The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has called on African governments and regional institutions to strengthen accountability and ensure the effective implementation of human rights obligations, as the continent marks the 40th anniversary of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In a statement commemorating African Human Rights Day 2026, the centre said the anniversary should prompt an assessment of whether the Charter’s promises of freedom, justice, equality and human dignity had been translated into tangible improvements in the lives of African people.
The Charter entered into force on 21 October 1986, establishing a regional framework for the protection and promotion of human and peoples’ rights.
EFSCRJ acknowledged the contributions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other continental human rights mechanisms.
It also paid tribute to human rights defenders, journalists, community organisers and civil society organisations working to protect fundamental freedoms, often at considerable personal risk.
However, the centre said the effectiveness of these institutions depended on governments’ willingness to honour their obligations, implement recommendations, comply with judgments and provide remedies for human rights violations.
“Ratification without implementation leaves people unprotected,” the statement said, warning that institutions could not fulfil their mandates if governments routinely disregarded their findings.
EFSCRJ said persistent poverty, inequality, insecurity and marginalisation continued to undermine human dignity across Africa, despite the continent’s natural resources and human potential.
It cited challenges affecting children, including hunger and exclusion from education, as well as unemployment, exploitation and unsafe migration facing young people.
Women and girls, it added, continued to experience violence, discrimination and barriers to leadership and economic independence.
The centre also raised concerns about discrimination based on disability, ethnicity, religion, gender and other status, alongside corruption, illicit financial flows and the mismanagement of public resources.
On governance, EFSCRJ expressed concern about what it described as the persistence of authoritarian practices under both civilian and military administrations.
It alleged that some elected leaders had weakened constitutional safeguards, undermined oversight institutions and restricted civic space to prolong their stay in power.
The organisation also cited the suppression of peaceful protests, intimidation of critics, arbitrary arrests and impunity for human rights violations.
Armed conflicts and terrorism, it said, had further aggravated suffering, while abuses committed in the name of security continued to threaten communities.
“Winning an election does not confer permission to violate rights. Military rule provides no exemption from accountability,” the statement said.
EFSCRJ urged the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other relevant institutions to conduct an urgent, impartial and public assessment of compliance with the continent’s human rights commitments.
It called for the assessment to identify persistent violations, obstacles to enforcement and practical measures to improve compliance, with meaningful participation by victims, affected communities, human rights defenders, women, young people and marginalised groups.
The centre outlined several priorities, including public monitoring of compliance with human rights judgments and recommendations, clear implementation deadlines, and lawful measures to address persistent non-compliance.
It also called for independent and adequately funded courts, national human rights institutions, legislatures and oversight bodies, alongside stronger protection for freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
Other priorities included effective remedies and reparations for victims, measures to prevent the recurrence of abuses, and transparent management of public resources to support essential services and equal opportunities.
The statement further called for continued efforts to secure recognition, reparations and accountability for historical injustices, including slavery and colonial domination.
However, EFSCRJ stressed that historical abuses should not be used to excuse contemporary violations by African governments.
“Forty years after the Charter entered into force, African people deserve governments that obey the law, institutions that protect them, and leaders who face consequences for abuse,” the statement said.
The organisation concluded that the Charter’s promises must be realised in the daily lives of African people, under the theme: “2026 – The Year of Empowerment: Empowered Citizens. Accountable Leadership.”
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