Article 45 of the Charter sets out the mandate of the Commission.
- Promotion of human and peoples’ rights
The Commission carries out sensitisation, public mobilisation and information dissemination through seminars, symposia, conferences and missions.
- Protection of human and peoples’ rights
The Commission ensures protection of human and peoples’ rights through its communication procedure, friendly settlement of disputes, state reporting (including consideration of NGOs’ shadow reports), urgent appeals and other activities of special rapporteurs and working groups and missions.
- Interpretation of the Charter
The Commission is mandated to interpret the provisions of the Charter upon a request by a state party, organs of the AU or individuals. No organ of the AU has referred any case of interpretation of the Charter to the Commission. However, a handful of NGOs have approached the Commission for interpretation of the various articles of the Charter. The Commission has also adopted many resolutions expounding upon the provisions of the Charter.
- Perform any other tasks which may be entrusted to it by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
