Coalition for an Effective African Court

(East Africa Focal Point)

Speech by the Tanganyika Law Society delivered on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Coalition for An Effective African Court on Human and People’s Rights at the Africa Day Celebrations held at the Mnazi Mmoja Grounds, Dar es Salaam on 25th May, 2011. Read more.  

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(West African Focal Point)

The Centre des Droits de l’Homme et du Développement (CDHD), in partnership with the African Court Coalition held a conference entitled « la ratification du Protocole portant statut de la Cour africaine de justice et des droits de l’homme par la République du Congo : quels enjeux et quelles perspectives ? » at the Phoenix Hotel in Brazzaville, the Congo on 14 May 2011. The keynote speaker was Mr Charles Emile Appesse, the First president of the Court of Appeal of Brazzaville. The chairperson of the conference was Mr Gilbert Mouyabi, the legal and administrative Advisor of the Lord Chancellor, Minister of justice and human rights and judge at the Supreme Court.

Some 30 participants from the ministry of justice and the human rights, magistrates, lawyers, members of the police service and NGO representatives attended the conference.

The participants reviewed the mechanisms of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and having examined the effect of the ratification of the Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the participants formulated recommendations, including the following; for NGOs and state actors to strengthen efforts aimed at raising awareness of the African Court Protocol and protocol establishing the African Court of Justice and Human Rights; and to make the declaration accepting the competence of the Court to receive cases from individuals and NGOs.

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(West African Focal Point)

On 29 March 2011, the African Court Coalition in partnership with the Rencontre Africaine des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO) held a roundtable on the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Court) in Dakar, Senegal. The following organisations were in attendance: The Dakar Bar association, The Ministry of Human Rights, The Judiciary of the Regional Court of Dakar, The Association of Young Lawyers of Senegal, The ICRC, The Senegalese Committee for Human Rights, The press, and Human rights organisations.

The participants made several recommendations and these include:

• Organise feedback sessions for lawyers because they are not supposed to monitor issues relating to human rights violations in the field and in international institutions;
• Post newsletters to members and interested persons to better educate people about the African Court;
• Increase efforts to encourage countries to ratify the Protocol establishing the African Court;
• Participate actively in the work of the African Commission given the large presence of NGOs;
• Advocate for the revision of texts in line to allow individuals to appeal to the Court;
• Build capacity among officials in order to understand the benefits of an African Court.

Read Report (933kb PDF).

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