The Hague, 23 April 2007 - Local communities have a right to the land and resources that have sustained them for centuries, and the right to a voice when decisions which affect them are made. All too frequently however these rights are ignored and these voices lost when economic interests come to the fore.

On Saturday 21 April 2007 UNPO marked its annual celebration of Earth Day, making this an opportunity to raise these voices and highlight the sometimes forgotten local costs of environmental degradation and destruction.

Read more about the Environmental Problems Faced by UNPO Members:

- When Livelihoods are Cut Away (Deforestation)
- Landmines Recognise no Cease-Fire (Landmines)
- The Curse of Black Gold (Oil)
- Water: A Precious Commodity (Water)

Earth Day is an annual celebration aiming to raise awareness of some of the most pressing environmental issues across the globe. UNPO and its Members marked the day in The Hague city centre, where a festive and colourful stand on Grote Marktstrat lent a human face to the cause for greater environmental protection and increased consultation with affected local communities. The event included a photo-exhibition, and activities and competitions for the younger generation, accompanied by a vibrant jambe drum performance by UNPO Members from Southern Cameroons. Representatives of UNPO Members from the Ahwazi were also present to provide first-hand accounts of the environmental challenges faced by their communities and their link to the resources we often take for granted.

Much public interest in the event was raised through UNPO’s participation in a one-hour radio in The Hague, discussing topics relevant to UNPO and its Members, and promoting the upcoming Earth Day celebrations.

Mr. Ledum Mitee, President of the UNPO General Assembly, as well as President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), issued the following statement supporting UNPO’s Earth Day activities:

“On the occasion of Earth Day 2007;

Environmental rights are not a class distinct from our basis human rights. Local environments sustain and form the basis of the practices and traditions that define many of the world’s oldest communities. The destruction of these environments is therefore all too often accompanied by the destruction of entire communities, and with them, a piece of the human and cultural diversity of which we are all rightly proud.

UNPO has a long history of supporting the Ogoni struggle for environmental rights, and it is my great honour therefore to serve as President of the UNPO General Assembly, an organisation to which my predecessor, one-time colleague, and environmental activist, the late Ken Saro Wiwa, also previously served as Vice-President. The Ogoni however are not alone in their environmental struggles, but share their difficulties with numerous other UNPO Members throughout the world. UNPO plays a crucial role in ensuring that no local communities are forgotten and that their voices are heard on the international stage. As part of this process, Earth Day is a vital opportunity to spread an understanding of these difficulties, and to prompt a reflection on costs of the resources we often take for granted.”