On Monday 28 June 2021, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’
Rights (the African Commission) will launch the celebration of the 40th
anniversary of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African
Charter) adopted in Nairobi, Kenya on 27 June 1981 by the Assembly of
Heads of State of the then Organization of African Unity (OAU). Built on the
vision of inspiring and characterizing the thinking of African States on the
concept of promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights on the
continent, the African Charter is the backbone of the African human rights
system. It is equally iconic in its contribution to the corpus of international
human rights in its recognition of the universality, interdependence and
indivisibility of human rights, on one hand, and the juxtaposition of
individual and collective rights, and duties, on the other hand.
The theme of the 40th anniversary will be: ”Realities of 40 years of
implementation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the journey towards the Africa We Want”
OVERALL OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of this celebration is to shed light on human rights in Africa 40 years after the adoption of the African Charter, identifying main
achievements, challenges and the way forward, particularly in the context of “the Africa we want”
