The submission of periodic reports is an obligation to States Parties according to article 62 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (‘the African Charter’). The State periodic report should set out the status of implementation of the African Charter and provide information on the adopted measures to “give effect to the rights, duties and freedoms guaranteed to all” according to article 1 of the African Charter.
Following this submission by the States, in accordance with the principles of counter-arguments and transparency, and in order to obtain a comprehensive overview that accurately reflects the reality, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission or ACHPR) give civil society organisations (CSO) the opportunity to submit a parallel report alongside the States’ periodic reports.
CSO especially grassroot organisations have direct access to people’s lived experiences, therefore may have data to document, supplement, qualify and, where necessary, challenge the narrative provided by the State. The parallel report of CSO is thus useful as it serves as an informational and democratic necessity, a plurality of perspectives, a lever for improving public policy and a tool for international accountability, thereby helping to strengthen the credibility of the process.
Recalling the guidelines on shadow reports of the African Commission and following the presentation of the status of submission of periodic reports by States Parties to the Charter, the panel served as an opportunity for the African Commission and its Secretariat to call on CSO to advocate for the submission of reports by States parties as well as the implementation of the concluding observations.
Alternative reports represent a means of contributing to the improvement of the human rights situation in a specific country, particularly because they identify blind spots and enable human rights mechanisms to formulate concrete recommendations tailored to the needs of the population. With a view to equip CSO in strategically carrying out this mission with the African Commission, ISHR has developed an online training module on how to engage with the ACHPR and its mechanisms.
