Introduction
1. This report covers the activities undertaken in my capacity as Commissioner and member of the Bureau, as the Chairperson of the Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights Violations in Africa and as a member of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa.
2. The period covers’ activities undertaken during the intersession period between the 49th Ordinary Session in May 2011 and the 50th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
A. Activities as a Commissioner and Member of the Bureau
3. On 11 July 2011, I Participated in the Conference to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the theme “30 Years of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights: Looking forward while looking back” in Pretoria, South Africa, organized by the Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria. I chaired the plenary session which summarized the discussion in parallel sessions.
4. On 12 July 2011, together with three other Commissioners, I participated as a judge in the finals of the 20th African Human Rights Moot Court Competition held in Pretoria, South Africa. The Moot Court Competition, which brought together Law Schools and Law Faculties from all parts of the Continent, was co-sponsored by the African Commission and the European Union and was a very important promotional event of the African Charter.
5. In August, 2011 at the request of the Coalition for an Effective African Court, I reviewed the Draft User’s Manual for the African Court and made numerous suggestions for change and improvement.
6. From 7 to 9 August 2011, I participated in the SADC Lawyers’ Association Conference held in Maputo, Mozambique, which dealt with numerous human rights issues and international criminal justice.
7. From 12 to 19 August 2011, I participated in a Training Programme in Conflict Resolution in Water Management, which was organized by the Water Resources Management Board of Zambia. The programme was intended for lawyers and non-lawyers from the key ministries and departments in Zambia namely: Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources; Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry; Ministry of Energy and Water Development; Ministry of Transport and Communication; Ministry of Local Government and Housing; Ministry of Lands; Zambezi River Authority; Cabinet Office; and Zambia Environmental Management Agency. I made a presentation on “How to Litigate Water as a Human Right under the African Human Rights System”.
8. From 6 to 7 October 2011, at the invitation of Women and Law in Southern Africa- Research and Educational Trust on behalf of Tisunge Ana Athu Akazi Coalition (TAAAC) in partnership with Equality Now, I was invited to participate in the Training for Lawyers, Law Faculty and Police Prosecutors on Legal Standards Applicable to the Rights and on using the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa for Legal Action in Lusaka, Zambia. I acted as a Judge during the Moot Court sessions at the training on legal standards applicable to the rights of girls and on using the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of women in Africa for legal action.
9. I wrote numerous journal articles which I submitted for publication to various journals on human rights themes. Besides playing an academic purpose the articles will also have a promotional impact of the Charter. These articles include:
- The Sleep of the Just: Misunderstanding Economic Social and Cultural Rights in Zambia.
- The Dearth of the Rights of HIV Positive Employees in Zambia: A Case Comment on Stanley Kangaipe and another v Attorney General.
- Daunting prospects: Accessing the African Court through the African Commission.
- Changing the Human Rights Face in the Fight against Corruption in Zambia.
