The action/2015 movement has urged the Nigerian government to use its weight to demand action on poverty, inequality and climate change at crucial negotiations next week in New York (17-20 February 2015).
President Goodluck Jonathan at the UN. Photo credit: csdevnet.org
The negotiations in New York will set the overall vision of the next set of sustainable development goals – key agreements that will set global goals for the next generation. These negotiations are the crucial moment for governments to set the ambition of the agreements and action/2015 is urging a clear focus on poverty, inequality and climate change.
Amid growing worries that tackling inequality could be side-lined in the final document, the Nigerian Government is being asked to push hard for a strong commitment that every goal and target is only considered met when all groups in society have met it. In previous agreements despite impressive progress, too many groups have been left behind with progress coming slowest for the poorest and most marginalised groups.
According to Atayi Babs, National Network Coordinator of Climate and Sustainable Development (CSDevNet) who doubles as the Team Lead for action2015 in Nigeria, “next week the Nigerian Government will have an opportunity to defend the rights of the poorest and most marginalised and shape one of the most important agreements of our time.”
“In January, the launch of action/2015 showed that hundreds of thousands of people all around the world including Nigeria want to see their government deliver ambitious outcomes at the negotiations this year which put tackling poverty and inequalities at their heart. This week in New York, negotiators must show they are listening and demand that the goals and targets announced in September are only considered met when all groups in society have met them,” Atayi added.
At its core, the action/2015 movement believes that the new Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the Paris climate negotiations in December are a once in a generation opportunity to secure equality for all and ensure that everyone is able to lead lives full of opportunity.
This principle was also backed by a group of 32 leading international figures including Bill Gates, Shakira and Leymah Gbowee, at the launch of action/2015 in January, who issued a letter to world leaders, including President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, warning them that unless they fully grasp the opportunity of this year that they could be ‘sleep-walking the world towards one of the greatest failures of recent history’.
The action/2015 movement is focused on securing ambitious outcomes at two crucial summits this year. The first is September’s Sustainable Development Goal Summit in New York that will result in new global goals – a framework to end all forms of poverty, discrimination, and inequalities. The second is the UN climate change summit in December, that will set new climate action targets – a crucial step towards a safer planet.
These commitments taken together should lay the foundation for addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.
These commitments taken together should lay the foundation for addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.
On August 26th, 1989, Cameroon’s remote village of Nyos witnessed a strange scientific occurrence in lake water history.
Lake Nyos after the disaster. Photo credit: Water Journalists Africa
A volcanic mountain cracked and sunk into Lake Nyos, causing a volcanic eruption that left over 2,000 people and animals dead in one night, leaving West Africa with the worst natural disaster of all times.
The Five for National Geographic Channel reported that the tragedy was a complete mystery as victims both young and old collapsed dead besides the many unconscious survivors that badly needed medical attention. The dead were swollen with rashes and burns all over their bodies.
On that fateful day, as the residents were getting set for sleep, a heavy down pour weakened the already fragile rock walls over the lake, forcing it to give way, killing people who were 25KM away from Lake Nyos. A survivor recounted how they heard big rocks falling into the lake area.
Gilbert Kihmah, a survivor described the atmosphere before the disaster as a mixture of gun powder and rotten eggs. But as dawn approached, the smell had escaped into the atmosphere. Kihmah recalls that there was overwhelming shock and anxiety in the air.
As the news spread, the whole nation began counting its dead and Africa faced a difficult crisis in modern day Lake history. Survivors like Fr. Antony Bangsi were weak and unconscious with an urgent need for medical attention. “In our unconscious state, death was unavoidable,” Bangsi said.
As the village of Nyos witnessed the death of 600 people in addition to more 500 deaths in the villages of Soa Mbum, Fonfuka and Buabua , this lake that provided a lifeline to these communities had become their worst enemy.
Degassing Lake Nyos to mitigate the effects of future disasters. Photo credit: Water Journalists Africa
Unanswered Questions
This disaster has since left many unanswered questions about what could have led to this tragedy.
Scientific researchers, lake experts and volcanologists reasoned that although crater lakes near the equator like Nyos do not have seasonal and temperature changes, lake water circulates releasing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at a faster rate as the world temperatures change.
Prof Haraldur Sigurdsson, a volcanologist at the Rhodes Island University in South Africa, said that these volcanic lakes are too deep and are sheltered by high imposing rocks. Therefore, water at the bottom of the lake hardly mixes with water at its surface. “Any carbon dioxide that accumulates at the bottom is trapped there”.
He adds that any massive rock falls into the lake triggers the carbon dioxide saturated water beneath to overturn. This, according to him, was what happened on that day.
Prof George Kling, a lake expert at the University of Michigan in USA, confirmed Sigurdsson’s theory and concluded that a dead densely cloud of carbon dioxide had spread over the lake.
Controversy Still Prevails
Today, controversy still prevails between Scientists, Lake Experts and Volcanologists whether such carbon dioxide in the lake could have been able to cause such unbelievable death and destruction.
The Cameroonian government took advice and installed self-powered vent tubes to prevent another deadly buildup of carbon dioxide at the bottom of the lake. An automatic alarm system was also installed at the lake’s gateway to alert residents of any potential dangers.
Impending Danger
Recently volcano logical research has being blowing a new alarm on a looming disaster over the Lake Nyos.
In 2005, the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the United Nations Environment Program UNEP issued a joint report warning that the lake wall had seriously sagged and could crumble within a decade. The report recommended that the walls of the lake be solicited with concrete or some of the lake waters be released to ease the pressure on it.
An official with Cameroon’s Institute of Mining and Geological research which monitors the Lake has however refuted allegations of any dangers around this Lake. “But our government has the project under consideration, but it’s not a priority issue,” he said on conditions of anonymity because he lacked authority to speak for or behalf of the Cameroon government.
If the lake wall collapses again it could kill far more people than the incident of August 1986 according to the Five for National Geographic TV channel. Carbon dioxide might travel as far as 50km to the Cameroon boarders with Nigeria. “The dead toll could be much more devastating and alarming,” the channel reported.
Engineers think that it’s no longer the Questions as to whether the worse will happen by the question is when that will be.
Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2014 explores the employment challenges and opportunities of a transition to a sustainable economy
Can the need to protect the environment be reconciled with the desire to safeguard jobs? Labor markets will shift to fit the demands of a greener economy as resources shrink and the climate changes. But with 38 percent of workers worldwide employed in carbon-intensive sectors like fossil fuel extraction and industrial manufacturing, this transition will be challenging. In State of the World 2014, contributing authors Judith Gouverneur and Nina Netzer point to the central role of trade unions in building a “just transition” toward a greener economy.
Through the coming social and ecological transition, some jobs will be shifted or redefined to fit the new economy, such as moving from fossil fuels to renewables. Other jobs, however-such as those in the coal sector-will be lost or displaced to countries with laxer constraints on greenhouse gas emissions. A badly managed transition could have disastrous consequences on employment.
“In modern societies, work is at the centre of the relationship between nature and society…. Achieving sustainable ways of living is therefore inextricably linked to the way we decide to organize work in the future,” write Gouverneur and Netzer. “Parts of the trade union movement, as well as some individual unions, have accepted the reality that they need to become active participants in the transition toward sustainability.”
To address the transition challenge, some trade unions have proposed a “just transition,” a concept coined in the 1990s that strengthens the view that environmental and social policies can reinforce each other. Using this approach, unions promote the employment potential of a green economy through innovation and technology as well as through resource efficiency.
Yet trade unions remain reluctant to step in as the main driver of the green transformation. And they often neglect the need to shift lifestyles and businesses away from the excessive use of goods, resources, and energy.
“This is understandable insofar as the trade union movement, with its traditional goals of advancing worker interests, is deeply anchored within an economic system that bases wealth generation on continuous growth of production and consumption,” write Gouverneur and Netzer.
But there are potential solutions. Lars Henriksson, a Swedish autoworker and political activist, suggests that unions aim not to preserve unsustainable industries in the name of employment, but to engage workers in developing sustainable conversion strategies. In 2009, for example, union representatives united with environmentalists, researchers, and citizen’s groups to develop a sustainable transport plan in Europe after facing railroad privatization. Unions can also help to secure equitable redistribution of work by requiring continuing education and training, adapting existing social protection systems, and regulating staffing and wage agreements.
Trade unions have a central role in ensuring that the transition moves beyond a “jobs versus environment” debate and enables a shift to workers being drivers of change, rather than victims.
Worldwatch’s State of the World 2014 investigates the broad concept of “governance” for sustainability, including action by national governments, international organizations, and local communities.
The Fossil Free campaign, which has spearheaded the movement to divest from fossil fuels since it began in 2012, will hold a Global Divestment Day spanning six continents on February 13-14.
May Boeve. Photo credit: shifttheclimate.org
Global Divestment Day will celebrate the incredible growth and increasingly international reach of the fossil fuel divestment movement. By 2014, 180 institutions had divested citing climate or carbon risk as their motivation. There are now over 500 active divestment campaigns underway at universities, cities, churches, banks, pension funds and other institutions.
“The divestment movement is already making a huge impact,” said May Boeve, Executive Director of 350.org, one of the organisations supporting the divestment effort. “In just two years, this campaign has grown from a few universities to hundreds of institutions around the world. Together, we’ve succeeded in challenging the social license of the fossil fuels industry, and begun to chip away at their political power. Global Divestment Day will celebrate this success, and help launch a new chapter of this growing movement.”
The divestment campaign highlights a conflict that most politicians are reluctant to address. If the world is to avoid catastrophic global warming, most known fossil fuel resources need to stay in the ground. As world leaders plan to gather in Paris later this year to attempt once again to secure a global deal to address the climate crisis, divestment provides the means to take back power from the fossil fuel industry and deliver a mandate for bold climate leadership before it is too late.
“On Global Divestment Day we will be sending a clear message to the world: now is the time to end the age of fossil fuels,” said Payal Parekh, Global Managing Director for 350.org. “Instead of funding the problem, we need to start funding solutions in the form of clean, renewable sources of energy. This is the only real solution to overcoming the climate crisis”.
On February 13-14 worldwide actions will include: individuals closing their accounts with banks and pension funds investing in climate chaos; university students holding flash-mobs, vigils, sit-ins and rallies calling upon their endowments to invest in a liveable future, faith leaders and people living on the frontline of climate change will band together to urge their communities to divest from climate destruction. In the financial capitals, people will gather for colourful rallies calling on investors to break up with the fossil fuel industry and sever their ties once and for all.
Hundreds of events are now planned worldwide for Global Divestment Day in 48 countries spanning six continents.
Highlights
In South Africa a new campaign is underway targeting Nedbank with hundreds of people partaking in colorful actions including art and music.
Numerous events will span the African continent from Burkina Faso to Benin to Nigeria and Egypt.
Events will be held across Australia, with people moving their money from banks currently looking to finance plans to build the world’s largest coal port in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Sydney will witness a huge rally in a colourful valentine’s/fossil fuel break-up themed day.
In Nepal a new campaign will launch with hundreds converging in an artistic action using umbrellas calling for the city of Kathmandu to divest from fossil fuels.
New divestment campaigns are launching in countries such as France, Vietnam, Ukraine and Japan to name a few.
Across the United States and the United Kingdom hundreds of students are planning sit-ins and “flash-mobs” on campus.
In London hundreds will be flooding City Hall calling on one of the world’s leading financial centers to show leadership and end its dangerous relationship with fossil fuels. Also, a prayer rally will be held at the General Synod of the Church of England calling on the church to divest from fossil fuels and stand alongside communities across the world that are affected by climate change.
The Pacific Islands will have events in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea delivering one clear message: “Divestment is the means to secure the future of our children and help keep our islands above water.”
In the Vatican a light brigade event will be taking place bringing together hundreds of people to ask the Pope to lead on climate solutions by divesting from fossil fuels.
California will see a public demonstration on the doorstep of the largest pension fund in the country to launch a new campaign calling for California to become the first fossil free state in the US.
As Norway’s Parliament reviews the sovereign wealth fund’s investments in fossil fuels, hundreds will gather in Oslo to demand the fund breaks up with coal, oil and gas.
A bike parade with hundreds of cyclists will sound the alarm on Amsterdam‘s dirty energy finance.
In an artistic performance outside Stockholm City Hall, fossil fuels that have invaded the city council will be chased away by a mass of people and transform into a climate solution.
Lafarge Africa Plc, a sub-Saharan Africa building solutions provider, and Shelter Afrique, a Pan-African housing and development institution, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purpose of facilitating access to affordable housing for low income earners in Nigeria.
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. Photo credit: punchng.com
The agreement which will commence with the development of identified sites at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja will be for an initial period of four years. Under the terms of the MOU, the areas of cooperation between the two organisations include provision of assistance to define the best construction technologies for use in affordable housing and micro-finance projects as well as supply of cement and concrete products for projects.
Mr. Guillaume Roux, Group MD/CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc, said at the signing ceremony that “this is in furtherance of Lafarge’s objective of complementing government’s efforts to boost national development through improved infrastructure, industrialisation and economic growth. Our commitment to bring more housing and better solutions to contribute to building better cities in Nigeria will be enhanced with the implementation of this agreement, which represents a new major step in our affordable housing program.”
Mr. James Mugerwa, Managing Director, Shelter Afrique, at the occasion commented that “we once again show that we are always keen on building strong partnerships and finding efficient ways to deliver affordable housing, which is a shared vision we have with Lafarge. It also shows our joint commitment to Nigeria, a very important market for affordable housing and a key player in the region.”
Lafarge has developed an affordable housing programme to address today’s needs for decent and sustainable housing for all. Lafarge brings its expertise to offer affordable housing solutions to populations with low purchasing power. Since 2013, the program has provided access to decent housing for 250,000 people in 18 countries. Lafarge’s objective is to facilitate access to affordable and sustainable housing for two million people by 2020.
In Nigeria, Lafarge started its affordable housing program tagged “Ile Irorun” in October 2013. So far, over 6000 people have been impacted by the scheme through more than 1,000 constructions, with each beneficiary having an average of 6 members in their family.
The 21st president of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Dr Femi Olomola, has unfolded a seven-point programme that he intends to implement during his tenure. He made the disclosure last Friday in Lagos during an investiture ceremony to usher in the group’s new National Executive Council (NEC).
According to him, the schedule entails:
Law & Constitutional Matters
Promoting National Security & Reducing Fraud
Improving the Asset Base of the Institute
Improving Current Operational Modalities
Need for NITP Strategic/Master Plan
Sustaining Human Capital Development, and
Extensive Publicity & Public Enlightenment on the Value of the Profession
Dr Femi Olomola (middle) after being decorated by the immediate past president, Chief Steve Onu (left). Mrs Kunbi Olomola (right) looks on
The first item, for instance, will take stock of the near-zero implementation of the Nigerian Urban & Regional Planning Law in states and at the federal level, ensure a 100 percent commitment to the implementation of the provisions of the institute’s constitution, promote internal democracy, and overhaul the operational modalities of the examination board and professional development programme.
While item Two will be realised via the introduction of a Land Use Planning Report prepared by Registered Town Planners that shall accompany several applications, item Three involves the completion of the body’s Bawa Bwari House in Abuja, and on-going renovation of Franklin Akinyemi House on Victoria Island in Lagos.
President, Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), Prof. Layi Egunjobi, in a goodwill message, urged Dr Olomola and the Exco members to “exhibit your educational and professional training acquired over the years for effective and purposeful leadership to advance the course of the profession.”
Dr & Mrs Femi Olomola with past presidents of the Institute
He adds: “I urge you all to remain focused and let discipline and many of your good moral conduct be your watchword, you are expected to conduct yourself with decorum and high sense of discipline as ambassadors of the Institute.”
While listing achievements during his reign, the immediate past president of the NITP, Chief Steve Onu, thanked the officers that worked with him.
“To the elected executive members, I want to thank you for your services. To our staff, I want to thank them for their support and hope they will show more commitment to the Institute with the current leadership,” he says.
A past president of the Institute and chief executive of Frontline Consultants, Remi Makinde, congratulated Olomola, saying: “We note with pleasure your records of service to the Institute at the Lagos State Chapter where you rose to the post of the Chapter Chairman before you sought for elective positions of the 2nd and 1st Vice Presidents at the National Level.
“You willingly and successfully participated at several Committees at the State and National levels over the last 25 years as a demonstration of your willingness to serve our institute and lift the Profession of Town Planning to greater heights.
“We therefore have no doubt that you will carry out any restructuring necessary to facilitate your ambition to raise the Institute to greater heights.”
There is a growing national momentum to tackle problems associated with cooking energy in Nigeria. Recently, over one hundred stakeholders representing energy companies, policy makers, donor agencies and NGOs gathered in Abuja to deliberate over rising challenges of cooking energy. This is coming on the heels of the Federal Government’s award of a contract of N9.6 billion for the supply of clean cookstoves, NNPC’s launch of the “kerosene correct” campaign as well as a new presidential initiative on cooking gas soon to be launched.
Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, talking to the press. On her left is Ewah Eleri, Executive Director of the International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development (ICEED) and Coordinator of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
In his welcome address, Ewah Eleri, Executive Director of the International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development (ICEED) and Coordinator of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, claimed that Nigeria is facing a silent energy crisis.
“Twenty-five million households cook with wood in traditional open fire. Smoke from the kitchen kills over 100,000 women and children every year. It leads to deforestation and costs poor families money and time that could be used for food, education and health care. The time to act is now,” he said, even as he thanked the Federal Government, the Nigeria LPG Association and the organised private sector for rising to the challenge.
Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, restated her ministry’s commitment to work with the organised private sector to ensure an effective implementation of the N9.6 billion clean cookstoves project. The minister used the opportunity of the conference and expo to meet with partners of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. She emphasised the need to ensure that Nigerian producers of clean cookstoves and fuels participate in the project.
In his presentation, Robert van der Plas, a leading international household energy consultant, estimated that one million additional households are created in Nigeria every year.
“For the Nigerian National Clean Cookstoves Market Development programme to be effective, it must be ambitious and built on sound fundamentals. A private sector-led market is a necessary condition for success,” he said.
Biodun Olaore of Envirofit International, a clean cookstoves producer, stated, “Government has no business distributing free stoves. Did the government give away free GSM phones to create the market for the growth of the telephone market in Nigeria?” he queried.
Happy Amos, a young beneficiary of the Federal Government’s You-Win programme, demanded, “Why should the government that gave me money to start a stove factory in Niger State turn around to destroy the market for my products by giving away free stoves?”
Amos used her You-Win funds to start a factory that produces efficient charcoal stoves. Through this investment, she has employed several other young people. The partners concluded that free stoves will undermine the long-term viability of investments in the household energy market.
Many demanded that the government create an enabling policy environment for a private sector-led growth of the cooking energy market estimated to be about N800 billion annually. They proposed a reduction or removal of duties and VAT on cooking energy and equipment.
Dayo Adeshina, President of the Nigeria LPG Association, insisted that the government should reduce tariffs, expand LPG infrastructure and provide access to finance.
“Nigeria is a gas nation and our current production of LPG is over ten times the local consumption. We must set the policies right for this sector to grow,” he insisted.
Participants agreed that, despite the fact that we must all work to ensure that cooking gas gets to all parts of the country, widespread poverty would consign a large segment of the population to continue to use wood fuel for cooking. There is need to ensure that the market is created for modern and efficient wood stoves, they argued.
Partners of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves unanimously agreed that the Federal Government should use the N9.6 billion to stimulate local production of cylinders and cookstoves, adding that this will trigger private sector investments and create jobs.
Rather than spending this huge amount of money on free stoves, this fund should be used to provide low or no interest loans to investors, support the expansion of LPG infrastructure and create public awareness on the benefits of clean cooking. The N9.6 billion should form the basis for launching a household energy fund and removal of duties and VAT on household energy equipment, they noted.
Besides supporting the private sector to grow the market for clean cooking energy, stakeholders proposed approaches to enhancing demanded for clean cooking energy products.
Christine K, the Country Director of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German international environmental NGO, said, “Seeing is believing. We need pilot projects at state and community levels. Let people see that clean cookstoves save money, their health and their environment. Let people see these stoves at work in their neighbourhood. This can be more important than jingles and large scale adverts.”
Partners resolved to strengthen the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves as a pressure group to interface with government. They insisted that the voice of the industry must be heard for any new government initiative to be effective.
Lack of safeguards for indigenous land rights opened the door for accelerated deforestation and palm oil plantations across Indonesia; as Ebola recedes, Liberia faces the same threats
Andy White, coordinator of the Rights and Resources Initiative. Photo credit: trust.org
A new report finds that Indigenous Peoples and local communities control less than one sixth of tropical forests – despite living in or near the forests and safeguarding them – in eight of the 11 countries accepted by the World Bank for initiating the proposed carbon market. The report, produced by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), identifies only two countries participating in the market that have laws defining who has rights to forest carbon, and not one with a law defining how to trade it.
“For centuries, governments have been handing out Indigenous Peoples’ forests to supply the next commodity boom – whether rubber, oil palm, cattle or soy,” said Andy White, coordinator of the Rights and Resources Initiative. “The carbon market is the next global commodity from tropical forests and, once again, there is a major risk that Indigenous Peoples are not recognised as the owners of the forest. The World Bank sets the investment standards that many national governments and private companies follow. They are now proposing to weaken their own safeguards and are encouraging governments to sell carbon rights without first ensuring human rights. This puts at risk both the forests and the credibility of the carbon market. There are good examples, such as Mexico, that should be followed.”
The World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is helping developing countries sell their right to deforest, or avoid deforestation. The proceeds of these “emissions reductions” would ostensibly be used to keep forests standing. Looking for Leadership, RRI’s annual review of forest and land rights around the world, stresses the urgency of securing the land rights of forest peoples before extracting yet another commodity – in this case, the rights to the carbon in the live trees – from their land. Without safeguards for these rights established and implemented, all nations participating in the carbon market face the “resource curse,” in which countries that industrialise and trade their natural resources achieve corruption and stagnation rather than social and economic development.
On its current path, carbon trading will allow governments to make the decisions, and control the proceeds of the market, undermining local peoples’ rights, and putting at risk the protection of the forest itself,” said Joji Cariño, director of Forest Peoples Programme. “Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who have been stewards of the land for generations, are likely to be further marginalised and dispossessed. Stronger leadership is needed by the World Bank to respect local rights and help governments direct benefits to support local forest owners.”
Industrial Oil Palm Development, a complementary report released alongside RRI’s annual review, explores how palm oil developments altered the economic trajectories of Indonesia and Liberia. The World Bank invested more than $2 billion in the palm oil commodity without ensuring the implementation of strong safeguards, and as a result, Indonesia, one of the countries participating in the World Bank’s carbon market, has seen its forests decimated by palm oil plantations. Liberia has now staked its economic development to palm oil production even though the price of the commodity has declined 40 percent since its 2011 peak.
“Liberia’s focus on palm oil and other raw commodities devastated its rural communities and their ancestral forests, and then Ebola hit,” said Silas Kpanan’Ayoung Siakor, the founder of Sustainable Development Institute in Liberia, who spoke at the panel discussion on the state of global land rights where both reports were released. “Now that Ebola is receding, oil palm companies are already accelerating the land-grabbing again. We need to protect our forests and rebuild our country, with a focus on our people first. Our land can provide the foundation for this recovery, but only if we have the rights to it.”
Without Rights, Expect to Repeat the Resource Curse
RRI’s analysis looked at the legal systems in eight of 11 countries now deemed “ready” to sell carbon by the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). Not one country had a law governing how forest carbon could be traded, and only Guatemala and Mexico had laws defining forest carbon rights.
In a related analysis, governments were found to claim ownership over 79 percent of the forests in those eight countries. The rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, on the other hand, are only recognised for 16 percent.
Mexico again stood out – its government controls only 4.4 percent of the nation’s forests, while Indigenous Peoples and local communities have rights to 70 percent. The other governments claim large portions, if not all, of their nation’s forestland:
Democratic Republic of the Congo, 100 percent;
Republic of the Congo, 98 percent;
Vietnam, 98 percent;
Indonesia, 96 percent;
Peru, 71 percent;
Nepal, 68 percent; and
Costa Rica, 40 percent.
The results of this analysis call into question how the countries accepted by the FCPF would establish carbon as a tradable commodity without viable legal frameworks in place. Fortunately, there are examples of how this can be done right. Mexico respects indigenous land rights and has established national funds to compensate forest communities for their carbon, as has Costa Rica. El Salvador is planning such a system as well.
The sidestepping of local land and human rights is reminiscent of how other new commodities are established. In Kenya, for example, the government placed a higher value on the water flowing from the Cherangany Hills than on the rights of the Sengwer people who live in the region. In a World Bank-funded project, the Sengwer were forcibly removed from their homes to safeguard the drinking water and irrigation supplies of the people downstream.
“Forest management and water conservation should never include burning the homes of forest peoples,” said Peter Kitelo, coordinator of the Kenya Forest Indigenous Peoples Network, and another speaker at the RRI event. “As the spotlight on human rights continues to brighten, we need better leadership from global institutions, especially those promoting development. The land may produce valuable commodities, but every human life holds a much higher value.”
Palm oil is another commodity example; the industry has long been criticised for its role in deforestation, abuse of local land rights, and lax production standards. The second report explores how the business model of the industry also does not share its economic gains with the countries or the people hosting its plantations. For example, Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, yet the commodity contributes less than two percent to the country’s GDP. Since 1990, the number of jobs in the rural sector, where palm oil plantations are located, has remained stagnant.
“When it comes to palm oil, there are no positive outcomes for our communities so far,” said Mina Setra, deputy secretary general of the Indonesia’s Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN). “Oil palm plantations have been major issues for indigenous communities. Companies violate our rights, break the laws, pollute the environment, and never share any of the profits. Criminalisation to community members and violence still happen today. This is not an economic model that any other country should adopt.”
Yet despite the evidence and its new commitments to stop deforestation, the Liberian government continues to embrace palm oil as a commodity that can fuel its economy, and it has not insisted on stronger safeguards for rural communities. The report makes clear that a continued reliance on exporting raw commodities like palm oil will never build the local manufacturing and infrastructure that can support the modern economy envisioned by the government.
“We’ve got to learn this lesson: you can’t get democracy or development, and you can’t stop deforestation, without respecting citizens’ human rights, including local peoples’ rights to their land and forests,” said RRI’s White in conclusion. “Without rights you get the resource curse – whether you are talking about oil palm, forests, mining or carbon.”
The RRI is a global coalition of 14 partners and over 150 international, regional and community organisations advancing forest tenure, policy and market reforms.
WaterAid has welcomed the African Union’s official launch of the Kigali Action Plan, a 50-million euro agreement to bring drinking water, basic toilets and hygiene promotion to 10 million Africans in 10 countries.
The action plan has come as the UN enters final negotiations on the next 15-year blueprint for development in the Sustainable Development Goals. The present draft of which includes a dedicated goal on water and sanitation.
Barbara Frost, Chief Executive, WaterAid. Photo credit: wateraid.org
The programme, agreed with the African Development Bank and led by the government of Rwanda, is designed to make water and sanitation programmes a higher priority in national spending across the continent.
Ten nations are targeted in this action plan: Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Lesotho and Mauritania. The 10 states are all on the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and all but two of the targeted countries — Lesotho and Mauritania — are considered fragile states for one reason or another (ranging from conflict to the Ebola virus disease). The weak state of water and sanitation services has been highlighted in Sierra Leone and Liberia in particular as contributing to the Ebola crisis.
The 24th African Union Summit, which closed on 31 January, comes as the United Nations works on final negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals, which will serve as a blueprint for development over the next 15 years.
WaterAid with its partner organisations has called for a strong, dedicated goal on water and sanitation for all, as well as the inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene in goals on education and health to recognise their critical role in helping children survive to adulthood and stay in school, and in helping communities become healthier and more productive.
The Common African Position on these new goals includes recommendations for people-centred development, environmental sustainability, natural resource management and disaster risk management. Achieving access to clean water, sanitation and good hygiene practice for all is a critical element of these recommendations.
Barbara Frost, Chief Executive, WaterAid, said: “Africa’s hospitals, communities and economies are struggling under the enormous burden of disease created when 324 million people in the continent have no choice but to drink dirty water, and another 644 million are without decent, hygienic toilets. It’s time to stop talking and take action on sanitation. The Kigali Action Plan is focused on delivering services and transforming lives, and we look to the Sustainable Development Goals to continue this momentum.”
This initiative is being led by His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, reflecting the country’s rapid progress in delivering water and sanitation.
In 1990, by WHO and UNICEF measures, only 30% of Rwanda’s population had basic toilets and 60% had clean water. In 2013, that number had risen to 64% with basic toilets and nearly 71% with access to clean water.
Rwanda is also one of few African nations to have met the Millennium Development Goal target of halving the proportion of its people without access to sanitation. As a whole, Sub-Saharan Africa is so far behind on providing sanitation that at present rates of progress, it would not meet this goal for more than 150 years.
Key to Rwanda’s success have been empowering communities, strong political will and accountability of service providers and governments, which have been held up as examples for other Sub-Saharan African nations as they confront their own challenges in water and sanitation.
In the Dakar Declaration of May 2014, African nations called for a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal on water and sanitation as key to ending this crisis.
Dr. Michael Ojo, Country Representative, WaterAid Nigeria, said: “The Kigali Action Plan is a great move for Africa and it will contribute significantly to changing the face of water, sanitation and hygiene on the continent. As the continent’s biggest economy however, Nigeria also has a huge role to play in contributing to sustained development in Africa. It defies logic that as influential as Nigeria is on the continent, we remain one of only a handful of countries around the world where access to basic sanitation is actually falling rather than rising. We call on our own leaders here to embrace the spirit of the Kigali Action Plan and invest the resources needed to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene for its people.
“It’s evident that world leaders, and increasingly this includes African leaders too, are finally recognising the transformative potential and unique opportunity for change that 2015 presents. We must continue to demand that our leaders embrace new and ambitious policies that will eradicate poverty, inequality and change the future of Nigerians for the better.”
With a myriad of laws and regulations to navigate, investing in property can seem overwhelming even on your home turf. This is even truer if you are looking to purchase real estate overseas, where everything from the local customs to the legal requirements will be unfamiliar.
Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo credit: tripsgate.com
What are the laws international buyers are likely to encounter when hunting for real estate in some of the leading investment destinations in the emerging markets?
Asia: invest through leasehold, not freehold
At first glance, it may seem that buying property outright is out of the question in many countries. In the Philippines, for example, non-Filipinos are not permitted to own land. However, they can lease private land for a period of 50 years, and this lease can be renewed for a further 25 years. Additionally, the Condominium Act permits non-nationals to buy condominium units as long as total foreign ownership in the development does not exceed 40 percent.
Similarly, owning property outright in Indonesia is a right that is reserved for citizens. Hak Milik, or right of ownership, can only be held by Indonesian nationals. However, Hak Pakai, or right of use, can be issued to both foreign individuals residing in Indonesia and foreign-invested entities.
In Myanmar, a country which has attracted record levels of foreign investment following political and economic reforms, similar restrictions surrounding ownership apply. However, under the foreign investment law introduced in November 2012, international investors are eligible for land leases of up to 50 years, which can then be renewed for two 10-year periods.
Middle East: ownership allowed, with restrictions
In Saudi Arabia, foreigners can own property outright but should still expect to face some restrictions. Foreign companies must have a legal presence in the Kingdom, while individual investors have to live in the country and must also hold a permit from the Ministry of the Interior. An important exception is the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah, where only Saudi nationals are entitled to buy property.
In Jordan, similar rules apply. Individual foreign investors can buy property for residential purposes, provided that their country of residence has a reciprocal relationship. International buyers will need to seek approval from the Cabinet (Council of Ministers), as well as from the Minister of Finance or the General Director of the Survey Department. Investors from other Arab nations are exempt from this requirement.
Latin America: ownership restricted by location
In Mexico, whether a foreigner can buy property outright depends on the location. Restrictions are placed on foreign ownership of land in a prohibited zone which includes land that is within 50km of the coastline or 100km from the country’s international borders. The restriction is included in Mexico’s 1917 constitution and reflects fears from that time about the United States’ expansion. However, foreigners can still acquire property within this restricted zone through a bank trust, known as a fideicomiso.
Likewise, few restrictions exist for foreign buyers in Peru, unless the property is located within 50km of the country’s border. Elsewhere in Latin America, international investors face very few limitations.
In Colombia, foreigners looking to invest in property have the same ownership rights as citizens of the country. Even tourists can acquire property here without proof of residency.
Africa: mixed investment opportunities
Foreign investment in property in many African markets is restricted. One notable exception is Morocco, which is open and actively attracting foreign buyers. Foreigners are not required to hold residency in order to tap into the country’s booming property market. However, international investors looking to buy here should hire both a notary and a local lawyer to get expert advice for navigating the real estate market.
Elsewhere, buying property on a freehold basis is not an option for international investors. In Tanzania, where the bulk of the country’s real estate is government owned, foreigners can only occupy land when it is intended as an investment. This can be done by obtaining a right of occupancy through the Tanzania Investment Centre.
In other countries, foreign ownership is often restricted to a leasehold basis, such as in Kenya where international buyers can acquire property only on a 99-year lease.
In Nigeria, the Land Use Act restricts foreign acquisition to no more than a 25 year lease and also requires written approval from the state government.
