Press release on the adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights relating to specific aspects of the right to a nationality and the eradication of statelessness in Africa
Published: 1/Mar/2024
Source: African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission), welcomes with great satisfaction the adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights relating to the Specific Aspects of the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa (the Protocol) during the 37th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held from 17 to 18 February 2024 in Addis Ababa, Republic Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
In 2013, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) adopted Resolution 234 (LIII)2013 on the right to nationality, which entrusted the Special Rapporteur on refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons and migrants in Africa to conduct a study on the right to nationality. The study highlighted the need and urgency to develop an Additional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to respond to the numerous challenges posed by questions of nationality and statelessness on the continent. , while taking into consideration African particularities and specificities. The development of the said Protocol was subsequently confirmed by Resolution ACHPR/RES.277(LV)2014.
Nearly ten years later, the adoption of this Protocol represents a historic moment and a major step forward for Africa, which now has a binding instrument ensuring the promotion, protection and respect of the right to a nationality for every individual, a fundamental condition for the protection and effective exercise of all other human rights, and on the other hand, the prevention and eradication of statelessness, which violates the right to respect for inherent dignity of the human person and the recognition of legal personality.
The African Commission takes this opportunity to invite and encourage all States Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to ratify this Protocol in order to enable its entry into force, as soon as possible, by achieving of fifteen ratifications, thereby forming part of UNHCR’s Global Campaign to Eradicate Statelessness #IBelong (2014-2024), in which the Commission participated and which ends this year.
Translated from the original: https://achpr.au.int/en/news/press-releases/2024-03-01/press-release-adoption-protocol-african-charter-human