African Parks Announces Appointment of an Independent Panel for Grievance Resolution
Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 June 2025 - African Parks is pleased to announce the appointment of an Independent Panel to oversee the organisation’s Grievance and Redress Mechanism (GRM). This Panel will guide the investigation into all allegations of serious misconduct impacting local communities and other stakeholders living in and around areas managed by African Parks. They will provide credible and impartial resolution of these grievances presented to the organisation. The Panel will also monitor the overall GRM for African Parks, which is already established, ensuring independent oversight of its operation. They will report to the Board of African Parks and play an advisory role on critically important human rights matters. The work of the Panel will be supported by the external Human Rights and Criminal Justice Advisor and other experts in conducting investigations and providing victim support.
The GRM Independent Panel is composed of six eminent African legal and human rights experts from diverse backgrounds. They are:
- Hon. Justice Isaac Lenaola, Supreme Court Judge - Kenya
- Ivete Mafundza Espada, Lawyer - Mozambique
- Hon. Justice Zione Ntaba, High Court Judge - Malawi
- Brigadier Siachitema, Lawyer - Zambia
- Isidore Clément Capo-Chichi, Lawyer - Benin
- Justice (Rtd.) Violet Mavisi, Judge – Kenya
“We are deeply grateful to these legal experts who are setting aside their time as a pro bono service to further human rights in conservation. Their experience and expertise will greatly benefit the communities where African Parks operates, ensuring that the organisation abides by international human rights standards. We see the launch of the Independent Panel as a key initiative among a range of critical improvements being implemented across our organisation,” said Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks.
African Parks has made significant enhancements to its safeguarding processes across the entire organisation. The ongoing improvements will foster collaboration with local communities and ensure respect and protection of human rights for all stakeholders.
African Parks will continue to enhance our approach to conservation, ensuring it is rights-based and sustainable across all dimensions.
Please click here for more Information on the Members of the Independent Panel.
Ends
About African Parks:
African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on responsibility for the long-term management of protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks manages 23 protected areas in 13 countries covering over 20 million hectares in Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. For more information visit www.africanparks.org, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
Contact Us: