Under the EU Pan-African Programme (PANAF), the EUR 10 million project aims at strengthening the African Governance Architecture and the African Human Rights System to attain four objectives:

• Ratification, domestication, and effective implementation of human rights instruments.
• Strengthened institutional capacity and capability of the human rights organs of the African Human Rights System.
• Increased coordination and engagement between the four pillars of the African Human Rights System – AU Member States, treaties, supervisory bodies, and civil society.
• Increased awareness of and access to the African Human Rights System.

The project beneficiaries are the following AU organs: the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (AfCHPR) and the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).

The meeting was opened by the Chairperson of the ACHPR, Mrs. Soyata Maiga; the AUC Director of the Department of Political Affairs, Dr Khabele Matlosa; and the Head of the Political, Press and Information Section of the EU Delegation to the African Union, Mr. Thorsten Clausing. The President of the AfCHPR, Hon. Justice Sylvain Oré; the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang; and the First Vice-Chairperson of the ACERWC, Mrs. Dikere Marie Christine Bocoum also attended the meeting.

The third Steering Committee meeting assessed project implementation so far and offered yet another opportunity for joint discussion and cooperation between the AU institutions and organs.

Background

The PANAF, which was set up in order to support African integration, is the first ever EU cooperation instrument that covers the whole of Africa. It was established in 2014 and constitutes one of the main EU financial instruments for the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. The PANAF is funded under the EU's Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) with €845 million for 2014-2020. The project 'Strengthening the African Human Rights System' is part of a wider approach covering governance and human rights under the PANAF which includes support to the African Governance Architecture, election observation and civil society organisations. The objective is to contribute to a transparent, democratic and accountable environment in respect of human rights and rule of law in Africa.

The EU has been supporting the work of Africa's human rights organs since 2011 in the framework of the African Union Support Programme as well as the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights.