The Vice Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, Victor Idrissa Lansana Esq during a side-event organized by the Danish Institute for Human Rights on “the impact of climate change on human rights across the globe”, in Copenhagen, Denmark, called on African States including his country, Sierra Leone to enact a law that would require multinational companies to obtain a human rights compliant certificate from the national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the countries they operate after the NHRI would have carried out a human rights impact assessment.
The Vice Chairperson emphasized that the operations of multinational companies continue to adversely affect the enjoyment of many rights including the right to safe drinking water, the right to education, the right to health, and the right to a safe environment among others.
He noted that while these companies are creating jobs and contributing to the tax base of African countries, the human rights and environmental impacts of their activities must not be swept under the carpet in favor of the argument around job creation and tax base expansion.
The Vice Chairperson is an avid advocate of climate change & human rights and has been recently voted Co-convener of the Climate Change Caucus of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) comprising members across the global regions.