fbpx

On 14 - 15 March 2023 in Accra, Ghana the Women’s Rights Unit met with Ghanaian government representatives and civil society organisations to facilitate a workshop on strengthening compliance with Ghana’s state reporting obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol).

The aim of the workshop is to work towards the popularisation and implementation of the Maputo Protocol in Ghana and more specifically, to strengthen the implementation of the Maputo Protocol in support of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa. The training is therefore geared towards strengthening the capacity of Government, National Human Rights Institutions and Civil Society representatives of Ghana to fulfil Ghana’s reporting obligations.

The meeting drew together the members of the National Human Rights Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-Up which is an inter-ministerial committee set up for the purposes of reporting and implementing the human rights obligations that Ghana has committed to. In addition, the meeting was attended by members of civil society and the National Human Rights Institution as important stakeholders for the drafting  of the state report.

In her  opening remarks, Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister for Justice, Honourable Diana Asonaba Dapaah confirmed Ghana’s commitment to ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights, especially for women and other marginalised and vulnerable groups in Ghana. Ghana ratified the African Charter on 24 January 1989 and the Maputo Protocol on 13 June 2007. However, as of January 2023, Ghana has 10 outstanding state reports and is yet to report on the Maputo Protocol since its ratification. She also presented an overview of the human rights situation in Ghana and facilitated a session which had contributions from the participants including civil society organisations on the same.

State reporting is an essential component in monitoring the implementation of the Maputo Protocol. State parties to the African Charter and the Maputo Protocol commit to submitting a report every two years detailing the legislative and other steps they have taken to ensure the realisation of the rights of women. State reporting serves a number of crucial functions that includes; stock-taking of the concrete steps undertaken towards compliance with the African Charter and the Maputo Protocol; identifying problems and challenges to full implementation of the instruments and providing an opportunity for constructive engagement with the African Commission in order that the State party may benefit from their recommendations.

The workshop therefore aims to provide an opportunity for Ghana to start working on its report to the African Commission. This includes a section on the African Charter and another on the Maputo Protocol and it is hoped that the workshop will result in Ghana complying with its reporting obligations by submitting a report with the technical support of the Centre.


For more information, please contact:

Matilda Lasseko-Phooko (she/her)
Manager: Women’s Right Unit

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 4306
 matilda.lasseko-phooko@up.ac.za