The 2019 study calls for a systematic, five-pillar approach (monitoring, prevention, mainstreaming, remedies, coordination) to address human rights violations in African conflict and crisis situations, recommending a dedicated special mechanism and closer collaboration with the AU Peace and Security Council.

This 2007 Advisory Opinion of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights examines African States’ concerns regarding the proposed United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and provides an African human rights perspective on its interpretation. The Commission argues that a strict legal definition of “indigenous peoples” is neither necessary nor useful, emphasizing instead characteristics such as self-identification, historical marginalization, and a strong connection to ancestral lands. It clarifies that indigenous rights in Africa do not imply superiority, secession, or threats to state sovereignty; rather, self-determination should be understood as participation in governance, local autonomy, cultural preservation, and consultation within existing national borders. The Opinion further supports indigenous peoples’ rights to land, natural resources, and cultural institutions while affirming the territorial integrity of African states. Ultimately, the ACHPR concludes that the UN Declaration is compatible with African legal and political realities and recommends that African States support its adoption while advancing a common African interpretation of indigenous rights.

The ACHPR (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights), together with the ACtHPR (African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights) and the ACERWC (African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child), constitutes the African regional human rights system, and in an effort to strengthen research, documentation, and engagement on human rights across the continent, these three bodies jointly initiated the African Human Rights Yearbook as a platform to promote scholarly analysis, reflect on their jurisprudence and practice, and encourage constructive dialogue with academics, practitioners, and other stakeholders; the Yearbook also serves to highlight emerging human rights challenges and developments within Africa, and its Volume 9, published in 2025, brings together 30 contributions from scholars within Africa and beyond, thereby enriching discourse and supporting the continued growth and effectiveness of the African human rights system.