Salomons Atoll, Chagos Archipelago. The Chagos Archipelago, is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean. Photo source: ©© Anne Sheppard
Excerpts;
Conservationists condemn exile of Chagossians for marine reserve. Greenpeace and other groups say the rights of the islanders, who cannot return to the archipelago, have been violated…
“For too long, despite the close relationship between environmental destruction and human suffering, human rights violations and environmental problems have been regarded as unrelated. Yet in reality, the current development paradigm has resulted in deepening human rights abuses, inequalities and environmental degradation. Too often, the poorest and most disenfranchised communities are worst affected. Climate change, as the Human Rights Council has recognised, violates human rights. Kumi Naidoo will argue that it is possible to deliver the human right to development for all, whilst taking the necessary action to halt climate change. It requires an energy revolution; forest policies that deliver zero deforestation; and land rights for the poor…” —Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International and Chair of the civil society alliance.
Conservationists condemn exile of Chagossians for marine reserve, Guardian UK
Division Over Future of Chagos Islands, Guardian UK
More than 150 exiled Chagos islanders and their relatives gathered in London on Thursday to press for a return to the Indian Ocean archipelago from which they were exiled 40 years ago, and to discuss the area’s environmental future.
