ABSTRACT
This chapter does not provide an exhaustive account of the history of sustainable development. Rather, it discusses how international criminal law could be used to defend and promote sustainable development in Africa. Under the Malabo Protocol, the African Union seeks to create the world’s first regional court with exclusive jurisdiction over existing and proposed international crimes. Two of those crimes, the illegal exploitation of natural resources and corporate criminals liability, possess the potential to hold accountable those responsible for harming the environment, thus helping African states to meet their commitment to promoting sustainable development while simultaneously upholding the longstanding African principle of the people’s sovereignty over natural resources.
