CEJ flagged Off the National Environmental Protection Dialogue (EPD) which is an annual event starting 2020. The EPD2020 event was held under the theme: “Towards a Sustainable Mining Sector in Zambia through Green Investment for Nature and People”. The dialogue will  focus on seven  (7) key issues namely; mining communities water rights, mining communities land rights and tenure, mining communities compensations, relocations and displacements, mining companies level of compliance on investment agreements, mining communities’ alternative livelihoods, mining impacts on biodiversity, and corporate social and environmental responsibility.

The event was convened by the Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ), with the support of Bread for the World (BftW) of Germany, and other partners who included World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Zambia, and Action Aid Zambia, in collaboration with the Government of the Republic Zambia. The dialogue took place from 14 – 15 October, 2020 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre , Lusaka – Zambia. The EPD2020 was attended 100 delegates which included; Traditional leaders, government officials, civil society organisations, youth & women groups, academia, foreign dignitaries and media.

The dialogue consider, specifically:

1. Community land rights, displacement and lack or inadequacy of compensation

2. Land degradation, impact on biodiversity, nature and ecosystem

3. Contamination of human and animal water sources

4. Destruction of Structures such as buildings and road network

5. Forest/wetlands conservation and protection

6. Taxation transparency and accountability

7. Community Alternative Livelihoods and Post-Mining Community Lifestyles.