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Civil Society demands on the new constitution
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations in Zimbabwe (NANGO)
May 26, 2010

The Land, Natural Resources and Environment Civil Society Cluster on Constitutional Reform held a meeting on the 27th of April 2010 as part of the Civil Society Cluster meetings that were organised by the National Association of Non- Governmental Organisation from the 27th to 29th of April 2010. The Cluster is a coalition of civil society organisations, community based groups and activists committed to advocating for the protection and promotion of the rights of the people of Zimbabwe to land, natural resources and environmental protection. The cluster is advocating for the following minimum conditions to be included in the constitution:

• An independent Natural Resources and Land Commission to equitably distribute natural resources and land to ensure transparency and accountability. Every Zimbabwean must have access to own land and property rights must be enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
• Full and fair compensation for acquired land by the Zimbabwean government. There should be an independent land audit and courts must be able to handle land disputes to address historical imbalances in land ownership and natural resource use and management.
• Right to a clean and healthy environment must be a fundamental right in the Bill of Rights, which is of paramount importance to human dignity and respect human rights. A lot of people are affected by diseases caused by poor sanitation and environmental services in urban and rural areas i.e. limited access to safe and adequate water, uncollected waste, sewage disposal into water bodies and residential areas and air pollution.
• Promotion of friendly farming practices and proper use of natural resources that promote sustainable development. The Zimbabwean government should domestic international laws into the national constitution
• The respect of indigenous cultural systems and the need for the right of every Zimbabwean to derive equitable economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits from natural resources. This entails people generating wealth from minerals, forests, wildlife and water for improving their livelihoods.
• The right of every person to access environmental information and to participate in environmental decision, policy and legislative making processes.

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