Greetings to members and friends of the African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA).
It is my pleasure to compile this Newsletter for both member organisations and friends of the ACCA. The activities in which ACCA was involved has marked an important year for our Coalition, which included: the 2017 ACCA General Assembly, (GA) and the 6th annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights (BHR).
This edition of the ACCA newsletter includes an article on the UN Forum on BHR, the ACCA GA, along with a personal story from an affected community member from Marange Development Trust, in Zimbabwe. Thanks to Mutuso Dhliwayo from Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), ACCA entered into contact with Mr Mudiwa, a contact which paved the way for Mr Mudiwa to attend this year’s ACCA GA and speak on a panel that was organised by ACCA, which took place at this year’s UN Forum on BHR.
A call for applications was released to recruit the ideal candidate as a Project Coordinator to take the lead on ACCA’s substantive work on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and access to remedy. This call for applications bears testimony to the growth and progress that ACCA has made since its inception meeting in Accra, Ghana in 2013. The new candidate will be recruited with the intended purpose of assisting ACCA in playing a more prominent role business and human rights issues on the continent, and ACCA’s desire to support African communities and individuals whose human rights are adversely impacted daily by the activities of corporations, both multi-national and domestic.
This was a productive year, which has seen ACCA increase its visibility and presence at important business and human rights events taking place on the continent and international arena alike. We look forward to working together with ACCA’s membership, partners and friends in the coming year.
We wish the ACCA community at large a happy holidays and continue to invite ACCA member organisations and friends of the ACCA to engage with one another and the Secretariat to take the ACCA as the Coalition continues to grow from strength.
Damian Oakes