DECISION ON THE 22nd ACTIVITY REPORT OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION
ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS - DOC. EX.CL/364 (XI)
The Executive Council: 1. RECOMMENDS to the Assembly to:
i) ADOPT and AUTHORISE, in accordance with Article 59 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter), the publication of the 22nd Activity Report of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission or the ACHPR) and its annexes;
ii) TAKE NOTE of the fact that the mandate of five (5) of the members of the ACHPR would come to an end at the next session of ACHPR; and EXPRESS APPRECIATION for the contribution they have made in the promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights on the continent;
iii) CONGRATULATE the ACHPR for the good work it is doing in the promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights on the continent;
iv) PAY TRIBUTE to the Chairperson of the ACHPR, Mrs. Salamata Sawadogo, for her invaluable contribution;
v) TAKE NOTE of the challenges facing the ACHPR as it discharges its mandate;
vi) REITERATE its Decision EX.CL/Dec.344 (X) taken at its 10th ordinary session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, requesting the ACHPR, to present to the PRC its annual budget, independently from the budget of the Department of Political Affairs, at the beginning of the 2008 financial year;
vii) CALL ON the ACHPR in collaboration with the Commission of the African Union to finalise, as soon as possible, its new structure bearing in mind the Decision EX.CL/Dec.344 (X) and present this to the next session of the Sub-Committee on Structures of the PRC;
viii) TAKE NOTE of the conclusions of the Brainstorming meeting between the ACHPR and the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) in Maseru, the Kingdom of Lesotho, from 4 to 5 May 2007 and the determination expressed by all parties to work towards strengthening and ensuring the independence of the ACHPR;
ix) URGE Member States that have not done so, to present their State Party Reports to the ACHPR in accordance with Article 62 of the Charter;
x) ALSO URGE those States Parties that have not yet done so to take urgent steps to ratify the Protocols to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa;
xi) FURTHER URGE Member States to comply with the decisions/recommendations of the ACHPR in a bid to strengthen the latter and contribute to the effective promotion and protection of human rights on the continent.