{"title":"Social Obligations in the Logging Sector in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Republic of Congo","authors":"D. Young, T. Nkuintchua","doi":"10.1505/146554823836902581","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"HIGHLIGHTS Obligations of logging companies to share revenue and make contributions in kind to affected communities are a legal requirement in all four countries studied. They are commonly referred to as benefit sharing or social agreements, diminishing their legal basis, hence the preferred term – social obligations. Legal frameworks on social obligations are complex, incomplete and precarious, leading to communities and the State not reaping the benefits they are owed by law. Their complexity renders social obligation systems open to abuse at many levels. Their intent might be to decentralise power but this often allows local elites to stand in the way of community members and capture most benefits. While comparison between countries is difficult, best practices identified on specific aspects in all countries are evidence that improvements are possible. SUMMARY This paper offers a critical review of the social obligations (revenue redistribution, direct payments, payments in kind, and access to justice or compensation) of logging concessionaires to affected communities in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Republic of Congo. The research draws on a full desk-review of relevant legal texts, and consultation with leading non-governmental organisations working in the forest sector in the four countries. It appears that the legal foundation of social obligations is mainly shaped by national context, and therefore important differences can be observed across countries. However, they are complex, incomplete and precarious, providing opportunities for elite capture, and communities – and the State – not reaping the benefits they are owed by law. A key conclusion is that legality-licensing schemes such as under a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU) tend to downplay social obligations compared to other aspects of legal compliance. Cet article propose un examen critique des obligations sociales (redistribution des revenus, paiements directs, paiements en nature, et accès à la justice ou à la compensation) des concessionnaires forestiers vis-à-vis des communautés affectées au Cameroun, en République du Congo, au Ghana et au Liberia. La recherche s'appuie sur une revue complète des textes juridiques pertinents et sur la consultation des principales organisations non gouvernementales travaillant dans le secteur forestier dans les quatre pays. Il apparaît que le fondement juridique des obligations sociales est principalement façonné par le contexte national, et que des différences importantes peuvent donc être observées entre les pays. Cependant, les obligations sociales sont complexes, incomplètes et précaires, offrant des possibilités de captation par les élites, ainsi, les communautés – et l'État – ne récoltent pas les bénéfices qui leur sont dus par la loi. L'une des principales conclusions est que les systèmes de licence de légalité, comme dans le cadre d'un accord de partenariat volontaire (APV) avec l'Union européenne (UE), ont tendance à minimiser les obligations sociales par rapport à d'autres aspects de la conformité légale. Este artículo ofrece una revisión crítica de las obligaciones sociales (redistribución de ingresos, pagos directos, pagos en especie y acceso a la justicia o compensación) de las empresas concesionarias de explotaciones forestales con las comunidades afectadas en Camerún, República del Congo, Ghana y Liberia. La investigación se basa en una revisión completa de los textos legales pertinentes y en consultas con las principales organizaciones no gubernamentales que trabajan en el sector forestal en los cuatro países. Al parecer, el fundamento jurídico de las obligaciones sociales está moldeado principalmente por el contexto nacional, por lo que se observan importantes diferencias entre países. Sin embargo, las obligaciones sociales son complejas, incompletas y precarias, lo que ofrece oportunidades para la captura por la élite y para que las comunidades, y el Estado, no obtengan los beneficios que les corresponden por ley. Una conclusión clave es que los regímenes de concesión de licencias de legalidad, como los de los Acuerdos Voluntarios de Asociación (AVA) con la Unión Europea (UE), tienden a restar importancia a las obligaciones sociales, en comparación con otros aspectos del cumplimiento legal.","PeriodicalId":13868,"journal":{"name":"International Forestry Review","volume":"25 1","pages":"28 - 44"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Forestry Review","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1505/146554823836902581","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FORESTRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
HIGHLIGHTS Obligations of logging companies to share revenue and make contributions in kind to affected communities are a legal requirement in all four countries studied. They are commonly referred to as benefit sharing or social agreements, diminishing their legal basis, hence the preferred term – social obligations. Legal frameworks on social obligations are complex, incomplete and precarious, leading to communities and the State not reaping the benefits they are owed by law. Their complexity renders social obligation systems open to abuse at many levels. Their intent might be to decentralise power but this often allows local elites to stand in the way of community members and capture most benefits. While comparison between countries is difficult, best practices identified on specific aspects in all countries are evidence that improvements are possible. SUMMARY This paper offers a critical review of the social obligations (revenue redistribution, direct payments, payments in kind, and access to justice or compensation) of logging concessionaires to affected communities in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Republic of Congo. The research draws on a full desk-review of relevant legal texts, and consultation with leading non-governmental organisations working in the forest sector in the four countries. It appears that the legal foundation of social obligations is mainly shaped by national context, and therefore important differences can be observed across countries. However, they are complex, incomplete and precarious, providing opportunities for elite capture, and communities – and the State – not reaping the benefits they are owed by law. A key conclusion is that legality-licensing schemes such as under a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU) tend to downplay social obligations compared to other aspects of legal compliance. Cet article propose un examen critique des obligations sociales (redistribution des revenus, paiements directs, paiements en nature, et accès à la justice ou à la compensation) des concessionnaires forestiers vis-à-vis des communautés affectées au Cameroun, en République du Congo, au Ghana et au Liberia. La recherche s'appuie sur une revue complète des textes juridiques pertinents et sur la consultation des principales organisations non gouvernementales travaillant dans le secteur forestier dans les quatre pays. Il apparaît que le fondement juridique des obligations sociales est principalement façonné par le contexte national, et que des différences importantes peuvent donc être observées entre les pays. Cependant, les obligations sociales sont complexes, incomplètes et précaires, offrant des possibilités de captation par les élites, ainsi, les communautés – et l'État – ne récoltent pas les bénéfices qui leur sont dus par la loi. L'une des principales conclusions est que les systèmes de licence de légalité, comme dans le cadre d'un accord de partenariat volontaire (APV) avec l'Union européenne (UE), ont tendance à minimiser les obligations sociales par rapport à d'autres aspects de la conformité légale. Este artículo ofrece una revisión crítica de las obligaciones sociales (redistribución de ingresos, pagos directos, pagos en especie y acceso a la justicia o compensación) de las empresas concesionarias de explotaciones forestales con las comunidades afectadas en Camerún, República del Congo, Ghana y Liberia. La investigación se basa en una revisión completa de los textos legales pertinentes y en consultas con las principales organizaciones no gubernamentales que trabajan en el sector forestal en los cuatro países. Al parecer, el fundamento jurídico de las obligaciones sociales está moldeado principalmente por el contexto nacional, por lo que se observan importantes diferencias entre países. Sin embargo, las obligaciones sociales son complejas, incompletas y precarias, lo que ofrece oportunidades para la captura por la élite y para que las comunidades, y el Estado, no obtengan los beneficios que les corresponden por ley. Una conclusión clave es que los regímenes de concesión de licencias de legalidad, como los de los Acuerdos Voluntarios de Asociación (AVA) con la Unión Europea (UE), tienden a restar importancia a las obligaciones sociales, en comparación con otros aspectos del cumplimiento legal.
期刊介绍:
The International Forestry Review is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes original research and review papers on forest policy and science, with an emphasis on issues of transnational significance. It is published four times per year, in March, June, September and December. Special Issues are a regular feature and attract a wide audience. Click here for subscription details.