Location: Africa



Actions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights sets out a wide spectrum of human rights, including, in Article 24, the right of all peoples to “a general satisfactory environment favourable to their development”, and in Article 16(1), the right of every individual “to enjoy the best attainable state of physical and mental health.” The Charter established …   Continue readingActions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice’s Judgment in Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) v. Nigeria

Articles 6 and 15 of the Revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) establish the ECOWAS Court of Justice. The Court is mandated to ensure the observance of law and of the principles of equity, and to interpret and apply the provisions of the revised ECOWAS Treaty and all other subsidiary legal instruments adopted by ECOWAS. Among its other …   Continue readingEconomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice’s Judgment in Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) v. Nigeria

Protection Manuals For Human Rights Defenders

Protection International provides tools and strategies to people who defend human rights, in order to protect themselves. One such strategy is the development of training manuals and other publications related to the protection of human rights defenders. These manuals apply to all human rights defenders, including environmental human rights defenders. To list a few …   Continue readingProtection Manuals For Human Rights Defenders

Environmental Education Programme

Environmental education is one of the key topics covered by the National Plan of Action for Environment and Sustainable Development (PNAEDD), adopted with the aim to raise awareness and inform the public about the seriousness of the environmental situation in Algeria. Following recommendations of the Algerian National Committee on education reform, the Ministry of …   Continue readingEnvironmental Education Programme

North-South Local Government Co-operation Programme between Finland and Tanzania

As a part of the North-South Local Government Co-operation Programme, the city of Tampere and its Tanzanian partner city of Mwanza have worked together to diminish the gap between Northern and Southern municipalities by opening a channel for cities to exchange knowledge, share policies and shape practices inspiring each other. Coordinated by the Association of Finnish …   Continue readingNorth-South Local Government Co-operation Programme between Finland and Tanzania

AKOBEN, Community Environmental Awareness Programme

AKOBEN is a programme that makes environmental law and administrative processes more accessible to communities that do not have the capacity to understand the legal system. It uses a five colour rating scheme to assess the performance of mining and manufacturing operations in a manner that is easily understood by the public. Ratings are annually disclosed to the general …   Continue readingAKOBEN, Community Environmental Awareness Programme

Whakatane Assessments, Rights-Based Assessments of Protected Areas

Whakatane Assessments are part of a larger programme called the Whakatane Mechanism, which is implemented by the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), the Forest Peoples Programme, and other indigenous peoples’ organisations (IPOs). According to IUCN, the Whakatane Mechanism “is a process to assess, address and redress situations, …   Continue readingWhakatane Assessments, Rights-Based Assessments of Protected Areas

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Actions on Environment

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights was established under Article 59 of the Kenyan Constitution to (among other things): monitor, investigate and report on the observance of human rights; receive and investigate complaints about alleged abuses of human rights; and take steps to secure appropriate redress where human rights have been violated. Article 69 of the …   Continue readingKenya National Commission on Human Rights Actions on Environment

Grassroots Legal Advocates or “Community Paralegals”

Namati is an international civil society organisation dedicated to putting the law in people’s hands through building a global movement of grassroots legal advocates who work with communities to advance justice. The objective of training grass roots advocates is to empower communities to exercise their rights and participate in processes of governing. Namati, working …   Continue readingGrassroots Legal Advocates or “Community Paralegals”

Sustainability School Programme, Uganda

The National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) is committed to sustainable solutions to Uganda’s most challenging environmental problems through, among other things, monitoring government actions, conducting research, providing educational materials, and organizing affected communities. Since 2010, NAPE has conducted a Sustainability School Programme …   Continue readingSustainability School Programme, Uganda

National Ministry: South African Department of Environmental Affairs’ Annual Report

he South African Department of Environmental Affairs publishes an annual report on all enforcement-related activities. This report provides information on statistics for enforcement, including administrative citations and fines issued, criminal cases brought, number of convictions, number of facilities inspected, and number of staff working on compliance monitoring and …   Continue readingNational Ministry: South African Department of Environmental Affairs’ Annual Report

Environmental Management Committee (EMC ): A Joint Monitoring Body of Civil Society, Government and the Private Sector in South Africa

In 2008 an Australian company, Coal of Africa (CoAL), applied for a mining right in South Africa on land less than seven kilometres from the boundaries of a UNESCO recognised World Heritage Site called the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape. A civil society organisation called Save Mapungubwe Coalition formed and undertook a wide variety of strategies that included engaging …   Continue readingEnvironmental Management Committee (EMC ): A Joint Monitoring Body of Civil Society, Government and the Private Sector in South Africa

South African Waste Information Centre (SAWIC)

South Africa in some cases has gone beyond responding to requests for environmental information by proactively providing environmental information to the public. For example, the Department of Environmental Affairs has created the South African Waste Information Centre (SAWIC), a website that provides a wide spectrum of information on waste management to the public. In …   Continue readingSouth African Waste Information Centre (SAWIC)