1. Impact of BRICS Trade and Investment: Environmental, Economic, Social and Cultural Dimensions
Presentation by Leonard Mandishara
The Acting Executive Director of NANGO
Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba (ZAMI) Conference
Bulawayo Holiday Inn: October 2017

2. Presentation Outline BRICS trade and investment in Zimbabwe background
The relationship between Business and Human Rights : BRICS Case
Economic Impacts
Environmental Impacts
Social and Cultural Impacts
What can be done to ensure effective contribution of BRICS towards development

3. BRICS trade and investment in Zimbabwe background
The BRICS have become an integral component in investment and trade in Africa and Zimbabwe in particular.
They became an alternative source of growth and development post global financial crisis
Alternative sources of trade, investment, loans, aid and amongst others.

4. BRICS trade and investment in Zimbabwe background
Protracted developmental challenges due to low FDI, technical capacity, social challenges explains the receptive preparedness to support from potential funders
The BRICS emerged as a block committed to strong, sustained, and balanced global economic growth supported by strong cooperation in economic, financial, and trade matters.
it is important to adopt processes to guide, monitor and account for the economic cooperating and trade activities and assess their social and environmental impact

5. BRICS trade and investment in Zimbabwe
BRICS in Africa are marked by a significant presence in the mining sector and in large infrastructure projects, opening new routes for the looting of resources and for deepening a growth model that has serious impacts on societies and on the environment.
BRICS are acting based on a logic of competition over natural resources and market access that.

6. BRICS and Human Rights
Trade and Investment outcomes determine the realisation of economic, social, civic, and environmental rights of the people
The infringement of the human rights undermines the objectives of meeting the progressive realisation of the rights on the citizens.
Investment from the BRICS have both positive and negative impacts on the rights of people.
Exploitation of our mineral resources should facilitate the attainment of social, economic and civic rights of the local people
Investment in other sectors outside extractive industry – directly or indirectly – impact on virtually the entire spectrum of internationally recognized human rights.

7. BRICS and Human Rights
Thus investment from the BRICS has to be subjected as well to scrutiny using the rights based approach
How the BRICS trade and investment support economic rights?
How the BRICS trade and investment support social rights?
How the BRICS trade and investment supports civic rights?
How the BRICS trade and investment support environmental rights?
Investment and Trade negotiations impact on citizens rights
Generally, trade and investment focus on maximizing profits and minimizing costs this implies low investment in social, environmental and broad human issues

8. BRICS Economic Rights Impacts
Bilateral Investments Promotion and Protection Agreements.
Growth in trade and investment
Competition of local companies
Claim of substandard commodities
Exportation of labour mineral abuse
Fiscal space constraints – tax incentives offered not benefiting the economy
Some Chinese in small scale mining
They have their economic challenges
Labor rights violations as governments fail to enforce such rights effectively

9. Environmental Rights Impacts
One reasons behind BRICS involvement in Africa include their appetite for the continent’s natural resources, Africa’s large and untapped agricultural sector as well as the opportunity for investments and transfer of technology.
Environmental rights are an entitlement of every citizen current and future generation
Issues
Issues of pollution, land degradation which can not be used for other productive purposes
Deforestation by outsiders for commercial purposes
Illegal discharge of industrial effluent into the environment
Exposing people to the effects of air pollution from mining and industrial emissions and fugitive dust

10. Environmental Rights Impacts
All human rights are therefore interdependent and complementary
Rate of exploitation of resources
Capital flight through low capacity to interrogate mineral exploitation processes
China’s environmental record both at home and in Africa has been the subject of criticism

11. Socio-cultural Impacts
BRICS and Social Responsibility in the absence of an instrument which enforce CSR
BRICS
Investment in human capital
Investment in health
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)

12. THANK YOU!!