Final Communique Fourth African Judicial Dialogue, 30 October – 1 November 2019, Kampala, Uganda
Published: 7/Nov/2019
Source: African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
I. Organization and objectives
1. Under the auspices of the African Union and in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Uganda, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Court) organized the Fourth African Judicial Dialogue from 30 October to 1 November 2019 in Kampala, Uganda, under the theme: “Tackling Contemporary Human Rights Issues: the Role of the Judiciary in Africa”.
2. The overall objective of the Fourth African Judicial Dialogue was to identify the major human rights issues currently facing Africa and the role of the judiciary in addressing them.
[…]
On the Right to Nationality and the Problem of Statelessness
23. Participants noted that although the right to nationality is recognized by universal and regional human rights instruments, difficulties in the acquisition and its arbitrary withdrawal is common in many countries on the continent, rendering millions of people stateless. The participants encouraged African Union Member States to adopt and ratify an African Union Protocol prepared by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on Nationality in order to deal with the growing number of stateless persons on the continent.
24. Participants were of the view that some of the main causes of statelessness are discrimination against women, who, in some countries, cannot pass on their nationality to their children, the non-inclusion in Member States’ constitutions of provisions that assign nationality to all residents after independence, or transfer of territory, state succession, xenophobia, lack of birth registration and certification and climate change.
25. Participants urged States, including the judiciary at all levels, to avoid decisions that leave persons in a situation of statelessness and to ensure that all processes are followed, particularly to ensure judicial review.
Download communiqué: http://en.african-court.org/index.php/news/press-releases/item/324-final-communique-fourth-african-judicial-dialogue