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Comparative Analysis of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Central Africa d’Afrique Centrale By Cléto Ndikumagenge and Phil René Oyono

(Cameroun et Grands Lacs)

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Presentation Outline

• Why a comparative study of Indigenous Peoples’ rights in the Trinational de la Sangha (TNS) and the Great Lakes?

• Indigenous People confronting the challenge of biodiversity conservation

• Indigenous Peoples’ rights: Major inadequacies• Main lessons learned • Conclusions

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Why a comparative study of Indigenous Peoples’ rights (1)?

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Why a comparative study of Indigenous Peoples’ rights (1)?

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights• International and national meanings of human rights • IUCN’s Livelihoods and Landscapes Initiative• Main lessons learned

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Indigenous Peoples (1): Reduced to poverty

Indigenous Peoples face the challenge of biodiversity conservation (1): Ecoregion Profiles

The concept of landscape and its complexity

• Geographic spaces that are sites of human activity;

• Encompasses – Physical– and biological characteristics – Institutions– People – Cultural and spiritual values;

• Scope and limits – Defined in terms of management

objectives as envisioned in the lanscape approach intervention;

• Adoption of this approach in the convergence plan

 

GAMBA CONKOUATI

TRIDOM

TNS

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What is an Indigenous People?

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Complexity of Rights

• Traditional human rights• Rights extended to negative things• Rights to positive services • Rights extended to positive processes• Ownership rights

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Rights and Poverty Reduction

• Rights to basic services• Access rights to resources• Rights to rural economic

activities • Rights to benefits from

resources

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Rights and Landscape Sustainability

• Forest ownership rights • Resource control and

exploitation rights • Right to practice traditional

management and conservation forms

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Rights to Benfits from Resources

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Changes in Household Patterns

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Changes in Diet

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• Rights to public and political participation

• Rights to justice and peace• Rights to post-conflict

services• Rights to cultural

identityidentité culturelle

Citizenship Rights

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Lessons learned (2)

• Positive influence of organizations involved with indigenous peoples

• Link between economic and legal development • Cameroon’s paradox of abundance• Weakness of rights echo a greater

socioeconimic vulnerability• Sustainable landscapes depend on indigenous

practices

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MERCI BEAUCOUP/ MANY THANKS

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CONCLUSIONS

• Programs for sedentarization and improvement in the social status of Indigenous Peoples

• Isolationist approach has had little impact• Dispossession of ancestral rights • Inadequate recognition of rights-related

questions in strategic documents (MDGs, PRSP..)

• Need to encourage integrated and non-isolationist approaches to strengthen rights