Since 2003 the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and the Congolese Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) have been working to assure that the rights of indigenous people of Congo Brazzaville are fully respected and protected under law.
Since 2003 the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and the Congolese Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) have been working to assure that the rights of indigenous people of Congo Brazzaville are fully respected and protected under law.
Indigenous people are not recognised as citizens, face discrimination in accessing health and education, have no security of tenure for their village lands, or rights to the forest resources which they depend on. Their situation is precarious and they are often locked into dependant relationships, which resemble slave labour, with their more powerful Bantu neighbours.
RFUK and OCDH are working hard to ensure that a law enshrining indigenous rights is passed by the government. But a law in itself will not improve the situation of the hundreds of thousands of indigenous peoples living in the Republic of Congo.
To take advantage of this law indigenous communities need to understand their rights under it, and then organise themselves to initiate actions to claim their rights under the law.
There are very few associations in the Republic of Congo run by or working with indigenous peoples, and those that do exist limit their work to delivering basic services. OCDH and ADDPA (Assocation Defense des Droits des Peuples Autochtones) have identified a real need for associations that can support communities to lead their own development themselves through joint discussion, analysis, planning and action.
This rights-based approach to development is most appropriate for indigenous peoples because it is empowering and does not create dependency, and it is open and flexible enabling communities to find solutions which are culturally appropriate.
Here is what RFUK is doing:
- Identification of associations run by or working with indigenous peoples, or key indigenous resource people in the Republic of Congo
- Capacity strengthening workshop and training on indigenous rights and participatory development
- Consultations with communities to identify and prioritise problems and solutions
- Discussion of project ideas with OCDH and ADDPA and eventual approval of small project funds
- Monitoring and evaluation of project implementation
- Documentation of results and lessons learned
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