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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, in collaboration with the government of Côte d’Ivoire, Ministry of Women, the Family and Children, hosted a Francophone Regional Training on State Party Reporting 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 training was held from 28 to 30 October 2024 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The training brought together government and civil society representatives from Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Guinea Conakry, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali. The workshop highlighted the importance of state party reports in assessing the progress made by African nations in fulfilling their commitments to human rights, specifically concerning women's rights under the Maputo Protocol.

Many states face challenges in reporting to the African Commission timeously and in line with the guidelines developed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) for this purpose. Specifically, state reporting on the Maputo Protocol often encounters delays with state parties submitting incomplete state party reports containing Part A on the African Charter but not Part B on the Maputo Protocol or Part C on the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention). 

As at September 2024, twenty-one years after its adoption, not all states that have ratified the Maputo Protocol have consistently included reports on the Maputo Protocol in their state party reports to the African Commission. Of the 45 AU member state parties to the Maputo Protocol, 21 have provided initial and periodic reports. Of the 54 AU member states that have ratified the African Charter, 48 have reported to the African Commission with varying degrees of compliance. Of the 33 member states that have ratified the Kampala Convention, three, Cameroon, Angola and Burkina Faso, have complied with their reporting obligation under this treaty. Nonetheless, majority of states are not consistently up to date with their reporting obligations. This gap highlights the need to determine the challenges states face in meeting their obligations and build the capacity to mitigate these challenges.

The regional workshop enabled representatives of states within the same linguistic and geographical region to share experiences of the challenges states are facing in meeting their reporting obligations and the best practices, measures and interventions that mitigate these challenges. The country selection for participants was deliberate to take cognisance of the fact that some member states represented in the convening have done better than others in meeting their reporting obligations to the African Commission. Additionally, the training strengthened the knowledge and skills of the participants to meet their reporting obligations more effectively. Participants reinforced their understanding of the African Charter and the Maputo Protocol, engaged with the Guidelines for State Reporting to align their submissions with African Commission’s standards and as a practical exercise, drafted essential sections on a state report.

The workshop was implemented under the SIDA funded project to advance the realisation of sexual and reproductive health rights. Discussions on the realities, from the member states’ perspective, of domesticating and implementing some of the contextually contentious provisions of the Maputo Protocol were robust with participants sharing the strategies they have employed to address common challenges and constraints. The convening provided participants with the technical expertise to produce consistent and comprehensive reports, identifying both achievements and areas needing attention. 


For more information contact:

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

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 4306
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
matilda.lasseko-phooko@up.ac.za

Dr Lydia Chibwe
Project Officer: Women's Rights Unit

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 4197
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
lydia.chibwe@up.ac.za

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