Compendium Of African Sub Regional Human Rights Documents

Compendium of African sub-regional human rights documentsEdited by Solomon Ebobrah and Armand Tanoh2010ISBN: 978-0-9814420-9-9Pages: vii 510Print version: AvailableElectronic version: Free PDF available.

About the publication This Compendium of documents relating to regional and sub-regional peace and security in Africa is the second edition to the 2006 Compendium of key documents related to peace and security in Africa (edited by Dr Monica Juma). It is both an updated and expanded attempt at consolidating the vast legal instruments broadly relating to peace and security on the African continent. More specifically, the Compendium aims to consolidate, both on the regional and sub-regional level, treaties and decisions of regional organisations pertaining to conflict prevention, management and resolution in the African regional and sub-regional context. It ultimately aims to serve as a useful research guide to those involved with matters of peace and security in Africa. Documents and legal instruments included in this Compendium focus on the Organisation of African Unity, the African Union, and its eight Regional Economic Communities: the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This edition also includes additional documents from sub-regional organisations, including documents from the Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa Conference on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Gulf of Guinea Commission, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, the Eastern Africa Standby Force, the G5 Sahel, the Indian Ocean Commission, and the Mano River Union. Additionally, each chapter outlines the organisation in question, its principal institutions relating to peace and security, relevant documents and legal instruments, and listed topical decisions, declarations and communiqués by that organisation and its institutions. It also briefly puts forward the details of any military interventions or peacekeeping missions undertaken by each organisation. Finally, the Compendium’s indexes include a list of peace and ceasefire agreements (listed by country), chart of ratifications, a list of useful websites and a selected bibliography.

Compendium of documents on National Human Rights Institutions in eastern and southern Africa Edited by Charles M Fombad 2019 ISBN: 978-1-920538-95-8 Pages: 898 Print version: Available Electronic version: Free PDF available About the publication Africa’s increasing recognition and protection of human rights have been accompanied by a surge in the number of NHRIs established with broad mandates to promote and protect human rights. The mandates and powers of the NHRIs vary from country to country, as does their ability to deliver on these mandates. Indeed, the rapid increase in the number of NHRIs in Africa has come with a variety of substantive and operational challenges. In the face of such challenges, those who work in NHRIs need to understand the broader regional and global context in which the institutions operate and the changing nature of human rights issues. This compendium provides an overview of NHRIs in eastern and southern Africa. It is guided to a large extent by the internationally agreed-upon Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions, referred to as the Paris Principles. These Principles are broadly accepted as the benchmark against which the legitimacy and credibility of NHRIs can be assessed. Endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, the Paris Principles provide NHRIs with guidelines as to their competence and responsibilities, their composition and guarantees of independence and pluralism, and their methods of operation; additional principles relate to the status of commissions with quasi-jurisdictional competence. The generous financial support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Rule of Law for Sub-Saharan Africa, Nairobi, Kenya office, is gratefully acknowledged. Table of Contents PREFACE INTRODUCTION AN OVERVIEW OF NHRIS IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA THE OMBUDSMAN OF ANGOLA THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN IN BOTSWANA THE BURUNDIAN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO’S NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 6 PART B THE SWAZILAND COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION INTEGRITY THE ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS THE LESOTHO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE LESOTHO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF MAURITIUS THE RWANDAN NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE TANZANIAN COMMISSION FORHUMAN RIGHTS AND GOOD GOVERNANCE THE ZAMBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA: LESSONS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

This Compendium contains key official Documents on peace and security in Africa covering period between 1963 and the end of 2005.

"This Compendium contains key documents relating to human rights adopted by the African Union (including NEPAD) and its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity. It also includes a selection of decisions and resolutions of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. For the third edition of the Compendium has been updated to May 2007"--Back cover

This book provides a comprehensive and analytical overview of human rights law in Africa. It examines the institutions, norms, and processes for human rights realization provided for under the United Nations system, the African Union, and sub-regional economic communitites in Africa, and explores their relationship with the national legal systems of African states. Since the establishment of the African Union in 2001, there has been a proliferation of regional institutions that are relevant to human rights in Africa. These include the Pan African Parliament, the Peace and Security Council, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council and the African Peer Review Mechanism of the New Partnership for Africa's Development. This book discusses the links between these institutions. It further examines the case law stemming from Africa' most important human rights instrument, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, which entered into force on 21 October 1986. This new edition contains a new chapter on the African Children's Rights Committee as well as full coverage of new developments and instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on Enforced Disappearances, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Three cross-cutting themes are explored throughout the book: national implementation and enforcement of international human rights law; legal and other forms of integration; and the role of human rights in the eradication of poverty. The book also provides an introduction to the relevant human rights concepts.

Whilst the establishment of the African human rights system was a good gesture that signalled the recognition of the value and essence of international human rights in the continent, a continuous study of the system has become necessary. This is particularly in light of the fact that the continent is in desperate need of well established and effective regional human rights enforcement mechanisms. At the moment, the regional human rights system is stuck between prospects and pitfalls because of the gap that exists between the promise of human rights and their actual realisation. By all means, this trend needs to be reversed. The main objective and purpose of this book is to underscore the challenges besetting the effective enforcement of international human rights law in Africa and the prospects and promises of an effective regional human rights system.