The Ministry of Mining is also working with cooperative associations that are working on mining
activities. Due to the establishment of a legal framework for artisanal mineral production and
transactions, the number of organized artisans and their role in the market has significantly
increased. In 2012/13 75 new Artisanal Miners‟ Cooperative Associations were established. This has
increased the number of Cooperative Associations to 553. These include 38,618 male and 20,029
female and a total of 58,647 members. In effect, this enabled the community where resources are
located to benefit from mining activities in that locality.
THE RIGHT TO ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT (ARTICLE 22)
Constitutional Guarantee
The FDRE Constitution clearly stipulates that all the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia,
have the right to improved living standards and to sustainable development. Beyond the
Government‟s duty to hold, on behalf of the people, land and other natural resources and to deploy
them for their common benefit and development, the Government is also required at all times to
promote the participation of the people in the formulation of national development policies and
implementation programs. It also has the duty to support the initiatives of the people in their
development endeavors.
The right to development, which is recognized in the ACHPR, is also incorporated in the FDRE
Constitution. In this context, the right to development is not merely about economic or social
development; rather it is both an independent right and one that is intrinsically linked to the full
enjoyment of the range of human rights with social, cultural, political and economic dimensions.
Administrative Measures
The Government has demonstrated its commitment to the realization of economic, social and
cultural rights in Ethiopia by passing legislation, engaging in education campaigns and by forging
partnerships with relevant stakeholders. The laws aimed at improving the social, economic and
cultural rights of the people include the Public Servants‟ Pension Proclamation, the Private
Organization Employees‟ Pension Proclamation and the Social Health Insurance Proclamation.
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