FOREWORD
The present African Guiding Principles on the Human Rights of All Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers are proposed for consideration and adoption by the African Commission on Human Rights during its 75th ordinary session in Addis Ababa (3-23 May 2023).
African Union institutions and Member States have recognized that migrants bring special contributions to their communities and to our Continent.
The Guiding Principles were conceived of and drafted after African Union institutions and its Member States had passed resolutions and put in place various mechanisms to recognize and promote the rights of all migrants – including having played a leading role for decades in issues of refugee protection – and developed a landmark framework to promote freedom of movement on the continent.
The Commission, for its part, has passed multiple resolutions addressing the rights of all migrants, including Resolution 114 of 2007, on Migration and Human Rights; Resolution 333 of 2016, on the Situation of Migrants in Africa; and Resolution 470 of 2020, on the Protection of Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa. Finally, the Commission identified the need to study African Responses to Migration and the Protection of Migrants with a view to Developing Guidelines on the Human Rights of Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in its Resolution 481 of 2021
