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Human Rights Implementation Centre granted ‘observer status’ by African Commission

Press release issued: 22 April 2016

This month the Human Rights Implementation Centre (HRIC) at the University of Bristol was granted observer status by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission).

The HRICC was received observer status at the Commission’s 58th Ordinary Session, which ran from the 6-20 April in Banjul, the Gambia.  

The Commission is one of the fundamental human rights bodies within Africa and is tasked with the promotion and protection of the rights contained within the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

Having observer status with the Commission enables the HRIC to strengthen its already close engagement and cooperation with this key human rights body. As an organisation with observer status the HRIC can play a more formal and prominent role in the activities of the Commission, including being able to make formal statements on issues relevant to the Commission’s mandate during their ordinary sessions, which are held twice a year.

Returning from the Gambia last week, Professor Rachel Murray, Director of the HRIC comments;

We are delighted to be granted observer status which gives us an opportunity to consolidate and strengthen our work with the African Commission and African Union human rights machinery.

During the ordinary sessions the Commission considers in public the state of human rights in the region, State party reports, and presents information on its activities. The Commission also considers individual communications (complaints) in private sessions.  

Formal participation in the ordinary sessions therefore provides an opportunity for organisations to report to the Commission on the human rights situation in African countries, and raise particular issues of concern, as well as sharing common ideas for progress.

The Commission has been granting observer status to civil society organisations since 1988, in recognition of the  important contribution such organisations make to the activities of the Commission.

For further information contact the HRIC administrator Suzanne Mills.

 

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