The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has urged Government agencies to act swiftly whenever the country suffers environmental rights violations.
HRC Director of Research and Planning Foster Hamuyube said the government has an obligation to protect citizens against violations of human rights.
Mr Hamuyube articulated the intrinsic connection between environmental integrity and the fulfilment of fundamental human rights.
He emphasised that environmental protection constitutes a core human rights obligation.
“Within human rights discourse, we regard environmental protection as an obligation integral to the safeguarding of human rights,” he stated.
He posited that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a prerequisite for the enjoyment of all other rights.
“The right to life, to food, to health—all are compromised in a degraded environment,” he argued.
“Even civil and political freedoms are rendered less meaningful if the surrounding ecology fails to support human dignity,” he said.
The Director elaborated on the established human rights architecture, wherein the state bears the primary duty to protect, respect, and fulfil rights.
He noted, however, that this framework is evolving under contemporary pressures.
“We are witnessing a shift wherein corporations, particularly large transnational entities operating in resource sectors, wield significant influence akin to that of private governance,” Mr Hamuyube observed.
He asserted that a modern approach must recognise a direct corporate duty to respect human rights, complementing the state’s non-delegable obligations.
Mr Hamuyube identified several critical drivers necessitating robust advocacy from civil society organisations (CSOs).
He stated that these include escalating global demand for natural resources, the proliferation of extractive industries employing environmentally detrimental methods, and the acute impacts of climate change.
Mr Hamuyube cited Zambia’s deforestation challenges as a salient example of a negative environmental feedback loop.
He referenced the concerning trend of fact-denial in certain political discourses regarding environmental science.
Mr Hamuyube said this, combined with rising public concern, underscores the vital role of civil society in defending environmental rights as human rights.
He stressed that businesses hold a clear responsibility to operate with due diligence, exceeding mere legal compliance to uphold ethical and human rights standards.
“It is a matter of fundamental principle: what is not right is wrong,” he stated.
This came to light in Lusaka during the High-Level Dialogue on Environmental Rights Advocacy in Zambia under the LIFT Zambia project, supported by Norwegian Church Aid and Danish Church Aid.
Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) is implementing the LIFT Zambia Project in Luapula and Central provinces, specifically in Milenge, Chifunabuli, and Mumbwa districts.
Under the LIFT Zambia project, CEJ aims to empower communities with knowledge and practical tools to create measurable outcomes, such as increased access to public finances, fighting inequality and injustices including early child marriages, and protecting our environment.
The LIFT-Zambia Programme, a five-year development partnership led by Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and Danish Church Aid (DCA), with support from NORAD and DANIDA.
The programme—Lives Saved, Inequality Addressed, and Fostering Resilience for Transformation in Zambia—is being implemented under the Joint Country Programme of NCA and DCA, with funding and technical support from their partners.
The programme is anchored on the belief that lasting social change is possible when civil society is strengthened and communities are empowered to drive their own development.
Through LIFT Zambia, they aim to address priorities like saving lives and building resilience by enhancing community preparedness for climate change impacts, strengthening sustainable agriculture, and improving access to social protection.
The project is also addressing inequality by ensuring that women, youth, and marginalised groups have equal opportunities to participate in governance and development.
It is fostering sustainable transformation by promoting community-led solutions that generate economic, social, and environmental benefits.
