2. Engaging with the African Commission from home

While there are currently no formal follow-up mechanisms in place, there are a number of ways you can follow up on the activities and outputs of the African Commission, its various procedures and mechanisms.

The Communications

Rule 125 of the Rule of Procedure allows the African Commission the possibility to follow up on the implementation of specific measures it gave the State following a decision on merits. Compliance by the State is monitored by the designated case rapporteur (see also Section 2.8 Submitting a Communication and an Amicus Curiae) for the Communication in question, who can request information at any point from interested (third) parties on the extent of the State’s compliance. Therefore, you can submit information if you find that your State has not been complying with the decision (see Rule 125.6).

Media outreach and dissemination

One way of following up on engagement with the African Commission is to disseminate information widely and get news coverage. This can help bring attention to the issue in your country and put pressure on the government to respond in some way, including by implementing the recommendations.

For example:

• You can hold press conferences, give interviews, and otherwise seek media attention;
• You can distribute decisions, statements, and other ACHPR publications to civil society, courts, and members of local government, as well as translate them into national/local languages;
• You can produce shortened and/or simplified versions of decisions in an accessible and reader-friendly format for the layperson;
• You can secure publicity for the issues through short articles in newspapers or other public forums, which can draw public attention to the decisions of the ACHPR;
• You can organise public screenings of the working sessions of the ACHPR through their Youtube channel, to foster debate and general scrutiny on the proceedings of the African Commission, in particular when they concern your country.

Government advocacy

You can also push for the government to implement the decisions of the African Commission. This may include holding meetings or conferences with government officials and NGOs, meeting members of parliament individually, meeting with members of your country’s national human rights institution, or engaging with relevant parliamentary committees (for example on justice, foreign affairs, human rights, etc.) and discussing the African Commission’s decisions. Parliamentarians, in particular, have a key role to play in the implementation of human rights treaties and recommendations.

Adoption of implementation plans

A number of countries have adopted national implementation plans for international human rights recommendations, often with international support (primarily the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), which may include recommendations from regional human rights mechanisms like the African Commission.

See the next sections on how you can engage in other actions of the African Commission, including staying connected with the work of the African Commission.