A three-year project covering four countries of the Congo Basin “Vedir”, was launched in Yaounde on April 15, 2015.

Communities that have hitherto suffered violence from investors in the Congo Basin will henceforth receive backing from their governments through Non-governmental Organisations, NGOs.

In effect, a new project code-named “Vedir” has gone operational in some four countries of the region - Cameroon, the Central Africa Republic, Congo and Gabon.

The three-year European Union funded project has been designed to protect the rights of communities and community leaders who practice environmental protection. The one million EUR (approximately FCFA 655 million) regional project was launched in Yaounde on April 15, 2015.

The project crusader, the European Union and the Center for Environment and Development, CED, alongside other regional NGOs are aiming at a solution whereby communities and environmental protection leaders will no longer suffer harassment from investors because they oppose forestry, mining and oil exploitation to their disfavour. The project targets 70 associations in 30 local communities.

Some 30 specialised journalists on resource management and the protection of human rights will receive training as part of the project. Over 4.5 million persons are expected to benefit from the project fallouts.

The scheme will highlight and seek solutions to communities and community leaders whose rights are violated. After identifying such cases, the NGOs will lobby with their governments to take responsibility by protecting its citizens/communities who are victim of abuse. CED’s Executive Secretary, Samuel Nguiffo said communities have a right for a clean and safe environment.”

The NGOs are also pushing for the respect of international conventions to which the States are signatories. “They have a legal obligation to protect the environment, communities’ right to life, freedom of expression and access to information,” stressed the environmentalist.

He underlined that such rights are clearly recognised by international conventions as well as some parts of the Constitutions of these countries, and thus, must be enjoyed by all and sundry.