Control of our Natural Resources

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Regaining Control of our Natural Resources 22-23 January, 2007 Moi International Sports Centre Nairobi, Kenya

CIEL co-organized this two-day workshop with a wide range of organizations, including among others, the Council of Canadians Blue Planet Project; Focus on the Global South; Friends of the Earth International; the Global Forest Coalition; Oilwatch Africa; Via Campesina; and the World Forum of Fishworkers and Fish Harvesters

This event involved a diverse array of civil society actors, especially from Africa, to discuss the impacts and underlying causes of the commodification of various natural resources. The workshop allowed the speakers and participants to analyze different regional concerns; and to exchange ideas about effective campaign solutions, strategies and tools. The workshop focused on the following natural resources: land/seeds; fisheries; forests; biodiversity; energy; minerals; and water.

The first day of the workshop involved exchanging ideas about effective campaign solutions, strategies and tools to maintaining and restoring community/indigenous management of natural resources and related knowledge. Speakers discussed successful community management projects and campaigns, particularly how these projects have been protected, initiated, promoted, and developed, as well as the key difficulties.

In addition, the first day of the workshop involved an exchange of ideas about the experiences of direct action and nationalization of natural resources (with a particular focus on Bolivian and the Venezuelan examples) and examined the related impacts on communities' access and the sustainable use of natural resources.

The second day of the workshop focused on exchanging ideas about effective campaign solutions, strategies and tools involved in making, changing and using the law. Particular attention was paid to how communities can use, change and make laws to help regain access to or prevent the destruction of their natural resources and environment. In addition, the workshop looked at how to use national courts to change corporate practice and seek redress. The focus of this session was on oil, mining, water, and forests.

The second day also focused on the potential role of new technologies and market mechanisms. More specifically, this part of the workshop focused on whether the emerging new technologies are likely to help or hinder people's access to natural resources, and how the market mechanisms impact local communities and their access to natural resources and a clean environment. The focus in this session was on nanotechnology and new markets in biofuels, carbon and environmental services.

The workshop was followed by a strategy meeting of the organizers to discuss follow-up, including building a network and creating advocacy tools. Reported by Getrude.