A Corporate Accountability Workshop on Securing Responsible Natural Resource Extraction in Africa

Background 

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As Africa experiences a surge in demand for its natural resources, ensuring responsible business conduct is more urgent than ever. Private security providers (PSPs) are frequently contracted to safeguard extractive sites, plantations, forests and more, often operating in fragile contexts and situations of conflict-affected where risks of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law are elevated. Operating at the interface between such sites and surrounding communities, all too often, PSPs are the perpetrators and enablers of serious human rights abuses and environmental harms.

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Based on a project underway with EU support, this workshop, convened by ICoCA, African Law Foundation and CDD, will champion the critical role CSOs play in monitoring, documenting and reporting corporate abuses associated with PSP contracting, critical for securing remedy and reparation.  Simultaneously, the workshop will demonstrate how multistakeholder approaches that bring together governments, companies, civil society and communities can advance accountability in the corporate contracting of PSPs. The session will examine how a smart mix of regulatory approaches, industry standards and multistakeholder engagement can ensure rights-respecting security practices across the value chain.

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Speakers and participants will discuss real-world cases that highlight challenges and opportunities for responsible security operations, with special attention given to accountability, effective remedy and reparations for affected communities as well as working conditions of private security guards, and good practices, including from a client perspective.

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The workshop aims to foster dialogue, share lessons learned, and identify concrete actions that stakeholders can take to move from commitment to implementation in line with the Forum’s theme.

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Key Objectives

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• Raise awareness amongst participants of the rapid growth in private security contracting by companies involved in natural resources extraction and associated human rights risks.

• Raise awareness amongst participants of private security personnel as rights holders and how poor working conditions compound human rights problems.

• Demonstrate the role engaged civil society groups can play in holding companies to account for human rights abuses associated with their private security contractors and increasing access to remedy for affected communities.

• Solicit input from participants to feed into the design of future multi-stakeholder dialogues being planned under a project currently underway supported by EU.

 

Guiding Questions

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• Why is natural resource extraction particularly prone to human rights abuses, especially as pertains the private security provision around extractive sites?

• What are some of the most prevalent human rights risks related to private security associated with natural resource extraction industries?

• What role must States and companies play in addressing these abuses? And how can civil society support access to remedy in this framework?

• What are the risks and good practices related to CSOs documentation and reporting of human rights abuses and access to justice and remedy for victims?

• Are there concrete examples of holding companies to account for human rights abuses related to their private security provision?

• How can multi-stakeholder engagement be a critical tool in mitigating potential human rights abuses relating to private security provision in the extractives sector?

 

Expected Outcomes

 

The objective of the workshop is threefold:

• to raise awareness on the issues, their prevalence and their growing impact

• to solicit feedback that will help shape future CAI project engagements

• to empower civil society participants and other stakeholders at the forum to engage on these issues

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Background to the Discussion

 

This workshop is facilitated by The Corporate Accountability Initiative (CAI), a civil-society consortium supported by the EU and led by three non-profit organizations (TRIAL International, International Code of Conduct Association, Observatoire d’Etudes et d’Appui à la Responsabilité Sociale et Environnementale) and implemented in collaboration with five affiliated local partners (African Law Foundation, Centro para Democracia e Direitos Humanos (CDD), Fundacion Instituto De Estudios Para El Desarrollo Y La Paz, Instituto de Enseñanza para el Desarrollo Sostenible, Iraqi Human Rights Defenders and Activists Consortium).

 

The consortium works towards strengthening accountability for international crimes

(serious human rights and environmental violations) committed in the provision of private security services to corporate actors in high-risk sectors. To address violations and mitigate risks linked to the increasing use of private security providers (PSPs), especially in fragile contexts and conflict-affected areas, a strong local civil society, accessible legal avenues for victims and a clear regulatory framework are required.