At its 36th Ordinary Session held from 23 November to 7 December 2004 in Dakar, Senegal, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) adopted Resolution ACHPR/Res.73 (XXXVI) 04 establishing a Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa (the Working Group).
By Resolution ACHPR/Res.141 (XLIV) 08 adopted at the 44th Ordinary Session held in Abuja, Nigeria, the Commission mandated the Working Group to further define State obligations relating to access to health care and essential drugs and to develop monitoring and evaluation guidelines.
The Working Group is currently composed of three members of the Commission and four expert members. Its mandate is as follows:
- Develop and propose to the Commission a draft Principles and Guidelines on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- Prepare a revised draft of the State Reporting Guidelines for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- Undertake, under the supervision of the Commission, studies and research on economic, social and cultural rights; and
- Present a progress report to the Commission at each Ordinary Session.
The Working Group’s mandate also includes undertaking promotion missions to State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter), organising seminars and training sessions, publishing reports and research findings, sending urgent appeals to State Parties to the African Charter, and participating actively in regional and international meetings on economic, social and cultural rights.
The Commission is inviting applications in order to increase the number of expert members of the Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa.
As such, the Commission is inviting nominations from Member States of the African Union, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other interested individuals and institutions.
Candidates are required to have proven experience and expertise in human rights, in particular in the area of economic, social and cultural rights.
Applications should be accompanied by a cover letter, a detailed curriculum vitae and any other relevant document, and should be received at the Secretariat of the Commission no later than 26 August 2014. The Commission will appoint the new expert members of the Working Group during its 56th Ordinary Session to be held from 14 to 30 October 2014 in Niamey, Niger.
Applications should be sent by email to au-banjul@africa-union.org or africancommission@yahoo.com, or by courier to the following address:
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District, Western Region
P.O. Box 673 Banjul
The Gambia
Banjul, 26 May 2014
