Beyond obligation: The more reasons why States should keep reporting to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
Posted: 15 April, 2024 Filed under: Adiam Zemenfes Tsighe | Tags: advancement of children’s rights, African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, children’s rights, concluding observations, follow-up visits, National Human Rights Institutions, periodic reports, recommendations, State Party reporting Leave a comment
Author: Adiam Zemenfes Tsighe
Technical Expert, African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC).
Adopted in 1990 by the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (the Charter), as of March 2024, has been ratified by 50 Member States of the African Union; Morocco, Saharawi Arab Republic, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tunisia are yet to ratify. Pursuant to article 43 of the Charter, Countries that have ratified the Charter are required to submit reports on the status of the implementation of the provisions of the Charter two years after ratification and every three years thereafter. The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC/Committee), established under article 32 of the Charter, assumes the mandate to receive and consider such reports. As of February 2024, 42 State Parties have reported to the Committee at least once while 8 State Parties have not submitted any report namely, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Libya, Mauritius, and Sao Tome and Principe. Among the 42 State Parties that have reported, 23 of them have submitted periodic reports of which 6 State Parties have submitted their second periodic reports. These 6 Countries are Burkina Faso, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa. Rwanda has the highest number of reports by submitting its third periodic report to the Committee.
Seventeen years of the Pan-African Parliament: taking stock and reimagining its future
Posted: 26 March, 2021 Filed under: Bonolo Makgale, Tariro Sekeramayi | Tags: 17 years, COVID-19, economic integration, human rights violations, lack of creativity, Pan-African Parliament, persons with albinism, recommendations, resolutions, use of force, volatile situations Leave a comment
Authors: Bonolo Makgale and Tariro Sekeramayi
Introduction
Dr. John Henrik Clarke once remarked, “History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are, but more importantly, what they must be.”
The 18th of March 2021 marked the commemoration of the Pan-African Parliament’s (PAP) 17th year anniversary. The Midrand, South Africa based Parliament was established by the Abuja Treaty as one of the organs of the African Union (AU). At the time of its establishment, the PAP was earmarked as an organ of the AU that will provide a platform for increased public participation and for the Africans to participate in decision-making processes that affect the continent. The Parliament consists of representatives nominated by local legislatures and currently represents all of AU member states, with the exception of Eritrea. The PAP aims to foster development and economic integration on the continent, espousing the principle of “batho pele”, a Southern African political principle that translates to ‘people first’. The core of the PAP’s mandate is to promote citizen engagement and representation as democratic ideals. As we mark this incredible milestone, we take stock of how far the PAP has come and what its prospects are for improvement as we advance.
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