NGO Forum and the 49th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human & Peoples' Rights
04/22/2011
The biannual session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) will be held at the end of this month (28 April - 12 May). It will be preceded by the regular NGO Forum (25 – 27 April), where human rights defenders and other civil society actors will discuss the most pressing human rights issues of the previous six months, and identify areas for priority action which will be communicated, through resolutions and recommendations, to the ACHPR.

In light of the sweeping political changes in several countries in the north of Africa over recent months, the NGO Forum will dedicate a good part of its attention to the human rights situation in these countries. It will focus on the challenges faced by human rights defenders in these contexts, and explore opportunities for building a culture of respect for human rights. Members of sub-regional human rights networks will provide updates on the situation of other regions, with particular emphasis on countries experiencing political crisis, including Cote d'Ivoire.

To mark a new African Decade of Persons with Disabilities, the NGO Forum will hold a panel discussion bringing together NGO and NHRI representatives, and academics to evaluate the implementation of a previous plan of action on this issue. Not forgetting that 2010 – 2020 is also the African Women's Decade, and recalling that 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, time will also be dedicated to reflecting on the challenges and achievements of 100 years of women's advocacy. Panel discussions will be held on a range of other topics, including an update on the 16th Session of the Human Rights Council (the Council). Chaired by ISHR, this session will present developments during the last session of the Council and how these relate to advocacy initiatives at the local level. This will aim to illustrate how the UN human rights system can be influenced by national advocacy efforts and is relevant to human rights developments on the ground.

During the ACHPR's Ordinary Session it will consider the State reports of Burkina Faso and Namibia. Whilst the periodic report of Libya is also scheduled, it is not known whether it will be considered relevant given the current political situation in the country. Individual Commissioners and Special Rapporteurs will present reports on their activities during the last six months, and reports on visits to Sudan, Mozambique and Tunisia will be considered for adoption at the Session.

Over the next couple of weeks human rights defenders will have several opportunities to engage with the ACHPR in a bid to influence the deliberations and decisions of the human rights mechanism. NGO engagement can have the objective of holding States accountable for their human rights obligations, as well as in bolstering the work of the ACHPR itself. The collective concerns of human rights defenders across the continent and beyond are confirmed at the NGO Forum, and it is for this body to define how best to communicate these concerns to the ACHPR. Its concerns may relate to thematic issues or country situations, or may relate to the access NGOs have to voice human rights concerns to the system itself.

ISHR will be participating at both the NGO Forum and the 49th Session of the ACHPR, and will provide information on developments both during and after the sessions.

Source: ishr.ch

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The concept of human rights has now found its place in our society so to define the inalienable, inherent and intransgressible rights that people have, without distinction of race, sex, religion, ethnicity, among others. From antiquity to modern times, the texts keep to emphasize the importance of fundamental rights enjoyed by each person as a human being. The protection of human rights has now become a factor in assessing the progress of societies or democracy.

See below some statements that have been made on the protection of human rights defenders in Africa.

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