Strasbourg, 12/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - In a joint resolution penned by the EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE, Greens/EFA and EFDD, adopted by the plenary on Thursday 12 March, the European Parliament firmly condemned the illegal displacement of local rural communities, the destruction of their villages and traditional way of life, and the violation of their basic human rights in Tanzania.
The EP also condemned “actions that do not recognise the legitimacy of customary tenure arrangements that provide statutory rights for individuals and communities” and called on the Tanzanian government to immediately implement the United Nations food and agriculture organisation (FAO)'s voluntary guidelines in order to ensure responsible management of land, fishing and forestry rights to ensure the country's food security.
Finally, the EP calls on the European Commission to ensure the alignment of its land policy guidelines with the voluntary guidance for responsible governance of land rights and to report back on expenditure under development programmes and the EU's budget on land rights in order to ensure the programmes promote human rights. (Emmanuel Hagry)