Environment and Sustainable Finance Resources
This page contains resources for NGOs, civil society groups and others for use in their work in the areas of Sustainable Finance and Environment and Sustainable Development.
​
If you would like to get in touch about any of the content on these pages, please contact us via the email address below, outlining your enquiry and a staff member from the appropriate programme area will respond: contact@internationallawyersproject.org.
Sustainable Finance Resources
Research and Policy Briefs, in collaboration with AFRODAD
When sovereign debt levels become too high, the consequences for developing countries are severe. Instead of funding social protection and essential public services for citizens, much of the revenue collected is diverted to debt repayment. This makes it critical to understand and strengthen the rules that govern how sovereign debt is taken on and managed.
International Lawyers Project, in collaboration with African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), worked together with pro bono lawyers to develop a series of studies examining the legal and institutional frameworks that govern the process of taking on debt and managing it in Malawi, Ghana, and Ethiopia, as well as a synthesis report that highlights emerging trends.
Read the studies here đź”—:
Malawi:
Ethiopia:
Ghana:
Synthesis Brief:
Environment and Sustainable Development Resources
The Maasai people of Kitet v The Republic of Kenya: merits decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights
The case was brought by the Maasai people of Kitet (Kedong) in Nakuru county, Kenya, challenging the creation of their ancestral land into a "Special Economic Zone" and attraction of foreign investment for energy, real estate and tourist projects, without their prior consultation or involvement. This has led to evictions, burning of homes, arbitrary arrests and harassment, and threatened livelihoods, which the community unsuccessfully challenged in Kenyan courts.
Read the Decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights here:
Ruling that the Maasai community of Kedong fulfils the criteria to be considered as an Indigenous population, ACHPR found violations of:​
-
right to property (Article 14) due to encroachment on ancestral lands without seeking free, prior and informed consent
-
right to life (Article 4) as a result of blocking access to land and resources, interfering with Maasai pastoralist practices central to their survival
-
right to self-determination (Article 20) by depriving the community access to land to practise pastoralism, cultural and religious traditions
-
right to development (Article 22), which must respect the social, identity and cultural aspects of the community, in accordance with their free choice