ACHPR/Res. 489 (LXIX)2021
Resolution 489 notes the increasing rural poverty, loss of wildlife and habitat, lack of inclusion of communities in decision-making, and lack of respect for the specific rights of Indigenous and local peoples in Africa. It acknowledges that a key component of Africa’s economic potential lies in its biodiversity and wildlife economy, and that the use of Community-Based Resource Management, a community conservation effort, offers a unique competitive advantage with which to fight poverty and build resilient Indigenous and local communities. It recognizes Indigenous populations’ and local communities’ right to participation in, and governance and use of, natural resources as share-holders and not mere stakeholders. The ACHPR, among other things, calls on African states to recognize the rights of Indigenous populations and communities to the conservation, control, management and sustainable use of their natural resources, including wildlife. It urges African states to take the necessary measures to strengthen community governance and institutions. It finally strongly encourages governments, Indigenous and local populations, intergovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and academic institutions to support the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities and Minorities in Africa in building and enhancing the local capacity of communities to govern, manage, and sustainably use and benefit from their natural resources.