Abiodun Baiyewu, Global Rights Director for West Africa, has said that Ghana’s readiness to ratify the Voluntary Principles (VPs) on Security and Human Rights in the extractives sector will create goodwill for trade and investment, and security for resource communities.
“Ghana has advanced in
negotiations and discussions in signing the VPs, and we are hoping that Ghana
will be the first to ratify it in Africa ahead of South Africa.
“Signing the VPs will
boost investor confidence, leading to an increase in trade opportunities and
goodwill, and the facilitation of better trade relations between companies and
communities,” she said.
The VPs on Security and
Human Rights, launched in 2000, are a set of principles designed to guide
companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within a framework
that encourages respect for human rights while helping companies work
effectively with Governments that seek to protect human rights.
The VPs are also a useful
tool for all Governments with an interest in operations of the extractive
industries, and can help contribute to the protection of human rights and the
prevention of conflict.
Co-financed and developed
by the International Council on Mining and Metals, the International Finance
Corporation, the Global Oil and Gas Industry Association for Environmental and
Social Issues, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the VPs aim to
assist extractive companies balance security concerns with human rights.
It is a tripartite
multi-stakeholder initiative with participating States, 11 NGOs, 20 companies
and five organisations with observer status as at May 2012.
Baiyewu was speaking to
the media on the sidelines of a two-day workshop to deepen media awareness and
educate Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the VPs on Security and Human
Rights in oil and mining communities in Accra.
The workshop -- which was
organised jointly by the Global Rights, Nigeria, and the Livelihood and
Environment, Ghana, (LEG), both NGOs -- was targetted at exploring the role of
CSOs in the implementation and application of VPs and ensuring that
Ghana signs on to the principles.
Austin Onuoha, a consultant
with the African Centre for Corporate Responsibility and a facilitator at the
workshop, explained that the VPs were developed in response to reports of human
rights abuses allegedly committed by security providers contracted by
extractives companies.
He said although
observing VPs in oil and mining communities is cheaper and cost-effective
compared to recruiting a large number of security personnel to maintain their
oil and mining business environment, no African country has yet signed on to them.
Studies have shown that
oil and mining industries could succeed in working and making their profits
without necessarily posing any security or human rights threats to the
communities in which they operate if they adhere to the VPs, Mr. Onuoha said.
“The VPs provide for
regular consultations between companies, host-Governments and local
communities; deal with issues of proportionality and use of force; ensure
improved company engagement for protection of human rights by security
contractors; as well as regular monitoring of progress of investigations into
alleged abuses, among other things.
“Although questions have
been raised about lack of transparency, mainly because of the confidential
nature of the dialogue on which the VPs are based, there have also been
concerns about actual implementation of the principles and the participation
criteria.
“The challenge, however, is
to ensure the legal ratification of the VPs by countries to make them more
binding to the extractives industry and to safeguard the safety and human
rights of inhabitants of oil and mining communities on the continent,” he said.
Richard Adjei-Poku,
Executive Director, LEG, expressed hope that through the workshop much
education and awareness will be created among CSOs, local NGOs and
the media to enhance advocacy and move Ghana to quickly sign on to the VPs.
He indicated that the VPs
will promote a better business environment and provide a platform to engage
with multinational extractives companies and civil society in mutual learning
and joint problem-solving on security and human rights.
“It can also support Government
policy objectives, including poverty alleviation, investment, and conflict
prevention. Signing the VPs will help reduce conflict in the extractives
industry and reduce costs related to insecurity, as well as promote greater
transparency and accountability that can improve a country’s investment
climate,” Mr. Adjei-Poku remarked.
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