By
Me Soyata MAIGA
Commissioner/ Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa
Abuja, May 2008
1- The present Report gives an account, in conformity with the requirement outlined in paragraph 3 of Article 87 of the African Commission's Rules of Procedure, of the promotional activities engaged in since the 43rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission held in Swaziland in May 2008.
2- The Report comprises three types of activities which were carried out in my capacity as Member of the African Commission, as a Member of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities and in my capacity as Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa.
I – Activities carried out in my capacity as Member of the African Commission
1 – From 21 - 29 July 2008: participation in the Extraordinary Session of the African Commission in Banjul on the Rules of Procedure and the consideration of the revised Rules of Procedure.
2 – From 27 - 29 August 2008: At the invitation of the Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs, I participated in an international conference on the theme « 15 years after the international conference on Human Rights: successes and challenges ».
3- The conference had registered the participation of several personalities and representatives of States, United Nations Human Rights Institutions, International Organizations, National Human Rights Institutions, regional human rights promotional mechanisms, University lecturers, Researchers and human rights activists.
4 – The deliberations had been organized to focus on several major themes, notably, the challenges relative to the implementation, at the national level, of international human rights standards and practices; human rights for all: how can the message be extended; human rights education for all.
5 – The exercise required a review of the national systems for the promotion and protection of human rights, an evaluation of their effectiveness and efficiency by means of comparative advantage and the highlighting of the contribution and impact of the work of the human rights defender NGOs.
6- The international perspective of human rights education by means of practices and methods had been discussed at length as well as the best manner of strengthening the global programme beyond 2009 and the means of stimulating the national action plans on human rights education.
7 - My communication focused on « the role of the regional human rights promotion and protection mechanisms and their collaboration with the United Nations system ».
8 – I highlighted the strengths, the challenges and the perspectives of the African Commission by focusing on the successes registered as well as the high expectations of the Commission in terms of cooperation with the other regional bodies that have similar mandates and in particular with the United Nations Institutions, in order to bring into effect the application of the recommendations made to the State Parties, at the time of presentation of their Periodic Reports.