May 25 marks the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Ethiopia, now the African Union (AU).
For this reason, we are sharing the news of Redes (Network of Entities for Solidarity and Development) today.
Samuel's Story: About the "Curse of Natural Resources in Africa"
An article by Jaime Palacio, based on a visit by Redes-Ongd and AEFJN to the Koudiadienne mining site, as part of an ongoing dialogue with companies operating in the area.
How can it be understood that the economies that are endowed with greater natural wealth are those that exhibit the worst economic development, while those that have more natural resources are those that exhibit the worst economic development?much scarcer have managed to grow at accelerated rates? J. Stiglitz
Samuel is a young Senegalese man who, due to his age, has never seen the French colony, but has lived through what remains of it. In Koudiadiene (Thies), his home village, and the surrounding towns, the presence of the phosphate mine is something the population has lived with for more than 70 years. The various financial transactions and changes in ownership of the mine have not significantly altered the invisibility of the people who coexist with the phosphate, the dust, and the various companies that have passed through the area.
In this invisible reality, a young man like Samuel wonders "what part of the pie" belongs to his people, dispossessed of their lands and their livelihoods deteriorating. When speaking with Samuel, behind his placid smile one discovers a young man proud of his Serer Noon roots who enjoys being asked about his customs or the meaning of one of the songs sung by the choir in his native language, of which he is the director. This dignity and identity are reflected in the firmness with which he speaks and presents the needs of his people, both in the popular assembly and in the committee that meets with one of the mining companies. His case is one of the five exceptions who continue their studies today among the 70 classmates who completed secondary school in his village.
In this context, the Network of Entities for Solidarity Development (REDES), made up of 60 Catholic cooperation organizations, has as one of its priority lines of social and political advocacy the relationship between respect for human rights and natural resource extraction activities. The group has been participating, along with other third-sector entities, in the development of the National Plan on Human Rights and Business, which was finalized in July 2014 and submitted for approval to the Council of Ministers a year later, but which unfortunately ended up being shelved.
Today, in addition to REDES' own lines of work, as part of the EnlĂĄzate por la Justicia alliance, we continue our efforts to place the inescapable relationship between poverty and lack of access to human rights, development, and the environment at the center of public policies. In this regard, and in compliance with the recommendations of United Nations Resolution 17/4 on the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we consider it essential to ensure that Spanish companies, their subsidiaries, suppliers, subcontractors, and supply chains always and everywhere respect human rights and repair the damage caused by the violation of these rights.
At this time, the approval of this National Plan for Business and Human Rights is awaiting the corresponding parliamentary debate within a Non-Law Proposal along with the National Plan for Human Rights. Regrettably, we fear that the delay in the debate will indefinitely delay the approval of a text with serious deficiencies that were already pointed out to the Council of Ministers.
One of those hot afternoons during our stay in the village of Koudiadiene, at the time when the mosquito was already threatening our European blood, young Samuel shared his thoughts with us: What can our people expect from the wealth of our land? Don't we deserve legislation and local, regional, and national authorities that look out for the good of the people? What kind of development are being offered to us by those who depend on our phosphate to sustain their agriculture and feed their countries?
Source: Jaime Palacios. NETWORKS
