The Advanced Human Rights Courses Programme (AHRC) held its annual short course on the right to development between 22 and 26 August 2016. The course aims to explore the content and scope of the right to development as enshrined in Article 22 of the African Charter as well as explore the challenges and opportunities of other international instruments in relation to development.
This year’s Advanced Human Rights Course on the Right to Development in Africa unlike in previous years has been one with many interesting dimensions and was organised in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development adopted in 1986. It also coincided with 30 years since the coming into force of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and 30 years of the founding of the Centre for Human Rights.
The keynote address delivered by Ms Florence Nazare on behalf of the CEO of NEPAD provided an insight into NEPAD as a supra-national mechanism to drive Africa’s development agenda.
For the very first time, two South African ministers from the Departments of Basic Education and Rural Development and Land Reform taught on the course. Hon Angelina Motshekga gave a lecture on ‘challenges towards universal and compulsory basic education in South Africa’ while Hon Gugile Ernest Nkwinti looked at ‘challenges to rural development in South Africa’.
A senior official from the Embassy of China in Pretoria, Counsellor Yu Young gave a lecture on the broader governance issues relating to the right to development in Africa. Other presentations delivered by a host of personalities from academia, government, civil society and the private sector also dealt with a range of topical issues to reflect the practical nature of the right to development in Africa.
The course participants consisting of a mix of persons from different walks of life came from twelve countries across the African continent. The Centre recognises the right to development as a very important right in the African context and in light of the binding status of this right under the African Charter, had a unique opportunity to train policy makers and other stakeholders in this area of human rights.
As a spin-off from the course, Professor Michelo Hansungule invited all the course participants to another week-long programme in Zambia to launch the Victoria Falls Academy sometime in October or November this year.
The Centre for Human Rights remains grateful to the government of Flanders for their continuous support and funding for the course.