What is it about?
The African Union and its human rights institutions have provided policies and judicial decisions on how to protect the environment in urban areas. This includes the recognition that there is a close relationship between environmental protection and human rights. The African Union specifically recognises the right to satisfactory environment in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. This right has been recognises and elaborated upon by various regional tribunals and courts. In the context of urbanisation, the right to satisfactory environment requires that those who pollute the environment must pay for its restoration, those at risk of been affected by pollution must be duly informed and be provided with an avenue of seek redress for violations of this right
Featured Image
Why is it important?
We highlight the norms and judicial decisions on what member states of the African Union must do to protect the environment in urban areas. This is important because Africa is becoming increasingly urbanised, which comes with many forms of environmental degradation. It is therefore important that the necessary precautions are taken to ensure that the right to satisfactory environment is respected and protected as Africa continues to urbanise.
Perspectives
I hope this article provides information and clarification on what countries are supposed to do in protecting the right to satisfactory environment in Africa and further informs individuals affected or potentially affected by environmental degradation of the avenues through which they can seek redress.
Mr Michael G Nyarko
University of Pretoria
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Protection of environmental assets in urban Africa: Regional and Sub-Regional Human Rights and Practical Environmental Protection Mechanisms, Australian Journal of Human Rights, June 2018, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/1323238x.2018.1480235.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
