We, over 50 participants from 17 different countries mostly Africa[1], having met in Nairobi, Kenya from
5 to 11 May 2002 at the ICMICA African Regional Advocacy Workshop on Human
Rights and Sustainable Development around the theme "Human Rights and
Sustainable Development - The Challenge of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD)[2] to African Christian Professionals
in a Globalising World" jointly convened by Pax Romana ICMICA Africa and
the International Secretariat of ICMICA based in Geneva and hosted by CMICA
Kenya, ICMICA member federation in Kenya,[3]
1. Welcoming the
decision of the UN General Assembly at its 55th session to hold the WSSD in South
Africa in 2002,
2. Expressing our deep
concern about the Agenda 21 has not been fully implemented both at the national
and global levels since its adoption in 1992,
3. Emphasizing the need
for coherence and consistency in the international legal regimes pertaining to
trade, human rights, security and environment,
4. Recognizing the
catalytic role of United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in formulating
normative standards in the fields of environmental protection and acting as the
environmental conscience of the UN,
5. Stressing the fact
that ongoing humanitarian crisis due to international or internal armed
conflicts whether owing to the scarcity or the abundance of national resources
in a number of African countries, are serious obstacles to achieving
sustainable peace and development,
6. Noting with concern
the social costs of schemes to attract foreign investment in Africa such as
economic processing zones, including the lack of protection of workers' rights,
environmental norms and standards as well as the impunity enjoyed by the
employers and investors,
7. Emphasizing the
urgency of conserving the rich bio-diversity in the African continent through
adequate national remedies including preservation through compatible domestic
legislation
8. Noting with grave
concern the persistence of extreme poverty in most of the African countries,
including its manifestation in increased rates of HIV/AIDS infection with many
of the countries losing many of its people in their prime of life,
9. Gravely concerned
about the serious humanitarian crisis in the shortage of food in Southern
Africa,
10. Gravely concerned about the environmental
degradation due to desertification, drought, flood, volcanic eruption and the
lack of political will and commitment on resource allocation, and the
mismanagement and misuse of allocated resources in many African
countries,
11. Deploring the insufficient attention paid by
most Governments to slum dwellers to the promotion and protection of civil and
political rights and economic, social and cultural rights, adding to the
scourge of environmental racism,
12. Taking note of the African Ministerial
Statement issued in Nairobi on 18 October 2001 which
i) "recognizes the important role played
by civil society and the need to ensure their full participation in achieving
sustainable development",
ii) "recognizes the participation by young
people in sustainable development is the foundation of the success of this
strategy to combat poverty for the future of Africa",
iii) failed to recognize the role of women in
promoting sustainable development,
13. Noting that the New Partnership for African
Development (NEPAD) can be a useful political and economic tool to promote
democratic governance and sustainable development at the local, national and
regional levels with an adequate mechanism for civil society participation,
14. Recognizing the role of African civil
society and NGOs in promoting an integral approach to sustainable development
taking into account other inter-linked dimensions such as human rights, ethics,
peace, gender and environment in the changing reality of African context,
15. Underlining the close linkage that exists
between the right to healthy environment and the right of everyone to the enjoyment
of the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health,
16. Affirming that the realisation of the right
to education with adequate resources and proper curriculum is integral to
achieving sustainable development,
17. Emphasizing the need of governance based on
international human rights norms and standards including transparency and
accountability with effective popular participation thereby enhancing the
progress towards sustainable development,
18. Emphasizing that faith-based groups and
religious communities can play constructive role in promoting sustainable
development in Africa,
19. Affirming the importance of spiritual and
ethical imperatives in overcoming selfish attitudes and lifestyles which led to
unsustainable development,
20. Recognizing the urgent need to have a
comprehensive ethical framework such as the Earth Charter which contains
fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global
society in the 21st century,
21. Dedicating ourselves to the objectives and
goals of the WSSD,
1. Call upon the
Inter-governmental and multilateral institutions involved in trade, human
rights and environment to collaborate actively on an inter-agency level for
better coherence and compliance thereby achieving inter-connectedness and
compatibility, enhancing sustainable development,
2. Urge the
international financial institutions to be pro-poor integrating their human
rights and environmental concerns with effective policies and practices and
without undue delay, particularly related to eradication of extremely poverty
3. Appeal to the
international community towards enhancing international cooperation through
adequate and timely outlay of Official Development Assistance (ODA) including
the reach out to 0.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the rich industrial
countries,
4. Urge the
international community to monitor and to facilitate the observance of human
rights norms and environmental protection standards while framing multi-lateral
rule-based trading systems concerning goods and services,
5. Urge the
international community to accelerate its humanitarian and diplomatic
initiatives towards cessation of hostilities thereby effectively promoting
sustainable peace and human security,
6. Call upon the
international community to increase its efforts towards enhancing the corporate
social responsibility of trans-national corporations (TNCs) and business,
including building code of conduct and wherever possible, with affirmative
action for the poor,
7. Call upon the
international community to multiply its initiatives regarding technological
transfer, observing relevant environmental and human rights standards,
8. Call upon the
international community to enhance its capacity towards effective and rapid
disaster management, respecting humanitarian norms and improving domestic
capacity building in disaster management, wherever needed,
9. Call upon the
international community to respond to the humanitarian crisis situations
particularly related to food, health, water, sanitation and environment
10. Call upon the international community to
respect and implement the commitments made at various UN Conferences on
Environment and Development, Human Rights, Social Development, Women, Food,
Racism, etc.
11. Call upon the African governments to
undertake urgent measures on an emergency basis towards eradication of extreme
poverty through proper agricultural policies for food sovereignty relevant
initiatives towards combating unemployment, respect for the rule of law and
meaningful policies and practices in the critical areas of health, habitation,
education, sanitation and drinking water.
12. Call upon the African governments to address
themselves to real issues which bring about sustained food security including
relevant agricultural policies that avoid overuse of chemical fertilizers
causing soil degradation,
13. Urge the African governments toward
governance based on the informed consent of its people with due respect for
human rights standards including the fundamental freedoms and independence of
the judiciary,
14. Urge the African governments that accession
or ratification to international law regimes related to trade, human rights and
environment should be based on the wide ranging consultation with its peoples
and related institutions of domestic legislation,
15. Urge all African governments to make more
efforts to develop effective mechanism of collaboration in the field of human
rights and sustainable development with civil society organizations including
the Churches, Indigenous peoples, youth and women organizations,
16. Urge all African governments to take
collective measures in developing preventive diplomacy and conflict
transformation such as early warning system to eliminate the scourge of
internal armed conflicts in Africa,
17. Call upon all governments at the WSSD
endorse the Earth Charter as a declaration of fundamental principles for
building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century,
18. Urge all governments to take steps both
nationally and with international cooperation to achieve the best possible
standards of the rights to a healthy environment and the right to health
without discrimination,
19. Urge all governments to maintain the link
between human rights and environmental protection through adequate domestic
remedies seen as a necessary means to achieve sustainable development,
20. Urge all governments to integrate fully the
empowerment of women through sustainable development both as participants and
as beneficiaries,
21. Call upon the African Civil Society and NGOs
to endorse fully ongoing initiatives of the African Civil Society and NGOs,
particularly the African Civil Society Position regarding the WSSD at the
African NGO Forum held in Nairobi on 15 to 16 October 2001 assuring our
partnership and collaboration,
22. Call upon the African Civil Society and NGOs
to integrate fully the promotion and protection of human rights as an essential
tool in achieving sustainable development,
23. Urge the African Civil Society and NGOs to
negotiate both nationally and regionally on procedural and substantive matters
concerning consultative status with the African governments and regional
institutions,
24. Urge the African Civil Society and NGOs to
take into account the importance of combating impunity regarding human rights
and environmental degrading and make their respective governments take
appropriate measures to address the question of impunity,
25. Call upon the African Civil Society and NGOs
to urge all states to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of
human rights defenders and environmental activists,
26. Call upon the African civil society and NGOs
to play a critical role in effective lobbying towards the governments to
endorse different international instruments and to ensure its implementation at
the national level,
27. Call upon all Christian communities in
Africa to be more prophetic in their mission in promoting human rights
and sustainable development in partnership with people of good will in civil
societies in Africa,
28. Urge the Church leaders to incorporate
actively both human rights and environmental concerns in their pastoral
options, policies and practices,
29. Call upon the local Churches and the
regional Episcopal bodies to engage themselves in proactive dialogue with all
religions and religious leaders on human rights, sustainable development and
environmental protection,
30. Call upon the faith-based communities and
groups to continue rigorously their commitments towards enhancing the
effectiveness of human rights and environmental standards, particularly from
the perspective of the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized and the excluded.
[1] The countries represented were
Belgium, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria,
Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, France, India,
Korea and United States.