Human Rights Network

There are Courts and Tribunals of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa. Some of them have human rights mandates even though they were primarily established to adjudicate on economic integration matters. These include the East African Court of Justice in Arusha, Tanzania, the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja, Nigeria, the Court of Justice of the Common Market of East and Southern Africa in Lusaka, Zambia and the Tribunal of the Southern African Development Community in Windhoek, Namibia.

Almost all African countries have a Bill of Rights section in their Constitutions and the primacy of national Courts in the protection of human rights, they are important players in this field.

It is in cognisance of this that the Court has spearheaded the establishment of the Human Rights Network. This network was established as an outcome of the First Colloquium of African Human Rights Courts and Similar Institutions which the African Court hosted from 4 to 6 October 2010 in Arusha Tanzania.  The network is dedicated to promoting the protection of human rights in Africa through judicial and quasi-judicial institutions. Click here to see the final communiqué of this First Colloquium. The Colloquium will be held biennially, bringing together the African Union Institutions with a human rights mandate, RECs Courts and Tribunals and national Courts.

1st Colloquium of the African Human Rights Courts and Similar Institutions held From 4 to 6 October 2010 at the Corridor Springs Hotel, Arusha, Tanzania.