Senegal: Progresses National Action Plan on Business Human Rights

• The 5th African Forum on Business and Human Rights took place in Dakar from September 29 to October 1, 2026, focusing on the right to a healthy environment and responsible business conduct.
• The forum, originating five years ago in Accra, aims to advance UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights across Africa, with the UNDP emphasizing the need for concrete action and integrated due diligence.
• Senegal has developed its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, technically validated in September 2025 and awaiting political approval, driven by the Ministry of Justice and involving diverse stakeholders.
• Justice Minister Moussa Sarr highlighted the plan's importance for strengthening governance in Senegal's extractive industries, particularly oil and gas, ensuring benefits for current generations without compromising future ones.
• The OHCHR stressed that environmental degradation directly impacts human rights like health and livelihoods, asserting that the focus must now be on how states and businesses guarantee the right to a healthy environment.

The question is no longer whether the right to a healthy environment constitutes a human right, but rather how states and businesses can effectively guarantee its realization.

The fifth African Forum on Business and Human Rights convened in Dakar from Tuesday, September 29, 2026, to Thursday, October 1, 2026. This significant gathering brought together a diverse array of participants, including government representatives, private sector entities, human rights organizations, labor unions, local communities, and international partners. The central theme of the forum was "Realizing the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through responsible business conduct," underscoring the growing urgency of environmental considerations within the human rights framework.

Originating five years prior in Accra, Ghana, this annual forum serves as a dedicated continental platform to advance the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, tailored to the specific realities and priorities of Africa. Catherine Phuong, the Interim Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Senegal, speaking on behalf of Dr. Matthias Naab, the UNDP's Regional Service Centre Director for Africa, emphasized that the current imperative is to translate these foundational commitments into tangible, impactful actions across the continent. The UNDP advocates that responsible business conduct fundamentally requires the integration of human rights and environmental due diligence throughout all economic activities and their associated value chains.

The forum provided an opportunity to assess progress made since its inception, noting that several African nations have either developed or formally adopted National Action Plans (NAPs) on Business and Human Rights. The UNDP specifically commended Malawi for its recent adoption of such a plan. These NAPs are crucial instruments designed to operationalize the UN Guiding Principles at a national level, fostering a more accountable and rights-respecting business environment across Africa.

Senegal is actively progressing its own National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, a strategic initiative driven by the Ministry of Justice. The development of this comprehensive plan involved a broad and inclusive participatory process, engaging a wide range of stakeholders. These included various public institutions, private sector companies, labor unions, civil society organizations, local communities, and subject matter experts, ensuring a holistic perspective on responsible business conduct in Senegal.

The technical validation of Senegal's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights was completed in September 2025, marking a critical milestone. The document is now awaiting final political validation, which will pave the way for its official implementation. This endeavor is particularly pertinent as Senegal enters a new phase of economic development, characterized by the exploitation of its significant oil and gas resources, making the framework for Senegal extractive industries human rights especially vital.

Moussa Sarr, Senegal's Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, highlighted the constitutional principle that the nation's natural resources belong to its people. He articulated the government's objective to ensure that the exploitation of these resources benefits current generations without compromising the rights and well-being of future generations. This commitment underscores the strategic importance of the National Action Plan in strengthening governance within sensitive economic sectors and promoting responsible business conduct in Senegal.

The forum's central theme, focusing on the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, reflects the escalating prominence of environmental concerns within the broader African human rights agenda. Benjamin Moreau, the officer-in-charge of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia, emphasized that environmental degradation extends far beyond mere ecosystem damage. He detailed how issues such as water and air pollution, soil degradation, deforestation, exposure to toxic substances, and the multifaceted impacts of climate change directly impinge upon fundamental human rights.

These environmental harms have profound consequences for health, food security, adequate housing, employment, livelihoods, and, more broadly, human dignity. The OHCHR's position, as articulated by Moreau, is that the fundamental question is no longer whether the right to a healthy environment constitutes a human right, but rather how states and businesses can effectively guarantee its realization. This perspective places a clear onus on both governmental bodies and corporate entities to implement robust measures that protect environmental integrity and, by extension, human well-being.

The discussions at the African Forum Business Human Rights Dakar reinforced the urgent need for integrating environmental protection with human rights due diligence. This approach is critical for ensuring that economic development, particularly in resource-rich nations like Senegal, proceeds in a manner that is both sustainable and respectful of the rights of all individuals, aligning with the principles of responsible business conduct and the UN Guiding Principles Africa implementation.

Lawyers advising companies in Senegal's extractive industries should closely monitor the final political validation and implementation of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. This plan will likely introduce new obligations for human rights and environmental due diligence, impacting operational compliance and risk management in the oil and gas sectors.

Source: Original reporting via Le Soleil