we also recognize that we have different interpretations of these rights that depend on our cultural roots and background,
religious beliefs, and value systems.
What are the burning human rights problems that are unique to African countries? I heard that foreign investments and transnational corporations are part of this problem. Can you shed some light on this?
For many decades foreign investment and transnational corporations have been a key source of revenue in Africa, thereby contributing a substantial part of the Continent’s development. Transnational corporations have been operating in different African states in sectors such as mining, oil and gas, construction, banking etc. While they have contributed to development in the Continent, they have also caused serious violations and abuses of human and peoples’ rights across the Continent. Some of the documented violations and abuses include displacement and land dispossession of individuals and communities, poor beneficial terms of concession, violation of labour rights, environmental degradation, and threats to human rights defenders who call for accountability by transnational corporations. Largely, despite the deleterious actions of transnational corporations, they have rarely been held to account.
Notably, in the recent past
the domain of business and human rights has become of interest to governments,
civil society organisations, individuals and intergovernmental organs working in Africa. This interest has arisen because development projects and activities continue to seriously affect human rights in the Continent on a regular basis, and many African States lack mechanisms and instruments to remedy human rights violations. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has established a Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights with a mandate to consider business and human rights issues relating to extractive industries sector.
There is obviously a need to build capacity among civil society organisations, academics, communities, and state institutions in Africa to ensure proper regulation of activities by transnational organisations and further to entrench accountability for human rights violations and abuses these organisations.
What are the principal “lessons learnt” from past 75 years of the UDHR from the African point of view?
The UDHR remains to be an important and relevant document. There could be different opinions when it comes to interpretation and how we see the nature and content of certain rights. Be that as it may, there is a need for states and communities to organise around protecting and promoting true human rights claims as envisioned in the UDHR and subsequent international human rights treaties or covenants.