The African Fee on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Fee), at its sixty fifth Bizarre Session held from 21 October to 10 November 2019, in Banjul, The Gambia, adopted Decision ACHPR/Res.432(LXV) 2019 on the Elaboration of an African Declaration on the Promotion of the Function of Human Rights Defenders and their Safety in Africa.
The Decision falls throughout the framework of Article 45 (1) (b) of the African Constitution which empowers the Fee to “Formulate and elaborate, with a view to serving as a foundation for the adoption of legislative texts by African governments, rules and guidelines which make it attainable to resolve authorized issues referring to the enjoyment of human and peoples’ rights and basic freedoms”.
The Fee entrusted the drafting of this declaration to the mechanism of the Particular Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Level on Reprisals in Africa (Particular Rapporteur).
The Decision additionally advisable the adoption of an inclusive method by all stakeholders within the drafting of this Declaration, whereas inviting State and non-State actors to lend their help to the realisation of this mission.
On this respect, the Particular Rapporteur has, in accordance with this decision, ready a draft Declaration which was introduced at a panel organised throughout the 77th Bizarre Session held from 20 October to 9 November 2023 in Arusha, Tanzania, with a view to initiating discussions with all stakeholders and gathering opinions on bettering its content material.
The final word goal of this Regional Declaration is to acceptable at continental degree the Conventions and different requirements and pointers adopted at international degree, particularly the 1998 United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, and to handle the causes and features particular to the African context with the intention to discover acceptable options to revive a civic house conducive to the promotion and efficient safety of human rights. This is identical logic that our continent has adopted within the context of worldwide conventions on human rights, which have been duplicated or tailored to the realities of our continent.
On this context, States have been inspired to undertake legal guidelines on the safety of human rights defenders, following the instance of Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
With this in thoughts, a consultative course of was arrange in step with the Fee’s finest apply. The draft Declaration has been printed (hyperlink) to acquire the views of all stakeholders. Stakeholders are invited to submit their contributions with a view to bettering the ultimate textual content.
How and the place to submit inputs:
Inputs could also be despatched by e-mail by 31 March 2024 to e-mail tackle: [email protected]. please copy additionally the next: [email protected]; [email protected]
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Fee on Human and Individuals’s Rights (ACHPR).
