A renowned environmental organization known as Friends of the Earth Africa (FoEA), has admonished ECOWAS Parliament to enact legislation protecting the environment and safeguarding human rights.
This was made known in a statement delivered by Coordinator Forest & Biodiversity Program for Friends of the Earth Africa Rita Uwaka, during the Second Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament, the body called for action to address deforestation, land grabbing, and the violation of communities’ rights while stressing the devastating impacts of industrial plantations in the sub-region.
According to Friends of the Earth Africa representative, Rita Uwaka “The expansion of industrial plantations across West Africa poses a serious threat to our forests, biodiversity, and communities,”. “We therefore urge the ECOWAS Parliament to take concrete steps to protect our environment and ensure the well-being of our people she said.
The Parliament was also urged to reject trade and investment agreements that undermine environmental and human rights protections but rather “Promote agro ecology and other sustainable farming practices,; support the adoption of a legally binding treaty on transnational corporations and human rights at the United Nations.”
Evidences were provided by Friends of the Earth Africa of widespread environmental and human rights violations that is associated with industrial plantations, these include:
- Deforestation: Large-scale clearing of land for plantations destroys critical ecosystems and contributes to climate change.
- Land grabbing: Communities has to face compulsory displacement from their traditional lands to make way for plantations.
- Pollution: Human health are threatened by Agrochemical water source pollution
- Exploitation of workers: Dangerous working conditions and unfair labor practices are often carried out on plantation workers.
- Violence against women: Due to the vulnerability of the women folks, they often face violence and harassment in plantation areas.
The representative of FoEA Rita Uwaka called on the ECOWAS Parliament to develop regional policies that address these issues. These policies should include restrictions on financing for environmentally destructive projects, protection of indigenous peoples’ rights, and mechanisms for holding companies accountable for their actions.
