The ECOWAS Permanent Representative to the African Union has participated in the 3rd Edition of the Joint Special Mechanisms Forum and High-Level Dialogue on the African Charter.
The forum, organised by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights under the theme: “Adoption and Implementation of the African Charter: A Journey Towards the Africa We Want,” was held on the margins of the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission in Dakar, Senegal.
The ECOWAS Permanent Representative to the African Union, Abdou Kolley, participated in a panel session on: “The African Charter and Emerging Human Rights Issues,” where he shared practical examples of ECOWAS’ human rights experience.
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According to a statement on the ECOWAS Commission website, among the good practices shared include the “ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance 2001, which specifically guarantees the rights contained in the African Charter and other international instruments in ECOWAS Member States; the protection of human rights as reflected in the mandates of the ECOWAS Commission, the ECOWAS Parliament and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice; the designation of 16 January as ECOWAS Human Rights Day.”
The forum also provided an opportunity to highlight that the ECOWAS Vision 2050 – “ECOWAS of the Peoples: Peace and Prosperity for All” – the Community Strategic Framework 2023-2027 and the 2026 Lungi Declaration on the Future of Regional Integration, all reinforce the relationship between regional integration, peace, democratic governance, development and respect for human rights.
Mr Kolley called for greater focus on implementation and the need for stronger national institutions, closer cooperation between ECOWAS, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other AU mechanisms, and ensuring that regional human-rights standards make a tangible difference in the daily lives of citizens.
