Nouakchott, Mauritania, 3 May 2018 – In a bid to further collaborate on the promotion and protection of human rights on the African Continent, the APRM and the ACHPR signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the 3rd of May 2018 during the 62nd Ordinary Session of the ACHPR in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Present at the signing were the Commissioners of the ACHPR ably represented by the Chairperson, Commissioner Soyata Maiga; Honourable Brigitte Mabandla, Chairperson of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons as well as Ms Mary Agbebaku-Izobo, Legal Officer of the APRM.

It is worthy to note that the collaboration between the APRM and the ACHPR is in line with paragraph 25 of the APRM Base Document NEPAD/HSGIC/03-2003/APRM/MOU/Annex II which states that ‘Six months after the report has been considered by the Heads of State and Government of the participating member countries, it should be formally and publicly tabled in key regional and sub-regional structures such as the Pan African Parliament, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the envisaged Peace and Security Council and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the African Union.’ Therefore, the final and fifth stage of the APRM review process requires that APRM Country Review Reports should be formally and publicly tabled before the ACHPR.

The objective of the MOU is to establish a framework for cooperation and collaboration between the APRM and the ACHPR as stipulated in Resolution ACHPR/Res.168 (XLVIII) 10 on the Cooperation between the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Peer Review Mechanism, adopted during the 48th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR, held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 10 to 24 November 2010, which underscored the need to continue cooperation between the APRM and the ACHPR.

Consequently, it is anticipated that the ACHPR, during its forthcoming Extraordinary Session, will review the modus operandi of how the APRM tables its reports before the ACHPR as well as the APRM review reports tabled by the APRM to the ACHPR since it first tabled the first review reports in April 2017.

In addition, Resolution ACHPR/Res. 351 (EXT.OS/XX) 2016 which is to renew the Mandate of the Focal Point between the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Peer Review Mechanism, adopted during the 20th Extra-Ordinary Session, held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 09 to 18 June 2016 will also be reviewed. This is to allow the ACHPR appoint a new Focal Point for the APRM.

Established in 2003, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by the member states of the African Union (AU) as a self-monitoring mechanism. Its mandate is to encourage conformity in regard to political, economic and corporate governance values, codes and standards, among African countries and the objectives in socio-economic development within the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

The APRM looks forward to a fruitful partnership with the ACHPR.