By: Gloria Angmorkie Anderson
Ten journalists from African Union member states are participating in a five-day training on the State of Business and Human Rights on the Continent.
The training is being organised by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and is to expose journalists to the United Nations Guiding Principles on business and human rights.
Journalists will also know the importance of protecting and respecting the rights of countries and its people, especially businesses operating in weak zones.
GBC News Gloria Anderson is representing Ghana and reports that speakers at the opening emphasized the importance of incorporating and promoting issues of human rights in business and the labor market.
On 16th June, the Human Rights Council through a resolution endorsed the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights.
The UNDPS is anchored on three foundational principles, which seek to protect the human rights of states and its citizens from corporate excesses.
The African Union policy organ is working towards the adoption of the principles on business and human rights for members’ states, to ensure that its citizens are treated fairly by corporate actors who work in their countries. Journalists in the five days will be taken through the demands of the draft AU policy framework on business and human rights and participate in the AU forum on business and human rights to be held in Accra from the 12th of this month.
The programs Manager of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation at the Africa Union Cooperation Office, Amanuel Desaleyne said the FES targeted journalists as the first point of training because of the role journalists play in educating the masses.
Mr. Desaleyne said it is important they are well-informed to educate the people.
“So the business and human right policy is pinpointed on three things, state duty to protect human rights, corporate responsibility to protect human right access to remedies or victims of culprit related human right abuse. So we did this framework the most contentious has always been the quick responsibility to respect human rights and access to remedy so that’s why we are having this forum on how we can protect human rights of those who been impacted by culprit abuse all over African in different sectors, oil and gas, mining telecommunications, pharmaceuticals”.
He added that, “we see that multinational companies especially violate human rights of victims in times of labor environmental and other social issues so what human rights is saying that these principles should be integrated first of all on the part of the state. How do we integrate human rights policies into our body of laws, company laws labor laws environmental laws.
Secondly on the part of businesses how do they also integrate this business and human rights principles in their operations? So do they engage in corporate due diligence do they engage in human rights compacts assessment, do they have internal mechanisms that gives victims the opportunity to seek for redress internally before having to rush to court or look for other means of getting justice so these is all the idea behind the human right principles of the part of state to protect citizens on the part of businesses especially to ensure that there are corporate activities does not impact human lives negatively? we need development.so how do we leverage these resources in a sustainable approach if there are international investors that are financially this project how did they ensure that it is a progressive and sustainable social and labor plan that will guarantee our goals in a way that sustains human lives.
A lecturer on Business and human rights, Dr. Oyeniyi Abe who has done extensive research on human rights provisions in constitutions of member states explained the rationale for the domestication of the Business and Human Rights policy.
“As we all know the African union back in 2019 /2017 have decided to draft and adopt the Aau policy firm on business human rights. So since there has been no unlimited discussion around that particular topic so I feel so interested in this topic and also in this discussion”.
Dr. Abe posited that on the occasion of the Aurr forum on business they wanted to bring prominent journalists from the selective African countries to sensitize and popularize that agenda of business human right with different continents”.
Dr. Abe admitted that the commitment of African leaders to adopting the Business and Human Right policy will bring an end to all the injustices and abuse of the human rights of citizens of members’ states.
“so our idea is once we have Accra Burkina and Ghana we do want to have the discussion early here with relevant stakeholders,so we believe that these journalists are the right individuals to spread the news to foster the discussion with different stakeholders in their respective countries.so with that we are hoping to have a very engaging discussion in different part of the African Continent”.
A Ugandan journalist, Julius Barigaba shared his expectations for the training and how the training will impart his work as a journalist.
“What i expect is that, this is a new area of focus, business and human right. Because we have come to a point where many multinational are coming to Africa especially to do business in the extractive industry.”
He added that, “i think it is important that is point we look at what this is and how they relate to human rights situation with the country where they overate .so this being the new focus area seeks to learn a lot and to make important questions that if our internationals need to answer in the way that they conduct it, whether they respecting human right,or if they are any human rights violations and how this can be addressed.”
“In a big way you don’t come to something and then go back empty-handed. Anytime something new or focus comes up there is a reason”, he noted
“Someone has done research and found out that there is a need to address the gaps for journalists to point out these areas and it goes out to communities that are affected and bring out these kinds of stories. And yes I believe it will impact alot on the kind of generous things we do in Uganda and across the African continent generally.”
For tomorrow’s training, journalists will be briefed on the AU communication and a discussion on the United Nations Guiding principles.
