Promoting a Human-Rights-Centered Just Energy Transition for Communities in Zambia's Mineral Resource Areas: A Critical Review of Policies, Challenges, and Pathways

The global transition towards clean energy has placed mineral-rich countries like Zambia at the forefront due to their vast reserves of critical minerals such as copper and cobalt. However, the benefits of mineral extraction remain unequally distributed, with communities in Zambia’s mineral resource areas facing persistent human rights violations, environmental degradation, and socio-economic marginalization. This study critically examines the policies, challenges, and pathways for ensuring a human-rights-centered Just Energy Transition (JET) in Zambia, emphasizing equity, sustainability, and social justice. The study adopts a rigorous literature review approach, applying theoretical frameworks such as the Rights-Based Approach, Resource Curse Theory, and Sustainable Development Theory to analyze governance gaps, social impacts, and environmental risks associated with mineral extraction. The research identifies key human rights concerns, including land displacement, labour rights violations, pollution, and inadequate community participation in decision-making. Furthermore, policy weaknesses—such as weak enforcement of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), lack of corporate accountability, and ineffective environmental governance—exacerbate these challenges. The findings underscore that Zambia’s energy transition must be designed to equitably distribute benefits while addressing the adverse effects of resource extraction. Policy recommendations include strengthening environmental governance, embedding FPIC into legal frameworks, ensuring corporate accountability, and enhancing community engagement in energy transition policies. Additionally, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration among the government, private sector, and civil society is crucial to implementing a fair and inclusive transition. This study highlights the urgent need for Zambia to adopt policies that balance economic growth with human rights protection and environmental sustainability. By integrating social justice principles into its energy transition strategy, Zambia can ensure that mineral resource development contributes to sustainable livelihoods, equitable benefit-sharing, and a truly just transition for all communities.