'Business and Human Rights in Eritrea' Chatham House, London UK
Eritrea Embassy MediaLondon UK, 17th June 2015
The event had attempted to bring a panel that had polarised perception of business and human rights in Eritrea. The roundtable discussion took off with Lloyd Lipsett, an international human rights lawyer that has conducted a thorough assessment of the human rights condition in the Bisha mine.
He explained that the Eritrean government and Nevsun are still working to establish a mechanism that efficiently protects the human rights of the workers and encourages whistle blowers.
This is very believable, in fact, the Eritrean government has implemented mining and labour laws that would enhance the protection of those said employees as well as the local community.
Todd Romaine, Nevsun's Corporate Social Responsibility Vice President presented us with a far more insightful details of the Bisha mine, the employees and the local community than any presentation ever conducted.
The explanation of the various methods the government of Eritrea applied to ensure the welfare of the workers and the protection of the local community prior to the mine site opening and the Eritrean government's explicit declaration of illegalising Nevsun hiring national servicemen demonstrates the Eritrean government's seriousness to protect the same human rights it is accused of abusing.
Semhar Habtezion, an international trade adviser was also part of the panel. Although, dialogue of disputing perceptions should be encouraged, it must be from an impartial and objective view.
The numerous references to the sanctions that have been proven to be based on fictional allegations and going out of context to repeat the allegations of the Commission of Inquiries report that has been contradicted by not only Western Embassies inside Eritrea but also the Home Office in the UK, the Danish Immigration Report from Denmark and Norway who also have visited Eritrea to assess the human rights situation, could make one question the professional integrity of the individual or the objectivity of the issue that is business and human rights in Eritrea.
Received on Wed Jun 17 2015 - 16:16:21 EDT