TREC\005\11\2015: THEMATIC RECOMMENDATION ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES IN AFRICA
TREC\005\11\2015: THEMATIC RECOMMENDATION ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES IN AFRICA
We, the participants of the Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the 57thOrdinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the 31st African Human Rights Book fair held in Banjul, The Gambia from 31st October–2nd November 2015;
Deeply concerned over the recent forceful evictions of Sengwer in Kenya and Maasai of Tanzania from their ancestral lands and territories by their respective governments
Deeply concerned over the deteriorating situation of Indigenous Peoples in Africa where they suffer from loss of their ancestral lands and gross violations of human rights by some government agencies, investors and mainstream population
Deeply concerned over increased poverty amongst indigenous peoples and inadequate mechanisms to address the social and economic disparity and the double marginalization and discrimination of indigenous children, youth and women by many African States
The NGOs Forum calls upon African Commission to
- Urge Governments’ of Kenya and Tanzania to halt forceful evictions of Sengwer and Maasai indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands and territories
- Urge Governments’ of Kenya and Tanzania to enact policies and laws that secures the rights of indigenous peoples to own, control and manage their ancestral lands in the forests and protected areas
- Urge Governments’ of Kenya and Tanzania enact policies and laws that will promote and enhance indigenous peoples rights to access and benefit from social and economic programmes and projects
- Urge Governments’ of Kenya and Tanzania to enact initiate indigenous peoples policies
- Urge African states to respect and promote indigenous peoples rights to security and ownership of their ancestral lands, rights to development, right to their culture and language
- Urge African states to enact policies, laws and measures that protect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples
- Urge African states to enact policies and laws to protect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples from marginalization, discrimination and poverty
Done in Banjul, The Gambia – 2nd November, 2015
