Decision on the Report of Activities of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Doc. EX.CL/446 (XIII)

DECISION ON THE REPORT OF ACTIVITIES OF THE AFRICAN
COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS
DOC. EX.CL/446 (XIII)

The Assembly:

1. TAKES NOTE of the Activity Report of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR);

2. ADOPTS and AUTHORIZES in accordance with Article 59 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Charter), the publication of the 23^rd and 24^th Activity Reports of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and their Annexes;

3. COMMENDS ACHPR for the work accomplished and URGES it to pursue and intensify its efforts in this regard;

4. REITERATES the need for ACHPR to be provided with adequate resources to remove donor dependence and enable the ACHPR discharge its mandate effectively and independently;

5. EXPRESSES APPRECIATION to the Government of the Republic of The Gambia for the efforts deployed in hosting ACHPR for the past 20 years, and URGES the Government to provide a permanent headquarter for ACHPR, in line with the Criteria for Hosting AU Organs adopted in July 2005;

6. REQUESTS the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to expedite its consideration of the proposed Structure of the Secretariat of ACHPR, with a view to providing it with adequate staff for the effective discharge of its mandate;

7. URGES ACHPR to expedite consideration and finalisation of its revised Rules of Procedure, ensuring that these Rules are consistent with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights;

8. ENCOURAGES ACHPR, in collaboration with the AU Commission, to take the necessary steps to have the status of the ACHPR as an Organ of the AU regularized;

9. REQUESTS ACHPR to prepare proposals on the honorarium, per diem and other allowances to be paid to the Members of ACHPR, for consideration by the AU Policy Organs;

10. ALSO REQUESTS the ACHPR to prepare a Paper on how the African Commission works, with a view to enhancing stakeholders’ understanding of its working methods and operational modalities;

11. TAKES NOTE of the observations and reservations made by the Arab Republic of Egypt, regarding the shortcomings of the ACHPR in the translation of documents, in interpretation, and in transmitting documents to Member States, due to human and financial resource constraints, which can result in procedural and substantial shortcomings.

12. FURTHER REQUESTS the ACHPR to report on the same to the next ordinary session of the Assembly in 2009.