Apr 14, 2011

UNPO Commemorates Earth Day With Event Highlighting Resource Theft


 

In recognition of Earth Day 2011, UNPO and the Scholas Environment Committee of the Institute for Social Sciences (ISS) hosted a special seminar and film screening on Thursday, 21 April at the ISS in The Hague. The seminar focused on the exploitation of natural resources and implications for human rights. UNPO and ISS were joined by a packed room of ISS students, representatives of NGOs and members of the public for an eye-opening exploration of a range of issues related to marginalized populations and natural resource exploitation, spanning from resource theft to violations of human rights and devastating environmental degradation.

 

This event highlighted the increasing scarcity of essential natural resources, the plight of disenfranchised groups facing natural resource exploitation and the need for effective policies to promote the participation of local populations in resource development. Many UNPO members occupy territories far from the centers of political and economic power, which are often the first places to be exploited for their resources given their lack of political power to oppose such actions. As resources become increasingly scarce, governments, often in partnership with private companies, have rushed to discover and exploit resources in lands under their control. Decisions to exploit these resources are often taken without meaningful consultation of the local population, and subsequent projects are accompanied by abuse and destruction. While these communities bear the economic and social costs of resource development projects, they rarely share in the profits from such ventures. UNPO is seeking to increase global awareness of this situation, while also exploring paths of effective action.

 

As part of its Earth Day seminar, UNPO Programme Coordinator Lisa Thomas highlighted some of the major issues and barriers to participation facing minority and indigenous populations living on or near rich natural resource deposits. Ms. Thomas also discussed the concept of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), emphasizing the challenges presented in implementing this concept. Dessu Dullagashe of the Oromo in Ethiopia spoke about land grabbing in Ethiopia, questioning how the Oromo people could be so ecologically rich yet so economically poor. Following this, Mr. Aung Win from the Arakan (Rakhine) state of Burma spoke about the problems this community faces as a result of the Shwe Gas Project; Mr. Win detailed how the military regime reaps huge profits from the project, which has led to increased militarization and human rights abuses within the region and the interruption of livelihoods for local communities. There was a lively discussion after the presentations, followed by a screening of the movie “Poison Fire,” a documentary about the devastating effects of oil extraction in the Niger Delta.

 

This celebration of Earth Day offered an important forum to raise awareness about environmental issues affecting minority and indigenous populations as a result of natural resource extraction, and to inspire new ideas for promoting the sustainable and ethical use of our planet’s limited resources.

 

Click here to read an article published by the Institute for Environmental Security (IES) about this event.

 

Click here (pdf download) for UNPO’s special Issue Paper: Development of Natural Resources In Minority Regions (published in advance of the 2010 UN Forum on Minority Issues)