ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 21, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
H.E. Dr. Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs of the African Union Commission held a Press Conference on the occasion of the Commemoration of Africa Human Rights Day at the AUC Headquarters.
The Commissioner for Political Affairs stated that on 21 October 1986, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights came into force thereby forming the basis for the commemoration of the Africa Human Rights Day (AHRD). The AHRD, which is celebrated annually across the continent on 21st October, is an opportunity to reflect, take stock and recommit to the solemn declaration undertaken by the African leaders and the African people to promote and safeguard human and peoples’ rights on the continent. She further added that the commemoration is also to continuously awaken greater awareness of the African peoples and the international community on the value of life and humanity, and to renew our collective commitment to protect and uphold the fundamental human rights.
Dr. Abdullahi declared this year’s theme, which is “Promoting Women’s Empowerment as an African Shared Value” and called it timely and appropriate. Timely in the sense that it coincides with the Declaration of the African Union’s Heads of State and Government theme for the year 2015 – The Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063. It is a clarion call on Africa to do more to promote women’s rights, particularly the rights to development. It is in this context that the African Union Commission has concluded that the AHRD theme for this year is a reflection of a ray of hope that through empowerment of women in Africa, sustainable peace and development will be ushered in.
The Commissioner for Political Affairs also added that despite all the efforts to promote and protect human and peoples’ rights in Africa, including women’s rights, the continent continues to face enormous challenges which if not urgently and adequately addressed, may erase the human rights gain recorded over the preceding decades. These challenges include, but are not limited to: inadequate allocation of resources to human rights institutions, inadequate capacity, insufficient political will, unwillingness by some States to surrender sovereignty to supranational monitoring bodies, insufficient commitment by some States to domesticate and implement international and continental human rights treaties, persistent crisis and conflicts across the continent which result in destruction of life, property and reverse human rights gains, widespread poverty, ignorance and lack of awareness, vestiges of colonialism characterized by human rights unfriendly laws, bad governance, corruption and disregard for the rule of law.
Dr. Abdullahi also added that in order to ensure that the elements of the theme of this year have been achieved, the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission in close collaboration and coordination with other AU Organs with human rights mandate, has been carrying out a series of activities from this year 2015 and will continue in 2016, which has been declared as “the Year of Human Rights in Africa with special focus on the rights of women”.
In conclusion, the Commissioner for Political Affairs indicated that the level of responsibilities on human rights promotion varies from one stakeholder to another, but we should always commit ourselves both individually and collectively towards “Promoting Women’s Empowerment as an African Shared Value” and in the spirit of the Africa Agenda 2063- the Africa’s long-term development agenda for the next fifty years.
During the Press Conference, a competition has been announced for the design of the African Union Human Rights Memorial Site (AUHRM). The AUHRM project was prompted by the fact that the new African Union headquarters and conference center was built in the confines of the former central prison Kerchele and its infamous torture center “Alem Bekagn”. Thus the project idea was officially endorsed in a resolution of the African Union on 7 April 2004 to commemorate the victims of the prison and other grave crimes in the African continent including genocide, slavery, colonialism and apartheid. As part of the celebration of the Year of Peace and Security in 2011 the Chairperson of the Commission declared the Commission’s intent to “initiate steps to build a memorial to the victims of human rights violations within the African Union headquarters”. Pursuant to his statement the AUHRM Foundation Stone was laid down on 28 January 2012.
