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African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
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African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights ©ISHR

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

The African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights is Africa’s main human rights body, holding public sessions twice a year at which States’ compliance under the African Charter on Human & Peoples’ Rights is reviewed.

Preceding these sessions, human rights defenders gather at the NGO Forum to discuss human rights concerns and urge the Commission to take action. Such engagement is key to strengthening the African human rights system.

For over a decade ISHR has engaged actively with the Commission. Through lobbying, support to Special Rapporteurs, membership of Commission working groups and the NGO Forum Steering Committee, and by the publication of biannual reports and periodic monitors on the NGO Forum and Commission sessions, ISHR contributes to building this human rights system.

To learn more about this mechanism and how human rights defenders can engage, please visit our ISHR Aacademy, clicking here.

Latest Updates

ACHPR89: Zambia must amend restrictive laws, protect defenders

Zambia must ensure that human rights defenders can speak out, organise and work freely. In a joint submission to the African Commission, ISHR, SACCORD and ZNHRD highlight restrictive legislations and call for progress towards the adoption of the law for the promotion and protection of the rights of defenders.

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New manual aims to make violations against women human rights defenders and their activism visible

A landmark new manual for and about women human rights defenders has just been launched by the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition. Providing women human rights defenders with the tools to document their experience and that of colleagues, the manual aims at generating awareness about violations and abuses against defenders and supporting demands for human rights change.