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Call for consultants: A critical analysis of the challenges to the implementation of the decisions of African Human Rights Bodies

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Call for consultants: A critical analysis of the challenges to the implementation of the decisions of African Human Rights Bodies

Over the years, the human rights bodies of the African Union, namely; the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (the Court, Commission and Committee respectively), as well as sub-regional courts (REC courts) have delivered decisions on various aspects of human rights on the continent. Significant efforts have been made to document the status of the implementation of these decisions, including most recently a Study on the status of the implementation of the decisions of the Committee, which was launched in April 2025. There is also a fledgling body of academic literature engaging on various aspects of implementation from a variety of entry points, including: critiques of the mechanisms employed by the bodies to monitor implementation of their decisions and recommendations; the domestic legal and policy frameworks relating to implementation of supranational decisions; and the actual and/or potential role of various implementation stakeholders. The body of evidence on the implementation of decisions of the sub-regional courts such as the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (ECOWAS CCJ) and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) is also growing.

A consistent finding of the studies has been that implementation is limited, and inconsistent across decisions, mechanisms and countries. A range of reasons are provided for the limited implementation, including the lack of political will, lack of resources, the absence or weakness of enforcement mechanisms, as well as the limited capacity of the respective bodies to implement systematic follow up on their respective decisions. While the challenges are identified in respect of specific decisions or mechanisms, they are often not specifically substantiated. The literature is also limited in the inter-mechanism and inter-country input into the mechanisms in this regard.

Against this background, the Centre for Human Rights, with the support of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, seeks to undertake a study to shed light on the challenges to the implementation of the decisions of the African Court, Commission and Committee, as well as the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, and the East Africa Court of Justice.

The study will enable targeted engagement with stakeholders  with a view to move the discourse and practice beyond the non-implementation to practical measures that would enhance decisions of African Union Human Rights Bodies and REC Courts (AU/REC HRBs).

Rationale

To facilitate informed advocacy for implementation of the decisions of human rights bodies on the African continent, the Centre seeks the services of 2 consultant (2 individuals or 2 teams) to conduct studies on the challenges to the implementation of the decisions of the highlighted bodies. The study will build on existing knowledge generated through research by the bodies themselves, academia, and civil society organisations, as well as information that is otherwise in the public domain, for instance press reports, to synthesise and critique the barriers to implementation identified in these studies.

Scope

The studies will provide a critical assessment of the challenges to the implementation of the decisions of:

  1. The African Court, EACJ and ECOWAS CCJ
  2. The African Commission and Committee  

Specifically, the study will (with reference to specific decisions):   

  • Synthesis the challenges identified in literature, reports and jurisprudence as impeding the implementation of decisions
  • Critique the validity of the claims
  • Identify cross-cutting challenges in the implementation of the decisions
  • Make actionable recommendations of ways in which the challenges can be adressed

Eligibility requirements

The Centre seeks consultants who meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Masters qualification in human rights
  • Demonstrable knowledge of the African Human Rights System
  • Extensive research and publication experience
  • English proficiency. Advanced knowledge of other AU languages will be a significant advantage.

Timeframes and Deliverables

The assignment is expected to be completed by 30 November 2025 with the following key milestones:

  • Start date 25 August 2025
  • Inception report due by 30 August 2025
  • First draft due by 30 October 2025
  • Feedback due by 5 November 2025
  • Final draft due by 30 November 2025

Application Deadline

20 August 2025

How to apply

Qualified applicants are invited to submit the following documents in application:

  • A cover letter
  • A technical proposal including the research approach and methodology to be employed and research plan.
  • A CV illustrating the candidate’s suitability
  • Contactable referees for comparable previous assignments
  • A writing sample of comparable research

Applications should be submitted by email to yolokazi.mfuto@up.ac.za copying brian.kibirango@up.ac.za with “Consultancy  - Study on challenges to implementation” as the subject of the email.

Due to the high volume of applications expected, only short-listed applicants will be contacted.