The year 2016 marks a veritable watershed in the continental human rights trajectory: 2016 marks the 35th Anniversary of the adoption of the African Charter in 1981; 2016 marks the 30th Anniversary of the entry into force of the African Charter in 1986; the year marks the 29th Anniversary of the operationalization of the Commission in 1987 (in 2016 the Commission will be just one year shy of its 30th anniversary); 2016 also marks the 10th Anniversary of the operationalization of the Court.

The adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol) in 2003 ushered in a new thinking in addressing gender inequality and the rights of women in Africa. In 2016, the Maputo Protocol will be 13 years old. To reaffirm their commitment to gender equality, in 2004, the Assembly of Heads of State adopted, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA), and this commitment was reinforced with the adoption of the first-ever African Union Gender Policy in 2009 and Assembly Declaration of 2010-2020 as an African Women’s Decade and the launching of the Fund for African Women. The Assembly also committed itself to continue to expand and to accelerate efforts to promote gender equality at all levels, and the determination to build on the progress that have been achieved in addressing issues of major concern to the women of Africa.

It is for this reason that it was deemed necessary to declare this auspicious year (2016), the African Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the rights of women, to mark, commemorate and celebrate these significant milestones in Africa’s continental human rights progression. It is an opportunity to give Africans the chance to tell their story – not only to raise awareness about the great work that they have been doing to uplift their communities, but also to inspire future generations to emulate innovative and exciting approaches to making a difference through human rights based approaches. This, in the end, will showcase the African local human rights activities by Africans themselves to solidify local humanitarian dividends and ensure longer-term outcomes.

The declaration of 2016 as the Africa Year of Human Rights will provide further opportunity to consolidate the gains already made over the years, ensure better coordination of human rights bodies on the continent, and move towards the establishment of a true human rights culture on the continent.

Objectives of the Celebration

The 26th AU Summit is set to take place from the 21st to the 31st of January 2016, at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The general objective of the celebrations is to raise awareness on human and peoples’ rights on the continent, in particular, women’s rights and take stock of progress or efforts made, including major challenges and/or obstacles encountered.

The Specific Objectives for the celebration include:

1. To evaluate the level of ratification, domestication and implementation of regional and major international human rights instruments into national legislation;

2. evaluate the progress made in advancing the socio-economic and political rights of women; and best practices since the coming into force of the Maputo Protocol;

3. Encourage Member States to develop policies, plans of actions and programmes on the promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights, and specific programmes with the intention of integrating women in all spheres of life, so as to boost women’s empowerment in Africa;

4. Encourage Member States to recommit to the promotion and protection of human rights;

5. To encourage Member States of the African Union that have not already done so, to ratify the Protocol establishing the Court and make the declaration under Article 34(6) thereof, allowing individuals and NGOs direct access to the Court;

6. Evaluate the work accomplished by various mechanisms in the promotion and protection of human rights, notably, the rights of women;

7. Provide a platform for constructive debate on human rights with a view to putting human rights at the foundation of the AU framework.

8. To popularize the Maputo Protocol with, information, education and communications strategies at grassroots women and men’s level to make them aware of the protocol

9. To popularize the Maputo Protocol and other AU and UN instruments like the CEDAW, UN Resolutions on Women with simplified publication and also translated into local languages, and also through local media used by communities.

It is hoped that the celebration will initiate an advocacy and coordinating campaign that effectively reaches out to stakeholders and partners at all levels (political, institutional, civil society organizations, national and community levels), and give ownership to all key stakeholders, as well as the repositories/beneficiaries of the rights enshrined in the African Charter.

To ensure that the celebration achieves the objectives set out above, a series of activities have been planned to commence in 2015, spread across the entire year of 2016, to celebrate the human rights gains made so far, review the human rights situation on the continent, take stock of what still needs to be done to create a culture of human rights observance on the continent, and explore how best to address the remaining human rights challenges.

The activities seek to initiate an advocacy and coordinating campaign that generates increasing momentum, and reaches out to stakeholders and partners at all levels (political, institutional, civil society organizations, national and community levels), and give ownership to all key stakeholders, especially, the repositories/beneficiaries of the rights enshrined in the African Charter.

As part of the activities, a communication plan is proposed that involves partners and African celebrities as endorsers to advocate for human rights in Africa. The Plan proposes a clear message that links to the Strategic Plan of the AU. There is need in particular, to build a brand by engaging the media and using modern tools of communication, such as television and online tools to really relay the message of the Africa Human Rights Year. For example, a special web portal will be developed, as well as special tools and a year of human rights documentary.

Expected outcome of the Celebration

At the end of the celebrations:

• The population will be sensitized on human rights issues for a better understanding of national, regional and major international human rights mechanisms;

• Increased awareness, promotion and protection of the rights of women;

• Enhanced awareness of the African human rights system, including in particular, the human rights mechanisms established at national and continental levels;

• Increased domestication and implementation of regional and major international human rights instruments at the national level;

• Member States are sensitized of the need to ratify the Protocol establishing the Court and the Declaration;

• General improvement in the human rights situation in Africa;

• Increased involvement of states, civil society and individuals in the promotion and protection of human rights;

• renewed commitment by States to comply with their human rights obligations and adhere to the decisions taken by the different Organs of the African system;

• Effective integration of human rights in the operations of the African Union.