African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
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Date of Adoption: June 01, 1981
Date of last signature: May 19, 2016
Date entry into force: October 21, 1986
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (also known as the Banjul Charter) is a human rights instrument that is intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the continent of Africa. The Charter was establish under the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now known as African Union (AU).
During the organisation’s 1979 Assembly of Heads of State and Government they adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a committee of experts to draft a continent-wide human rights instrument. The experience was drawn from other continental or regional human rights instruments European Convention on Human Rights.
On 1 June 1981, the convention was adopted during the Organisation’s 18th general assembly Nirobi-Kenya. The Charter came into effect on 21 October 1986 and this day was day was also declared African Human Rights Day.
Interpretation of the Charter is done by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (November 2, 1987 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and is now headquartered in Banjul, Gambia. It is worthy to note A protocol to the Charter creating the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights was subsequently adopted in 1998 This protocol came into effect on 25 January 2004.
Read full Charter originally published on Official page of AU and or download it through the link below:
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
