Implementation of judgements draws African top rights institutions to Ethiopia

Members of some major human rights organisations in Africa have concluded a joint retreat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to strengthen the impact of the decisions on the continent.

The retreat was organised by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights from 10 to 14 October 2022 in the Horn of Africa country.

It was aimed at strengthening the complementarity between them as enshrined in the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Ahead of the summit, a statement by the Registrar of the African Court, Dr Robert Eno, quotes the President of the African Court, Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, as saying, “the broad objective of this retreat is to enable these two African Union organs to develop practical and positive solutions for realistic implementation of the complementarity between these two important institutions.’’ 

She added that it was her strong belief, and that of all her colleagues at the African Court, that the two institutions would continue to work very closely and mutually to protect and promote human rights in Africa. 

“Our mandates are to deliver justice to our citizens expeditiously, efficiently and using fair processes,’’ Lady Justice Aboud stated.

Article 2 of the protocol establishing the court provides that the “’Relationship between the court and the commission’ reinforces the preamble and provides that the African Court shall ‘complement the protective mandate of the Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights conferred upon it by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights’.”