1. Understanding the African Commission

Welcome to this e-learning module! Over the next 3 chapters, we will explore the main human rights protection system in Africa : the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (hereinafter “African Commission” or “ACHPR”).

Chapter 1 offers a basic understanding of the African Commission, what it is and how it works.

Chapter 2 focuses on how to engage as a human rights defender and follow up with the African Commission from home, without having to travel.

Chapter 3 focuses on how to engage as a human rights defender with the African Commission in person during its ordinary working sessions and extraordinary sessions in Banjul and elsewhere.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module, you should:

• Understand the structure, purpose, and mandate of the African Commission, including what the African Charter is;
• Analyse why it is (or is not) useful to work with some of the tools of the African Commission;
• Identify the opportunities for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to engage with the African Commission, and be able to employ strategies for effective advocacy, including without necessarily travelling to where the ordinary sessions of the African Commission are held; and,
• Have identified ways to influence your own government using the African Commission tools.

We warmly thank you all the human rights defenders in Africa who strongly support us in building this course with their valuable inputs and feedback:

• Obakèmi Jean-Pierre Olofindji, Benin
• Bonnie Shariff, Madagascar
• Ketakandriana Rafitoson, Madagascar
• Lúcia da Silveira, Angola
• Joseph Bikanda, Cameroon
• Ivy Werimba, Kenya
• Arthur Muyunda, Zambia
• Zulu Anyaogu, Nigeria