Oilwatch International and Oilwatch Africa held a Conference on Monday 19th August 2024 in Durban, South Africa to interrogate the theme Beyond Colonialism and Extractivism: Energy Democracy and the Imperatives of a Just Transition. The meeting of 250 delegates from over 63 organisations convened members of communities affected by oil extraction from the global south and Oilwatch members and alliances from twenty five countries.
- The Conference observed that, the harms associated with the prevailing energy systems are more costly and damaging to people and communities than the benefits. Therefore, democratization of energy production and human rights are prerequisites.
- It is important to note that when it comes to climate change impacts, women bear the brunt due to the impacts of disasters. Energy still remains a critical factor that needs to be addressed as women continue to suffer due to energy poverty.
- The conference noted with concern that the idea of development embedded in the mind-set of colonial extractivism involves forced evictions of peoples such as the experiences of the Massai community in Tanzania.
- The conference also noted the wave of popular political resistance emerging in the Sahel region of the continent in the face of devastating expansion of oil extraction affecting Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
- The conference underscored the urgent need for Africa and its people to appreciate the concept of and need for energy sovereignty whereby energy is socially owned and controlled and serves the needs of local communities first.
- There is a compelling need to understand the colonial structural arrangements for extractive energy production and beneficiation on the continent that cause local destruction and benefit the energy needs of the global north, more so in the phase of the growing discourse on a just transition.
- In this context, Africa cannot continue to be the scene of sacrifice zones as exemplified by communities along the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline project corridor in Uganda and Tanzania. Where pollution, biodiversity and forest loss, land grabbing and community disempowerment, and state capture by corporations have become endemic to production.
- We note that our governments continue to listen to this plundering industry and not to their peoples.
- While the world has already breached the 1.5 °C global commitment to reverse the impact of climate change, oil companies and their crony lobbyists continue to parade international climate spaces offering false solutions against people solutions. In 2023, 2500 oil and gas lobbyists, enemies of a just transition occupied CoP 28, four times more than at CoP 27 in Sharm al Sheikh.
- Condemn the ongoing harassment of environmental and human rights defenders across the continent who have faced arbitrary arrests and detention without trial.
- We strongly condemn and vehemently oppose all false solutions and carbon credit schemes which put profit over people and will consequently lead to the green colonialism of the Global south ,Africa and her peoples.
We the people represented at this conference, understanding the gravity of our observations and experiences noted above and the closeness of our governments and political classes to the fossil fuel industry, unequivocally reject this corporate capture of spaces intended to ensure climate justice. The involvement of the fossil fuel industry in these spaces works against real climate solutions affirmed by societal values, norms and traditions.
We strongly support a new economy for people and planet – a solidary and circular economy that values and centres care work and bodily autonomy; an economy that centres sustainability and abundance of collective life, as opposed to profit and individual gain.
Among ourselves and our solidarity movements we make the following clarion calls:
- Africa needs to interrogate the energy transition discourse on the continent in ways that situate the transition agenda within the core spirit of justice and rights. To begin with, the emerging energy transition policy instruments of the countries require a critical review.
- We call on all citizens groups, social movements, etc. to unite and act in solidarity with all struggling people and communities suffering from the impacts of extractivtism on the continent.
- The conference calls on citizens and communities to interrogate the concept of energy as in particular reference to the continent’s development needs and realities.
- We call on the governments to stop the use of judicial harassment, enforced disappearances, and other human rights violations to target environmental defenders exercising their rights to protest, and to freedom of assembly, association, and expression.
- We vehemently rejects all proposed development that undermines Africa’s sovereignty and promotes colonialism.
- All the heritage sites in Africa must be protected.
- There must be energy access for all.
Endorsed By
SDCEA
FOLT
HOMEF
CRADESC
CJE
GroundWork
Oilwatch Ghana
Earth Life
Oil Change International
FishNet Alliance Network Nigeria
Centre for Environment and Development
FishNet Alliance Network Cameroon
Struggle for Economize Future Environment (SEFE)
TUBE AWE
Centre de Recherche et d’Action pour les Droits Humains et l’Environnemen (CRADHE)
Commission Permanente pétrole locale (CPPL)
Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement) (JVE)
Center for Public Interest Law
Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC)
FishNet Alliance Network Ghana
Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND)
The Development Institute
Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM)
Friends of Lake Turkana
Save Lamu
Sahel Development Foundation (FDS)
Justiça Ambiental
Artisanal Fishermen Association of Nigeria
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria
Centre for Human Rights, Research and Development.
Corporate Accountability and Popular Participation Africa
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
Kabetkache Women Development Resource Centre
Leke Development Foundation
Peace Point Development Action
Peoples Advancement Centre
Policy Alert
Ogoni Solidarity Forum
Social Action
Rainbow Watch and development Centre;
Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI)
Pius Dukor Foundation
Women Initiative on Climate Change (WICC)
Society For Women and Youth Affairs (SWAYA)
Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC)
We The People; Lagos Fishermen Association
Alerte Congolaise pour l’Environnement et les Droits de l’Homme (ACEDH)
Federation of Individual Fishermen’s Committees of Lake Edward
(FECOPEILE)
Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for the Monitoring of Reforms and Public Action (CORAP)
Women in Solidarity (FESO)
Inovation pour le Developpement et le Protection de l’Environnemt
Bio vision Uganda
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)
Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO)
Centre de Recherche et D’Action Sur Les Droits Economiques, Sociaux et Culturels(CRADESC)
FishNet Alliance
Oilwatch South Sudan
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) South Sudan
South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA)
FishNet Alliance
SCATAWU
Centre for Environmental Justice (CJE – Togo)/ (HOMEF-Togo)
Friends of the Earth Togo
FishNet Alliance
SYNAPETO
Association Togolaise pour le Bien-Être des Populations (ATBEP)
CALYPSO
Consortium des ONG en Matière d’Environnement au Togo (COMET)
Réseau des Organisations de la Société civile sur le Changement Climatique et l’Energie au Togo (ROCCET).
FEMAPO
