The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) wishes to inform the public that following the authorisation of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a delegation of the Commission will be undertaking a human rights promotion mission in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania from 15 to 21 December 2016. The delegation will be composed of:
· Honourable Commissioner Soyata Maiga, Vice-Chairperson of the Commission, Chairperson of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and Those at Risk, Vulnerable to and Affected by HIV, and Chairperson of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities (Head of Delegation);
· Honourable Commissioner Maya Sahli-Fadel, Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants, and Commissioner responsible for human rights promotion and protection in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania; and
· Honourable Commissioner Reine Alapini-Gansou, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.
The mission is part of the Commission’s mandate under Article 45(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter). The objectives of the mission are to: promote the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and other regional and international human rights instruments; strengthen relations between the Commission and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the area of promoting and protecting the rights guaranteed by the African Charter and other relevant legal instruments; gather information on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania; engage in dialogue with the authorities on the legislative and other measures taken to give full effect to the provisions of the African Charter and other instruments ratified by Mauritania; identify challenges; and monitor the implementation of the recommendations made in the report following the mission that was undertaken in the country in 2012.
During the mission, the delegation will meet with senior officials and other stakeholders involved in human rights promotion and protection, including representatives of ministries and national institutions, civil society organisations – including those working with vulnerable groups, women’s organisations dealing with issues of women’s rights, and other human rights stakeholders in the country.
At the end of the mission, the delegation will present its preliminary findings to the relevant authorities and will give a press conference. The delegation will prepare a detailed mission report which will be presented at a later Session of the Commission for adoption.
Banjul, 8 December 2016
For further information, please contact:
Secretariat of the Commission
31 Bijilo Annex Lay-out, Kombo North District
Western Region
P. O. Box 673, Banjul, The Gambia
Tel.: (+220) 441 05 05 /441 05 06
Fax: (+220) 441 05 04
Email: au-banjul@africa-union.org
