Open letter: Centre for Human Rights calls for the rollout of the African Union passport under the Centre campaign #AfricanMigrantsMatter
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, is calling on the African Union (AU), the AU Member States, the 8 Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Pan-African Parliament and Embassies and High Commissions to improve the conditions of African migrants on the continent and to give effect to the spirit of Pan-Africanism and inclusivity in Africa.
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, is hosting a two-day conference, on 6 and 7 September 2019 on the theme: “Beyond 50 and 10, beyond the rhetoric: The protection of forced migrants in Africa”.
Key African Human Rights Treaties Relating To the Rights of African Migrants and Refugees:
Organisation of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa
African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa
Organisation of African Unity Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa
Organisation of African Unity Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance
For more information, please contact:
Centre for Human Rights
Faculty of Law
University of Pretoria
South Africa
0002
Tel : +27 (0) 12 420 3810 / +27 (0) 12 420 3034
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
Email: chr@up.ac.za
Website: www.chr.up.ac.za
As part of the year-long campaign, the Centre will be embarking on a number of events and initiatives, including:
- Launching a documentary titled: ‘Why We Are Here’ – a video that tells the stories of migrants and refugees living in South Africa. This is scheduled for release on 20 June 2019, which is the World Refugee Day.
- Hosting of a two-day Conference at the University of Pretoria, on 6 and 7 September 2019, on the theme: “Beyond 50 and 10, beyond the rhetoric: The protection of forced migrants in Africa”.
- Hosting a Conference at the University of Botswana, on 5 July 2019, as part of the 28th African Human Rights Moot Court Competition, on the theme: “Protecting persons forcibly displaced in Africa”.
- Launch of a photojournalism project on International Human Rights Day taking place on 10 December, capturing the faces of migrants and refugees from all 55 African countries.
Other activities include:
- Bringing together community activists, researchers, scholars, governments, and other stakeholders to develop initiatives to advance the rights of African migrants.
- Supporting human rights organisations and institutions in pushing for a rights-based agenda for migrants in Africa.
- Collaborating with thematic units across the Centre to create an intersectional approach in promoting the rights of migrants and refugees.
In light of the African Union’s 2019 theme on: “Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa”, the Centre for Human Rights is launching a year-long campaign which focuses on the rights of asylum seekers, refugees, internally displaced persons and other migrants on the African continent. The African Union (AU) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) hold that more than a third of the world’s forcibly displaced people are African. Forced displacement is still a major problem encountered across Africa. There are estimated to be 6.3 million refugees and asylum-seekers and 14.5 million internally displaced people on the continent.
African migrants and refugees face many institutional and social barriers with integrating into new communities after being displaced. There is a need for the implementation of strategic programmes and the ratification of various AU treaties and legal instruments which address the circumstances African migrants and refugees face.
Based on the principle of leaving no one behind, the Centre for Human Rights acknowledges the importance of a rights-based approach to the protection of African migrants and refugees. To this end, the 2019 #AfricanMigrantsMatter Campaign reaffirms that African migrants should be able to exercise their human rights regardless of their status and country of origin.
International Conference on Protecting Forcibly Displaced Persons in Africa
On 5 July 2019, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria in conjunction with the Faculty of Law, University of Botswana organised an International Conference on the Protection of Persons Forcibly Displaced in Africa in Africa. The Conference was held as part of the #AfricanMoot2019 in Gaborone, Botswana. Presenters were drawn from a wide range of backgrounds focusing on a plethora of issues relating to the issue of forced displacement in Africa.
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