African Court organises seminars for ECOWAS

By
Francis Ameyibor, GNA

Accra, July 25, GNA –
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has rolled-out mechanism to
equip two Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Republic of
Sierra Leone and Liberia to deepen state actors understanding of the
Continental Courts jurisprudence.

The African Court
team headed by its President, Justice Sylvain Ore, will visit Sierra Leone from
August 2 to 3; and Liberia from August 6 to 7.

The team will hold
seminars for human rights stakeholders in the two countries and also pay
courtesy calls on the respective Presidents, Ministers of Foreign Affairs,
Ministers of Justice, Speakers, Heads of Constitutional Courts, Human Rights
Commissions and Bar Associations, among others.

Justice Ore told the
Ghana News Agency in an interview that the ECOWAS sensitisation mission forms
part of the on-going efforts of the African Court to interact with different
stakeholders in order encourage the States to ratify the Protocol establishing
it.

He said the African
Court has embarked on the continental stakeholder engagement to encourage
States to deposit the declaration under Article 34 (6), which allows direct
access to the Continental Court by Non-Governmental Organisations and
individuals.

Justice Ore said so
far, 30 out of 55 African Union (AU) Member States have ratified the Protocol
and only eight of them have deposited the declaration. The eight States are:
Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania and Tunisia.

Both Sierra Leone
and Liberia are yet to ratify the Protocol establishing the African Court.

The African Court
President commended Sierra Leone and Liberia, which according to Justice Ore,
have made tremendous democratic gains in recent years.

“I encourage them to
ratify the Protocol and to deposit the declarations,’’ Justice Oré stated.

The Continental
Court was established by virtue of Article one of the Protocol to the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

It was to complement
the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
with a view to enhancing the protection of human rights on the continent. 

Justice Ore
explained that the success of the African Court as a human rights protection
mechanism requires a wider ratification of the Protocol by Member States, as
well as their acceptance of the competence of the Court, by making the
declaration under Article 34(6).

“This universal
ratification will give the Court the legitimacy it needs to effectively
discharge its mandate,” he said.

He said since
December 2010, the Court has carried out continent-wide promotion programmes,
which have so far seen it undertake 25 national sensitisations.

Justice Ore said the
main objective of the sensitisation visits is to enhance the protection of
human rights in Africa.

He said other
objectives include raising awareness about the Court; encouraging the
ratification of the Protocol and deposit of the Declaration that allows
individuals and NGOs direct access to the Court.

Justice Ore said the
team would also sensitise would-be applicants on how to access the Court and
the procedures before the Court; encouraging the public to utilise the Court in
settling human rights disputes and encouraging the utilisation of the Court for
advisory opinions.

GNA

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