The November 2011 edition of AEFJN's Forum for Action is now online. It contains articles on the ethical responsibility of the Church on the climate issue, on the clean up of the Ogoniland oil spills, which will take decades, on the spread of Libyan arms in the Sahel, on the production of medicines in Africa and on the EU's attempt to force African countries to sign EPAs.
The national election campaign officially started the 28th October in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exactly one month ahead of historic presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 2011. 41 humanitarian and human rights organizations, among them AEFJN, have expressed concern about the high political tension and deteriorating security situation. They have called upon all Congolese and international actors involved to take urgent measures to prevent electoral violence, better protect civilians and ensure credible, free and fair elections.Moratorium on REDD+ Projects
A number of social movements including organizations of indigenous peoples have gathered in the city of Durban to participate in the events surrounding the Conference of the Parties (COP) 17, including several members and partners of ESCR-Net.
Many of these groups have come together to issue a recent demand for a moratorium on REDD+ projects until safeguards are in place to guarantee the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, their territorial knowledge and their right to free, prior and informed consent.
These groups have denounced the REDD mechanism (Reduced Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation) as an ineffective response to the challenge of climate change which will not contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and will, in fact, facilitate deforestation. They are highlighting the fact that REDD has been formulated as a market-based mechanism which is influencing the commodification of forests and threatening indigenous peoples with forced displacement from their lands and the establishment of monocrop agriculture for genetically modified foods and logging plantations.