Final Communiqué

Final Communiqué of the 86th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights February 23 to March 09, 2026

ENG-FINAL COMMUNIQUE 86th OS.pdf
Final Communiqué of the 86th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Virtual Ordinary Session (Private) February 23 to March 09, 2026 1. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Commission) convened its 86th Ordinary Session virtually, from 23 February to 9 March 2026, in accordance with Article 64(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Charter) and Rule 28(1) of its Rules of Procedure (2020), under the chairmanship of Honorable Commissioner Idrissa Sow, Chairperson of the Commission, assisted by Honorable Commissioner Hatem Essaiem, ViceChairperson. 2. The following Members of the Commission participated in the 86th Ordinary Session: i. Honorable Commissioner Idrissa Sow: Chairperson; ii. Honorable Commissioner Hatem Essaiem: Vice- Chairperson; iii. Honorable Commissioner Solomon Ayele Dersso; iv. Honorable Commissioner Maria Teresa Manuela; v. Honorable Commissioner Rémy Ngoy Lumbu; vi. Honorable Commissaire Mudford Zachariah Mwandenga; vii. Honorable Commissioner Dr. Marie Louise Abomo; viii. Honorable Commissioner Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie; ix. Honorable Commissaire Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo; x. Honorable Commissioner Litha Musyimi-Ogana; and xi. Honorable Commissioner Selma Sassi-Safer. 1
3. During the Session, the Commission considered Communications, Concluding Observations, Reports and other documents as reflected in the remainder of this Final Communiqué. 4. The Commission considered and adopted the following decisions concerning twenty (20) Communications: i. ii. iii. iv. v. Four (4) Communications considered on the Merits, with decisions adopted on the Merits. One (1) Communication on the Merits was deferred to the next session; Seven (7) communications considered on Admissibility, of which five (5) were declared admissible and two (2) were declared inadmissible; Seven (7) Communications were struck out for lack of diligent prosecution; and One (1) Communication on the Merits considered for review, which has been declined. 5. The Commission considered and adopted the following concluding observations on the periodic reports of States: i. ii. Concluding observations on the combined 10th to 18th periodic reports of the Republic of Tunisia under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Maputo Protocol covering the period 2006 to 2024; and Concluding observations on the combined 18th and 19th periodic reports of the Arab Republic of Egypt under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, covering the period 2019 to 2024. 6. During the session, the Commission considered and adopted the following documents: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. Report of the Chairperson on the Meetings of the AU Policy Organs; Report on follow-up actions of the 39th Extra-Ordinary Session; Calendar of the 2026 Annual Work Plan; Report of the Promotion Mission in the Republic of Burundi; Paper on the ACHPR’s practice on Actio popularis; Implementation Plan for the ACHPR Strategic Plan of the ACHPR 20262028; ACHPR Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Public Relations; Report of the Resolutions Committee; Report of the Working Group on Communications; and 2
x. Report of the Advisory Committee on Budgetary and Staff Matters (ACBSM). 7. The Commission also reviewed the following documents: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. Three-year Monitoring and Evaluation Plan of the ACHPR; Advocacy Framework for Withdrawing Reservations on certain provisions to the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa; African Guidelines on Promoting and Harnessing Data Access as a Tool for Advancing Human Rights and Sustainable Development in the Digital Age; Concept note on the Rebranding of the ACHPR; Paper on the Effective Use of Seizure to Reject Unfounded or Manifestly Inadmissible Communications: Improving Institutional Effectiveness in the Context of the African Commission's Protection Mandate; and Paper on the establishment of a Support Group for the Working Group Communications (WGC) to monitor the implementation of decisions; 8. The Commission was also briefed on the following: i. ii. The Joint Fact-Finding Mission on the Human Rights Situation in Sudan to the Republic of Chad; and The ACHPR's Electronic Case Management System, Data Analytics Tool and other digital tools and processes developed. 9. The following meetings of the ACHPR Administrative and Technical Special Mechanisms were held: i. ii. iii. Meeting of the Working Group on Communications; Meeting of the Resolutions Committee; and Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Budgetary and Staff Matters. 10. The Commission adopted the following resolutions: i. ii. iii. iv. v. Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Artistic Expression in Africa and the Development of a related Model Law; Resolution on the 2026 Elections in Africa; Resolution on the extension of the mandate for the Development of a Model Law on the Criminalization of Torture in Africa; Resolution on Access to Environmental Information; Resolution on the Development of Guidelines on the Right to Sanitation for Women and Girls in Africa. 3
11. The Commission decided to maintain the schedule of its 87th and 89th Ordinary Sessions which have a public segment, as announced on its website on 19 th February 2026. These sessions will be held as follows: i. 87th Ordinary Session (in-person session): • Public part: from 11 May to 20 May 2026; • Location: To be confirmed ii. 89th Ordinary Session (in-person session): • Public part: from October 21 to October 30, 2026 • Location: The Republic of Senegal 12. This Final Communiqué was adopted at the end of the Session and is made public in accordance with Rule 27(4) of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission. Done virtually on March 09, 2026 4

Created Aug 6, 2026 · Edited Aug 6, 2026