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29/09/2005

Misty Hills declaration

Twenty civil society organisations from the Peace, Principles and Participation (PPP)-network signed a joint declaration to "work together together for a more sustainable and just resource exploitation in Southern Africa".

From September 26-29 2005, the members of the PPP Network; 19 Civil society Organizations from 5 SADC countries- Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Zambia and the Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) came together for the second time at the Misty Hills Country Hotel, Johannesburg, to discuss the road ahead, developing ideas and tactics for a more sustainable and just resource exploitation.
While our countries are very rich in natural resources, as evidenced by the 18th World Petroleum Congress held in Johannesburg during the same time as the PPP gathering, the majority of our people suffer from the exploitation of their treasures, instead of sharing from the benefits. Daily, the majority of the people we serve have to live with the following problems:

  • Violation of human rights;
  • Lack of transparency and corruption;
  • Prevention of access to information;
  • Environmental injustice causing damage, pollution and health problems;
  • Violation of labour rights, i.e. casualization of labour and exploitation of child labour;
  • Illegal exploitation of resources;
  • The threatened security of communities and individuals;
  • Forced removals of community lands;
  • Contractual bindings and absence of exit strategies;
  • Deterioration of means of livelihoods and destruction of local economies;
  • Lack of spin-off to local economies;
  • Weak or absent governments;
  • Lack of and appropriate legislative framework and weak enforcement mechanisms;
  • Lack of compliance with existing norms and standards;
  • Unsustainable behavior by corporations and government;
  • Corporate finance of warring factions;

We believe the situation must be improved. Jointly, we will monitor the behavior and decision making processes with government, international institutions and industries, notably Southern African, Asian and European Corporations. Working in an extensive network in North and South, we will be the watchdog and the whistleblower, holding them accountable for the consequences of their actions.

Together we strive for the following:
Peace: instead of fuelling conflict, human rights violations and social unrest, natural resources should contribute to a just, balanced and sustainable socio-economic development. Governments and corporations should be stopped from financing warring parties and contributing to conflict. The safety and security of communities and individuals should be protected at all times through the network.

Principles: The various economic actors have to comply with true Corporate Social Responsibility as defined by society, contributing to integrated sustainable development. The same standards in North and South should apply.

Participation: We as civil society want to be a countervailing power trough meaningful involvement in monitoring and evaluation of governments and corporations by means of introducing a system of early warning. Through lobby and advocacy, research, and a constant search for information, civil society strives to influence existing norms as well as mobilizing a collective public voice.

Signed by:
Angola: Jubileu 2000, Juventude Ecologica Angolana (JEA), Mpalabanda, Rede Terra Botswana: The Botswana Council of Non Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO), Somarelang Tikologo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Association Africaine de Droit de l'Homme/ Katanga (ASADHO), Centre National D'Appui Au Développement et á la Participation Populaire (CENADEP), Groupe d'Appui Aux Exploitants des Ressources Naturelles (GAERN), Nouvelle Dynamique Syndicate (NDS), Organisation Concerte des Ecologistes et Amis de la Nature (OCEAN)
South Africa: Benchmarks Foundation of Southern Africa for Corporate Social Responsibility (BEFSA CSR), Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation (GRCF), groundWork, National Children's Rights Committee (NCRC), South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA)
The Netherlands: The Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA)
Zambia: Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace(CCJDP), Development and Education Community Project (DECOP)
The PPP Conference was made possible by the financial support of the Canadian International Development Agency and NiZA.