Protection of the right to land, territory and natural resources in regional and international law in Africa: A Toolkit for NGOs in the Democratic Republic of Congo

This toolkit provides information on the protection of the right to land, territories and natural resources in international and regional law in Africa. Its aim is to provide NGOs with concise and accessible information about the legal framework that exists for the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in DRC with regard to their lands, territories and natural resources. It also provides useful information on the international and regional mechanisms which NGOs, and the indigenous peoples and local communities they work with, can use in order to claim their rights and advocate for the DRC government to respect its legal obligations at the international and regional level. 

The toolkit (currently only available in French) comprises ten information notes which can be referred to individually or together, as a whole. The topics are as follows:

• Peoples, indigenous peoples and local communities: Demystifying vague concepts
• The right to land and natural resources in international and regional law
• Free, prior and informed consent: A fundamental right for communities
• Indicative steps for a REDD+ process to respect the right of communities to free, prior and informed consent
• The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Protection mechanisms in international law for indigenous peoples and local communities
• The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
• The Democratic Republic of Congo’s legal obligations at the international and regional level
• Compilation of concluding observations regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women