It is good that the Country Policy Paper for Tanzania states that it will build on a Human Rights
Based Approach – in line with the overall Danish development policy. Strengthening respect for
good governance the rule of law and human rights is one of the 3 focus areas for Denmark’s
assistance to Tanzania, and IWGIA welcome this focus. However, there is very little analysis in the
policy paper on the kinds of key human rights violations that take place in Tanzania, and what
Denmark will concretely do to make sure that such violations are addressed in accordance with
international human rights standards.
One of the very serious human rights violations taking place in Tanzania is violations of indigenous
peoples’ rights. As confirmed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights of the
African Union, the indigenous peoples of Tanzania include nomadic and semi nomadic pastoralists
and hunter/gatherers whose cultures and ways of live differ considerably from the mainstream
society, who suffer from discrimination and marginalization and whose cultures and ways of life are
under serious threat – to the extent of complete extinction. The livelihoods and production systems
of these groups are not being supported by the government of Tanzania – on the contrary
government policies display very negative attitudes towards pastoralists and hunter/gatherers and
undermine rather than support their existence and development.
A serious and recurrent human rights violation in this regard is the many examples of forced
evictions of pastoralists and hunter/gatherers from their ancestral lands. Such evictions are initiated
by local or national authorities and they take place in total disrespect of international human rights
standards. No Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is obtained, the evictions are carried out
with great brutality (including torture and killings), the evictions entail destruction and illegal
confiscation of property (including livestock which is essential for the survival of pastoralists), no
or inadequate compensations and no alternative lands are offered, and the evictions lead to serious
impoverishment of the people evicted.
These serious human rights violations have been condemned by international human rights
mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (CESCR), the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples etc. However, the government of
Tanzania and local authorities continue to carry out such evictions. The latest examples are the
evictions in the Kilombero and Ulanga districts in the Morogoro Region (IWGIA has just published
a Brief about this).
IWGIA recommends that Denmark shall have a specific focus on the promotion and protection of
the rights of indigenous peoples in Tanzania as enshrined in international human rights treaties
signed by Tanzania (including the Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the
Convention of Elimination of Racial Discrimination etc.) as well as the UN Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples (which Tanzania voted in favor of at the UN General Assembly in
2007) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights .Denmark is internationally
recognized for its strong support to indigenous peoples, and with the many human rights violations
taking place towards indigenous peoples in Tanzania, Denmark will be in a unique position to take
the lead on this important human rights issue.
IWGIA agrees that it is important to support the health sector, and we appreciate that there will be a
specific focus on the poor, vulnerable and marginalized. In this regard IWGIA will also like to point
out that health services are in general of a very poor quality in indigenous peoples’ areas.
Furthermore, we will like to stress that indigenous peoples’ health is inextricably linked to their
collective rights, particularly their right to land, which is the foundation for their identity, their
livelihood and thus their very survival. Therefore, we will encourage Denmark to make sure that areas
inhabited by indigenous peoples are also reached via the Danish support and that indigenous
peoples will enjoy equal access to basic health care services provided by the Government of
Tanzania.