Kigali, Rwanda, 09 November 2017: H.E. Amb. Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Political Affairs of the African Union Commission officially closed the 11th Biennial Conference of the Network of the African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI). The Conference was held in Kigali, Rwanda, on 08-09 November 2017, under the theme “Human Rights Based Approach to the Implementation of the AU Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2063 for Sustainable Development Goals”.

The Conference brought together national human rights institutions (NHRIs) form all 55 African Union Member States. The Conference provided an opportunity to take stock of the efforts made by NHRIs to integrate AU Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 in their work, and how they have contributed to the national mechanisms initiated to implement the Agenda. The Conference putted particular attention on aspirations 3 and 4 since they resonate with most of the functions of NHRIs in their efforts to address governance issues, and to promote inclusion in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063 clarion call to build “the Africa We Want”.

The overall objective of the Conference is to contribute to the realization of socio-economic rights covered by Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs through effective participation of African NHRIs.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs stated that a key priority of the Department of Political Affairs in the African Union, for the period 2017-2026, is to build an enhanced capacity of the coordination mechanisms to enable the multiplicity of human rights institutions and mandates upscale the African Union Human Rights Agenda, thereby ensuring optimal delivery of human rights services in Africa. She further added that in order to achieve this goal, the Department has been actively engaged over the years with Member States, AU Organs with a human rights mandate, Regional Economic Communities, National Human Rights Institutions as well as, broadly speaking, the African Civil Society in the formulation and implementation of various strategies and programmes.

H.E. Mrs. Minata Samate Cessouma also indicated that the Declaration by the AU Heads of State and Government of the Human and Peoples’ Rights Decade, known as the “Kigali Declaration” came as part of the implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063. The Agenda aspires an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law. This Agenda 2063 is the blueprint for the “the Africa we Want” within the next 50 years. The Agenda comes with aspirations that are set to be achieved through its two goals: entrenching democratic values, practices, universal principles of human rights, justice and the rule of law; and establishing capable institutions and transformative leadership

H.E. Mrs. Minata Samate Cessouma further indicated that the declaration of the 10-year Action Plan is also meant to strengthen coordination amongst AU organs and institutions with a formal mandate in human rights as a measure of enhancing their capacity and optimise their impact. In light of the challenges facing the Continent in the area of Human Rights, the Action Plan provides an opportunity to engage and develop appropriate capacity and responses to Africa’s human rights challenges. She also indicated that a coordinated and integrated approach is no substitution for the primary responsibility of States to promote and protect human and peoples’ rights in Africa.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs stated that the Action Plan also aims at 1) identifying the role of the NHRIs in the ratification, implementation and domestication of all AU Human Rights Instruments; 2) exploring opportunities to strengthen the capacity of NHRIs with a view to enhancing their contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa, 3) reviewing the activities of the African NHRIs to facilitate experience sharing relating to the protection and promotion of human rights and 4) developing synergies between the AU Commission, its Organs with a human rights mandate and the African National Human Rights Institutions.

H.E. Mrs. Minata Samate Cessouma concluded her statement by emphasising that the National Human Rights Institutions, as key instruments for domestic application and monitoring of the observance of national, regional, continental and international human rights norms and standards. In affirming such a duty and being largely guided by the principles of inclusivity, independence and impartiality, NHRIs are expected to not only promote at all times greater responsiveness to the human rights agenda at national level in addition to monitoring that the agreed human rights norms and standards translate into providing related human rights services to the people but what is more, their contributions are deemed fundamental in fostering equitable and therefore, stable societies.

For further information please contact:

Amb. Salah S. Hammad
Department of Political Affairs
HammadS@africa-union.org
Tel: +251-11-551 77 00
Media Contact:
Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division, AUC, E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

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