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Human Rights, Regional Law and the Environment in Africa: Legal and Conceptual Foundations

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Human Rights and the Environment under African Union Law

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Abstract

The intersection between human rights and the environment is one that is gaining traction, especially in the Global South. Most scholarship in this area has tended to focus on the issue in the context of Europe, United States of America and Asia (and Oceania). This chapter establishes the link between human rights and the environment in the African context. It examines the treaties and conventions, with a regional reach, under the African Union, like the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (the African Convention); Bamako Convention on the Ban of Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Waste Within Africa; African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protoco). Moreover, this chapter further examines landmark cases that have been litigated in Africa which establish the relationship between human rights and the environment in order to lay solid foundation for the rest of the chapters in this book.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See, generally, Olufemi Amao, African Union Law: The Emergence of a Sui Generis Legal Order, 1st Edition (Routledge 2020).

  2. 2.

    The African Union (AU) was officially launched in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, following a decision in September 1999 by its predecessor, the OAU, to create a new continental organisation to build on its work. See, AU, ‘About the African Union’, https://au.int/en/overview (accessed on 18th January 2020).

  3. 3.

    Amao, (n 1 above).

  4. 4.

    See, ‘AU Commission Chairperson in Kigali for consultative meeting on AU institutional reforms’ 08 May 2017, https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20170508/au-commission-chairperson-kigali-consultative-‑‑meeting-au-institutional (accessed on 12th January 2020).

  5. 5.

    Emeka Polycarp Amechi, ‘Enhancing Environmental Protection and Socio-Economic Development in Africa: A Fresh Look at the Right to a General Satisfactory Environment under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,’ Law, Environment and Development Journal 5(1) (2009), pp. 58–72, 62.

  6. 6.

    Social and Economic Rights Action Centre and the Centre for Economic and Social Rights v. Nigeria, Communication No. 155/96 (2001) (SERAC case or SERAC v. Nigeria), para. 68 (emphasis added).

  7. 7.

    Werner Scholtz, ‘Human Rights and the Environment in the African Union Context,’ in Anna Grear and Louis J. Kotzé (eds.), Research Handbook on Human Rights and the Environment (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015), p. 401; Achim Steiner, An Introduction to the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (International Union for Conservation of Nature Environmental Law Centre, 2004), p. 1.

  8. 8.

    Scholtz, “Human Rights and the Environment,” p. 401.

  9. 9.

    New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Review of the Implementation of the Action Plan of the AU/NEPAD Environment (2012), p. 10.

  10. 10.

    African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights res. 321 (November 18, 2015) pmbl.

  11. 11.

    African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights res. 148 (November 25, 2009).

  12. 12.

    See Steiner, Introduction to the African Convention, p. 1.

  13. 13.

    Constitutive Act of the African Union, July 11, 2000, in force May 26, 2001, OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/23.15, art 13(1). As at 22 January 2020, all 55 African states have ratified/acceded to the Constitutive Act (see ratification/accession status list (updated June 15, 2017) available at www.au.int/web/sites/default/files/treaties/7758-sl-constitutive_act_of_the_african_union_2.pdf).

  14. 14.

    Malgosia Fitzmaurice, David M. Ong and Panos Merkouris (eds) Human Rights and the Environment (Martinus/Nijhof Publishers 2011) 71.

  15. 15.

    Francesco Francioni ‘International Human Rights in an Environmental Horizon’ (2010) 1 European Journal of International Law 42.

  16. 16.

    Ibid. See, also, Catherine Redgwell ‘Access to Environmental Justice’, in Francesco Francioni (ed) Access to Justice as a Human Right (2007) 153; James Cameron and Ruth Mackenzie ‘Access to Environmental Justice and Procedural Rights in International Institutions’ in Alan Boyle and Michael Anderson (eds) Human Rights Approaches to Environmental Protection (1996) 129.

  17. 17.

    See, Frencioni (n 15 above) 43.

  18. 18.

    UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Adopted by GA Res 61/295 of 13 Sept. 2007. See Article 29 of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

  19. 19.

    African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, adopted 27 June 1981, entered into force 21 October 1986.

  20. 20.

    Takele Soboka Bulto, ‘The Environment and Human Rights’ in Anja Mihr (ed) The Sage Handbook of Human Rights (SAGE Publications Ltd. 2014) 1016.

  21. 21.

    Ibid.

  22. 22.

    Ibid.

  23. 23.

    Louis J Kotze and Anel du Plessis ‘The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Environmental Rights Standards’ in Stephen J Turner (ed) Environmental Rights the Development of Standards (Cambridge University Press 2019) 95.

  24. 24.

    Ibid.

  25. 25.

    Ibid.

  26. 26.

    Ibid, 95.

  27. 27.

    See, Fitzmaurice (n 14 above) 71.

  28. 28.

    Ibid.

  29. 29.

    See generally, Alan E. Boyle and Patricia Birnie, International Law and the Environment (Oxford University Press, 2002 2nd ed.).

  30. 30.

    Robin Churchill, ‘Environmental Rights in Existing Human Rights Treaties’ in Alan E. Boyle and Michael R. Anderson (eds) Human Rights Approaches to Environmental Protection (Clarendon Press 1996) 90.

  31. 31.

    Ibid.

  32. 32.

    See, Michael Mason Environmental Democracy: A Contextual Approach (Earthscan 1999).

  33. 33.

    See, UDHR, Articles 8, 19, 21, and 26.

  34. 34.

    Report of the Joint OHCHR-UNEP Seminar on Human Rights and the Environment 16 Jan. 2002, UN Doc E/CN.4/2002/WP.7 (2002), Annex II (15).

  35. 35.

    See, Roland Rich ‘The Right to Development as an Emerging Human Right’ (1982–1983) 23 Virginia Journal of International Law 320.

  36. 36.

    Ibid.

  37. 37.

    Convention on the Preservation of Wild Animals, Birds, and Fish in Africa, 19 May 1900, (not in force, pmbl.).

  38. 38.

    Convention Relative to the Preservation of Fauna and Flora in Their Natural State, adopted on 8 November 1933, entered into force 14 January 1936, pmbl.

  39. 39.

    African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 25 September 1968, entered into force 16 June 1969, OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/24.1.

  40. 40.

    IUCN Environmental Law Programme, An Introduction to the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, IUCN Environmental Policy and Law Paper No. 56 (2004), p. 4.

  41. 41.

    Philippe Sands and Jacqueline Peel, Principles of International Environmental Law, 3d ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2012), p. 25; Steiner, Introduction to the African Commission, p. 4.

  42. 42.

    See, African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (2003, Revised Version).

  43. 43.

    Ibid., art. 2.

  44. 44.

    Ibid., art. 3. Article 16 of the Convention requires the parties to adopt measures necessary to ensure dissemination of, and public access to, environmental information; public participation in decision-making with a potentially significant impact on the environment, and access to justice in environmental matters.

  45. 45.

    Revised African Convention, art. 4.

  46. 46.

    Ibid., pmbl.

  47. 47.

    Bamako Convention on the Ban of Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Waste Within Africa, 30 January 1991, entered into force 22 April 1998.

  48. 48.

    Ibid., pmbl.

  49. 49.

    Adebola Ogunlade, ‘Can the Bamako Convention Adequately Safeguard Africa’s Environment in the Context of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes?’ University of Dundee (2010), p. 19.

  50. 50.

    Bamako Convention, pmbl.

  51. 51.

    African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, June 27, 1981, in force October 21, 1986, 1520 UNTS 217.

  52. 52.

    African Charter, art. 24.

  53. 53.

    Ibid., p. 62.

  54. 54.

    African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1 July 1990, entered into force 29 November 1999, OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/24.9/49 (African Children’s Charter), art. 11(2)(g).

  55. 55.

    Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, 13 September 2000, entered force 25 November 2005, AU Doc. CAB/LEG/66.6, art. 18.

  56. 56.

    Ibid., art. 45.

  57. 57.

    Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 10 July 1998, entered into force 25 January 2004, OAU Doc. OAU/LEG/EXP/AFCHPR/PROT (III) (African Court Protocol), art. 3. As at 22 January 2020, the African Court Protocol had been ratified by 30 African states.

  58. 58.

    Article 24 of the ACHPR. See, also, Werner Scholtz ‘Human Rights and the Environment in the African Union Context’ in Werner Scholtz and Jonathan Verschuuren (eds) Regional Environmental Law: Transregional Comparative Lessons in Pursuit of Sustainable Development (2015) 102.

  59. 59.

    See, generally, Ebenezer Durojaye ‘The Approaches of the African Commission to the Right to Health under the African Charter’ (2013) 7 Law, Democracy and Development 393.

  60. 60.

    Article 3(j) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union of 2000.

  61. 61.

    Article 3(h) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union of 2000.

  62. 62.

    The African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission), meeting at its Forty-sixth Ordinary Session held from 11–25 November in Banjul, The Gambia.

  63. 63.

    Article III of the Convention which explicitly refers to article 24 of the ACHPR.

  64. 64.

    See Kotze’ and Plessis (n 23 above) 101.

  65. 65.

    Social and Economic Rights Action Centre (SERAC) and Another v Nigeria (2001) AHRLR 60.

  66. 66.

    ACHPR ‘Communication 155/96: Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC) and Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) /Nigeria’ para 10 available online at www.achpr.org/files/sessions/30th/comunications/155.96/achpr30_155_96_eng.pdf (accessed 25 November 2019).

  67. 67.

    ACHPR, Article 16.

  68. 68.

    Ibid, at Article 21.

  69. 69.

    Ibid, at Article 24.

  70. 70.

    Application 006/2012: African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights v the Republic of Kenya available online at www.african-court.org/en/index.php/56-pending-cases-details/864-app-‑no-006–2012-african-commissionon-human-and-peoples-rights-v-republic-of-kenya-details (Accessed 26 November 2019).

  71. 71.

    Ibid, para 4.

  72. 72.

    Ibid.

  73. 73.

    See, Kotze and Plessis (n 23 above) 106.

  74. 74.

    Application 276/03: Centre for Minority Rights Development (Kenya) and Minority Rights Group.

  75. 75.

    Ibid.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute of Environmental Law, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Michael Addaney

  2. University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana

    Michael Addaney

  3. North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    Chantelle Gloria Moyo

  4. University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

    Thabang Ramakhula

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  1. Michael Addaney
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  2. Chantelle Gloria Moyo
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Correspondence to Michael Addaney .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute of Environmental Law, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Michael Addaney

  2. Department of Public Law, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa

    Ademola Oluborode Jegede

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Addaney, M., Moyo, C.G., Ramakhula, T. (2020). Human Rights, Regional Law and the Environment in Africa: Legal and Conceptual Foundations. In: Addaney, M., Oluborode Jegede, A. (eds) Human Rights and the Environment under African Union Law. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46523-0_1

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