ERA Campaigns

We don't just document the harm. We're building the law to stop it.

ERA's campaign work sits at the intersection of research, advocacy, and direct defender support — all driving toward one outcome: a binding regional Environmental Rights Agreement for Africa.

01

The Core Campaign — Everything Else Feeds This

The Binding Regional Agreement

Many African constitutions already recognize the right to a healthy environment. Regional human rights frameworks affirm it too. But recognition isn't enforcement. ERA is advancing a legal instrument that would guarantee access to information, participation, and justice — and hold both states and corporations to it.

The foundation exists. What's missing is the binding text, the political will, and the regional coordination to get it adopted. That's the work.

The Three Guarantees

  • Access to information — communities have the right to know what's happening to their land, water, and air.
  • Public participation — the people affected by a decision get a seat at the table where it's made.
  • Access to justice — when rights are violated, there's a real, enforceable path to remedy.
02

Lithium. Cobalt. Graphite. Rare Earths.

Confronting Extractive Injustice

Africa is at the center of the global energy transition — again. As demand for critical minerals accelerates, ERA is pushing to make sure this rush doesn't repeat the extractive patterns of the past: exploitation without consent, profit without accountability, a "green" label slapped over the same old harm.

At the 5th Continental Forum on Extractive Industries in Dakar, ERA-aligned voices called for an African Strategic Resources Authority, fair licensing, local value addition, and a continental position on critical minerals — so Africa's wealth serves African peoples first.

Read the full story →
03

Voluntary Commitments Don't Protect Communities. Binding Obligations Do.

Corporate Accountability

ERA is advocating for mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence across corporate supply chains operating in Africa — and for ratification of the Malabo Protocol, which would extend the future African Court of Justice and Human Rights to corporations, not just states.

The goal: when a company causes harm, there's an actual court for that.

The Malabo Protocol

Extends the jurisdiction of the future African Court of Justice and Human Rights to include legal persons — including corporations. Ratification would make Africa the first continent to hold companies legally accountable at the regional court level for environmental harm.

04

The People Protecting Africa's Land and Water Are Under Attack

Defending the Defenders

Environmental defenders are being arrested, intimidated, and in too many cases, killed — and the true scale is likely worse than what's reported. ERA's Defenders Emergency, Solidarity, and Response work monitors threats, coordinates rapid response, and builds the training and networks defenders need to stay safer while doing this work.

Speaking out against environmental harm is getting more dangerous, not less. Toxic mining. Unchecked oil extraction. Unlawful arrests. Violent crackdowns. ERA stands with the people on the front lines.

Stand With Us — Join the Movement →

How the Work Gets Done

The Working Groups

ERA's specialized working groups drive the research, drafting, advocacy, and defender-protection that make the campaign move.

Legal

Technical Drafting

Develops the legal text of the binding regional environmental rights agreement, grounding every provision in the realities of African communities and existing continental frameworks.

Research

Case Studies

Documents real harm to real communities — the evidence base that makes the legal case for a binding agreement impossible to ignore.

Outreach

Outreach & Advocacy

Builds political will across African Union institutions, member states, and international partners — turning coalition momentum into formal commitments.

Communications

Communications

Amplifies defenders' stories, translates legal complexity into public narrative, and builds the pressure that moves negotiations forward.

Protection

Defenders Emergency, Solidarity & Response

Monitors threats, coordinates rapid response, and builds the training and networks that help defenders stay safer while doing essential work.

Sustainability

Resource Mobilization

Secures the funding and partnerships that keep the coalition running — so the campaign doesn't stop when the moment demands momentum.

Bring your expertise to a Working Group.

ERA's Working Groups need researchers, legal drafters, communicators, organizers, and fundraisers. If you've got the skill set, there's a group that needs it.

Join the Movement →