The Arusha Initiative
Established in 2023, the Arusha Initiative results from a concerted civil society effort to enhance the efficiency of the African human rights mechanisms and respond to the attempts to weaken their mandate and independence.
The initiative aims to establish modalities for robust rights holders’ and civil society participation in the nomination and selection by member states of the African Union of members of the three regional human rights mechanisms: the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC).
RFK Human Rights is a member of the Arusha Initiative. It firmly supports its goals for a more transparent, participatory, and merit-based process for nominating and selecting members of human rights mechanisms in Africa. We are honored to be part of the Arusha Initiative alongside long term partners including the Coalition for an Effective African Court, Defend Defenders, the Center for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria, the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA); and Synergia Initiatives for Human Rights.
This initiative derives from the extensive work of the Coalition for an Effective African Court around galvanizing support for the Court and other civil society-led engagements focused more broadly on the effectiveness of the African human rights system. In addition, this initiative responds in part to the ongoing reforms at the African Union which could restructure the human rights mechanisms and could expose them to further control and influence by the African Union.
On the sidelines of the 77th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, civil society organizations organized a consultation on the nomination and selection of members of human rights mechanisms in Africa. The consultations discussed the current context within the African Union, in particular the ongoing reforms of the Union which intends, among other objectives, to review the composition and mandate of the human rights mechanisms among other issues. Further, the consultation considered best practices on the engagement of civil society in the nomination and selection of members of human rights mechanisms in the Inter American and United Nations treaty body systems. In addition, participants in the consultation shared experiences for prior civil society engagement in the election and selection of members of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The consultation recommended that civil society should establish a center coordination platform for the initiative and develop a baseline strategy for civil society participation at all stages of the nomination and selection process. In addition, participants suggested that the coordination platform should include sub-regional and national focal points who would lead the activities of the initiative in the subregions and countries respectively. Similarly to practice at the Inter American system, the consultation recommended the establishment of an independent advisory panel to lead civil society’s vetting of potential candidates based on the African Unions criteria. Another key recommendation was for a robust communication/media strategy to ensure that right holders are informed of the nomination and selection process and can engage their governments on nominating and selecting the right candidates.
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