled, any conflicts in Africa resulting in unlawful killings; rape, displacement and other serious human rights abuses. Therefore, adequate legal framework should be put in place to address these problems;
- The Commission should urge the African states to take appropriate measures to fight poverty, enhance literacy and promote good governance in natural resource management;
- States should guarantee equitable distribution of revenue from natural resources in order to ensure the well being of the local people.
Done in Brazaville, November 12th, 2007
