“ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY RIGHTS TO NATURAL RESOURCES” Being A Panel...
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“ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY RIGHTS TO NATURAL RESOURCES” Being A Panel Presentation by: LEDUM MITEE Chair NSWG-NEITI – Nigeria At The Ford
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY RIGHTS TO NATURAL
RESOURCES Being A Panel Presentation by: LEDUM MITEE Chair
NSWG-NEITI Nigeria At The Ford Foundation Meeting, At Movenpick
Hotel, Accra On Monday August 26th 2013 1
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INTRODUCTION In the primacy of rights, the right to a safe
environment would rank highest; > it is mans first right >
other rights depend on it > its violation is omnicidal The
African concept is more encompassing; > they go beyond flora and
fauna as they have spiritual connotation > land, forests,
vegetation and rivers are not mere factors of production > they
are the abode of the gods 2
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INTRODUCTION (CONTD) It is difficult if not impossible to
separate the well-being of the human person from the well-being of
the environment The centrality of the environment to the very basis
of existence underscores the very essence of natural resources to
include the resources endowed in and on land by nature 3
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ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCES Arising from the
above, the African Charter not only gives peoples the right to
their wealth and natural resources but provides that under no
circumstances should they be deprived of it Although our
communities rely mostly on natural resources for their livelihoods,
they have great regard for their sustainability and would therefore
resist any attempt to deprive them of their right to the sacred
trust 4
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ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCES (CONTD) Almost as a
rule, areas where natural resources abound have certain
characteristics: > very difficult terrains > government
presence and governance in these areas are rudimentary > they
are subjected to years of utter neglect Over time, the enhanced
worth of the resources in these communities attract government and
transnational corporations in a gold rush mentality to exploit the
resources 5
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ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCES (CONTD) Exploitation
of these resources pollutes the environment by withdrawing
resources and dumping pollutants in quantities beyond the capacity
of ecosystems When these occur they wreck havoc on the livelihoods
of the people, entire streams are polluted, fishes die, farmlands
are polluted, at times they are accompanied with fire which burns
and cakes the land This propels and reinforces the resource curse
The destruction of livelihoods, social dislocations and assault on
deep rooted traditions have created a burning sense of injustice on
which the various forms of agitations potentially feed 7
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ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCES (CONTD) The above
scenario leads to societal dislocations: > communities resort to
alternative sources of survival > State finances are affected by
increasing military spending in the name of security. >
companies become attracted by the risk premiums they charge for
doing business in the conflict areas These have direct relationship
with poverty exacerbation and loss of livelihoods as they further
devastate the environment and also breed serious conflicts 10
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ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCES (CONTD) National
development that hinges on extraction of these resources invariably
overshadows environmental sustainability and so, Scant attention is
being paid to environmental concerns except and to the extent that
they are accompanied by violations of civil rights. For instance,
> environmental consequences of diamond, oil, gold and other
valuable extractives are hardly highlighted in the conflict torn
parts of Central and West Africa > it took the execution of Ken
Saro Wiwa and my other colleagues to draw world attention to the
environmental hazards in Ogoni, nay the entire Niger Delta region
of Nigeria, and regrettably so 12
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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND THE RESOURCE CURSE Government and
companies must stop treating communities as strangers to their
environment and endowed resources and immediately begin to make
them have key stakes in the exploitation of resources on their land
On the international front, we believe that the time has come to
consider international instruments with the capacity to make
binding rulings on environmental matters 14
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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND THE RESOURCE CURSE (CONTD) The
strides that have been recorded in the redress of human rights came
about when the international community recognised certain abuses to
be crimes against humanity In the same vein, we propose that
pervasive and extensive violations of environmental rights should
be accorded the status of crimes against nature and punished as
crimes against humanity. 15