3. Engaging with the African Commission during the sessions

An oral statement is a live oral intervention on a particular topic in front of an audience. At the African Commission, an oral statement can be made by civil society organisations during ordinary sessions regarding a particular theme. It is made in the plenary hall, in front of all stakeholders attending the session. This is an invaluable opportunity to share information about the situation in your country or a specific case you would like to draw the attention of the African Commission on, in your own words.

Tip!

If your organisation does not have observer status at the African Commission, you can get another organisation who does have observer status to make an oral statement incorportating your concerns and recommendations.

It can be made under one of three agenda items:

• ‘Human Rights Situation in Africa’. Under this general point, your oral statement can be about any human rights issue. Your statement can be up to 5 min long. In general, the order of precedence for taking the floor to speak during the plenary session is: States, then NHRIs, then NGOs. For an example of an oral statement on the ‘Human Rights Situation in Africa’, see the video below:

_{Bruce Tushabe from ARASA, ACHPR77, 2023}

• ‘Activity Reports of Commissioners and Special Mechanisms’. In this case, you must relate your oral statement to the specific item being discussed on the agenda when the report is presented: for instance, if the Special Rapporteur on Minorities presents a report, your oral statement must be related to minorities. Your statement can’t be longer than 3 min. Example of an oral statement on ‘Activity Reports of Commissioners and Special Mechanisms’, see the video below:

Ma seconde intervention au nom de @ISHRglobal à #ACHPR81OS @achpr_cadhp, cette fois au sujet du rapport d'activités du Président de la Commission, Rapporteur spécial sur les défenseurs des droits de l'homme et Point focal sur les représailles. @TMakunya @ISHR_fr pic.twitter.com/SMj04quZxY

— Antoine Tremblay (@AITremblay) October 25, 2024

_{Antoine Tremblay, ISHR, ACHPR81, 2024}

• ‘Panels and Launches’. Panels will have a particular topic determined by the African Commission, either related to a theme or to a soft law instrument being launched. You can intervene during a panel as an attendee to ask a question, request a clarification, or make a comment on the matter being discussed, for instance.

Lastly, please note that NGOs cannot speak during the State periodic reviews (see Section 2.5: State Periodic Review - Why is it useful?).

In order to make a statement, you must register in advance through the form mentioned on the website (see event tab, when a session is announced).

Reflection Questions

Q1 – How could an oral statement be useful to you?

An oral statement offers the opportunity to:

• Draw attention on a particular human rights violation, situation, or thematic issue in Africa.
• Share information with the African Commission, State representatives, and civil society on something going in your country.
• Call on the African Commission and/or States to take certain measures to address a human rights violation, for example a resolution, a fact-finding mission, an urgent appeal, a promotional visit, a thematic report, an academic visit, a public statement, a commission of inquiry, etc

Q2 – Could it be harmful/disadvantageous?

• Attending the African Commission’s ordinary sessions could lead to reprisals by your government. See ISHR Academy: What to do if you face reprisals when engaging with the African Commission?
• Naming human rights defenders and other civil society actors in your statement can make them targets for reprisals.
• Having a particular human rights defender make an oral statement on your behalf can make them a target for reprisals.

Q3 – Consider how an oral statement can complement your existing advocacy strategies

Consider aligning your oral statement with your other advocacy efforts, for example pushing for a resolution, engaging in a State periodic review, contributing to a thematic report, launching soft law instruments and/or tools, spearheading a campaign, etc.

Go to the next section for tips on how to deliver an oral statement.