What:
Expert Consultation on African Transitional Justice Policy Framework, African Union Project 2016, And Human Rights and Transitional Justice Cluster’s Meeting;

When:
16th December – 18 December 2015

Where:
Pan African Parliament, 19 Richards Drive, Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (Committee Room 3)

Organizers:
The Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission in collaboration with the African Court on Human and People’s Rights; The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Pan African Parliament (PAP):

Invited Participants:
Technical Experts from the African Union Organs with mandate on human rights and transitional Justice; AU Member States; relevant Civil Society Organizations; Academia and Think Tank:

Objective:
The meetings aims at exploring ways and means on how the AU can complement and as well enhance the capacity of relevant Member States to effectively implement Transitional Justice at the national level; promote impactful implementation of the AU 2016 projects and that of the Human Rights and Transitional Justice activities for 2016.

Other Specific Objectives of the Consultation include

• Review and make the necessary inputs into the draft African Transitional Justice Policy Framework in line with suggestions from the AU-STC on Justice and Legal Affairs.
• Concretize action plans on how, where and when to engage the Government Experts’ Task Team established by the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs on the draft African Union Transitional Justice Policy Framework.
• Improve synergy, coordination and collaboration among relevant AU Organs with mandates on human rights on African Union project 2016 on Human Rights with specific focus on the rights of women
• Finalize Project 2016 and adopt its Action Plan and Communication Strategy
• Complete action plans for the activities and programme of the Human Rights and Transitional Justice Cluster of the African Governance Architecture;

Expected Results:
Completion and adoption of action plans for effective implementation of the African Union Project 2016; the Human Rights and Transitional Justice Cluster of the African Governance Architecture finalized its activities plan for the year 2016 and compilation of concrete proposals to the AU-Task Force on Transitional Justice for the finalization of the AU-Draft Transitional Justice Policy Framework:

Background:
The African Union Policy Making Organs adopted a Decision that declared 2016 as the year of Human Rights with special focus on the rights of women in Africa. In view of this development, the African Union Organs with mandates on human rights namely, the African Court on Human and People’s Rights; the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Union Commission came together and developed comprehensive programmes for the year. In addition to the above, it is also envisaged that one of the outcomes of the year 2016 should be among others the adoption of a continental policy framework on “Transitional Justice” for the AU Members. It is in the context of the foregoing that the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission, the African Court, and the Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in conjunction with the Pan African Parliament are organizing the following three meetings: Consultative meeting on adoption of the AU transitional justice policy framework; the African Union Project 2016, and the Human Rights and Transitional Justice Cluster’s Meetings.

Attached is the draft work program of the event.

Journalists are invited to cover the opening ceremony of the meeting.

For more details on the meeting please contact:
Mr. Ikubaje John Gbodi | Political Officer; Department of Political Affairs | African Union Commission | Tel: + 251 923208041 E-mail: GbodiJ@africa-union.org

Media Contact:
Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division, AUC, Tel: +251911361185, E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia