International Service for Human Rights

We are pleased to provide you with ISHR’s analytical report, ‘Kumulika’: A Spotlight on Human Rights in Africa, covering the 49th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the NGO Forum that preceded it (April – May 2011). A French translation of the analytical report will also be available in the near future.

This report covers several focuses of the ACHPR, including the work of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, the situation in North Africa, and the periodic reports of Burkina Faso, Libya, Namibia, and Uganda. Referral of Libya by the ACHPR to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights is also highlighted, as well as an overview of Commissioners’ activity reports, and analysis of the impact of the NGO Forum on discussions at the ACHPR.

At the NGO Forum, key themes of discussion included the rights of persons with disabilities, the interrelatedness of human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, developments in North Africa and their impact, and key developments in other regions. Panel discussions were also held on elections and violence, enforced disappearances, developments at the World Social Forum, and the issue of torture.

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ANNI Conference

The 16th Annual Meeting and Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) took place in Bangkok, Thailand from 6 - 8 September. Key themes of the meetings included the right to development, human rights and sexual orientation and gender identity, and collaboration with the United Nations. The Kandy Programme of Action was also discussed at the Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) conference that preceded the forum.

The Forum was attended by the 15 full members of the Forum,[1]  associate members and observer institutions from Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman.[2]  

ANNI was among the civil society groups engaging with the APF, and held its regular NGO conference prior to the forum.   The majority of human rights defenders who attend the ANNI conference are involved in monitoring the independence and effectiveness of their countries’ respective national human rights institutions (NHRI), as well as lobbying for improvements, or working for the establishment of such bodies where they don’t exist.  ANNI launched its 2011 Report on the Performance and Establishment of National Human Rights Institutions in Asia at the conference. The ANNI conference agenda mirrored the key themes covered during the APF.

Ms Lucy Asuagbor, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission) has participated in a panel discussion on the protection of human rights defenders in Burundi (19 July, 2011).

Ms. Asuagbor is on informal visit to the country, facilitated by civil society organisations including ISHR and Forum pour le Renforcement des Organisations de la Société Civile (FORSC).  While in Burundi, she has met with several groups of human rights defenders, as well as representatives of the new Independent National Commission on Human Rights.

During the panel discussion, the Special Rapporteur called on the Government of Burundi to recognise the legitimate role of human rights defenders as partners in the State's efforts to promote and protect human rights. She also proposed the development of a specific law on the protection of human rights defenders, with input from the defenders themselves, to support the efficient and effective implementation of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

In response to this suggestion, the country’s minister of internal affairs promised to consult other members of the Government with view to extending an invitation for an official visit by the Special Rapporteur.  This would complement the informal meetings held this week and allow all stakeholders to continue the dialogue.

"This meeting is an important sign for the human rights defenders in Burundi that the African Commission is listening to them," says Clement Voulé, ISHR’s Regional and National Programme Manager.

"The Government's commitment, demonstrated by the minister of internal affairs who attended the panel discussion, shows a growing awareness of the importance of human rights and those who defend them.

“Effective protection mechanisms, for example, supported by the new Independent National Commission on Human Rights, are absolutely crucial in the context of the increasingly serious threats faced by human rights defenders in Burundi,” he says.

The Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders in Africa, Ms Lucy Asuagbor, will be in Bujumbura next week (19 July) to take part in a panel discussion event, alongside civil society and government representatives.

Ms Asuagbor is the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

There will be two panel discussions held: the first focused on the upcoming 30th anniversary of the African Charter – a key regional human rights tool; and the second, on the protection of human rights defenders working in Burundi.

The meeting is being organised by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), in collaboration with Forum pour le Renforcement des Organisations de la Société Civile (FORSC) and the East and Horn of African Human Rights Defenders Network (EHAHRDN). It is being funded by the European Union.