(last updated August 5, 2026)

Introduction

The  African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR, or African Commission) is the principal African Union (AU) body charged with promoting and protecting human and peoples’ rights in the 54  Member States of the African Union that have ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (also frequently known as the “Banjul Charter”). The Banjul Charter, the foundational treaty of the African regional human rights system, was adopted on June 27, 1981 and entered into force on October 21, 1986. This treaty established the ACHPR and created a legal framework of human rights obligations for African States. The only African State that has not yet ratified the Banjul Charter is Morocco. [ IJRC]

The ACHPR was inaugurated on November 2, 1987, and its Secretariat is based in Banjul, The Gambia. The Commission’s mandate reflects the distinctive scope of the Banjul Charter, which protects civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, peoples’ rights, and individual duties within a single regional instrument. Under Article 45 of the Charter, the ACHPR has three principal functions: promoting human rights, protecting those rights, and interpreting the Charter at the request of an African Union Member State, an AU organ, or an organization recognized by the African Union. The ACHPR performs these functions through several complementary procedures. It considers communications alleging violations of the Banjul Charter, examines periodic reports submitted by States parties, conducts promotional and protection missions, establishes thematic special mechanisms, and develops regional human rights standards through resolutions, general comments, guidelines, principles, model laws, studies, and other interpretive materials.

The ACHPR consists of 11 Commissioners elected by the AU Assembly from candidates nominated by States parties to the Banjul Charter. Commissioners serve in their individual capacity and do not represent any State. They are elected for six-year terms and are eligible for re-election. In electing Commissioners, the AU Assembly considers equitable geographical and gender representation. To read more about the Commissioners and their election process, see our  ACHPR Composition & Election guide.

 

Communications (“Complaint”) Procedure

The ACHPR carries out its protective mandate principally by considering complaints (referred to as “communications”) alleging violations of the Banjul Charter. Communications may be submitted by individuals, groups of individuals, non-governmental organizations, and States. A complainant does not need to be the direct victim of the alleged violation, and an NGO does not need observer status before the ACHPR to submit a communication. Complaints must nevertheless satisfy the admissibility requirements in Article 56 of the Charter, including the exhaustion of domestic remedies, unless those remedies are unduly prolonged or otherwise unavailable or ineffective.

When it determines that a violation of the Banjul Charter has taken place, the ACHPR issues findings and recommendations to the State concerned. Although the ACHPR is not a court and its decisions are not framed as judicial decisions, its communications jurisprudence is an authoritative source for interpreting the Banjul Charter. The Commission may also request provisional measures where urgent action is necessary to prevent irreparable harm, and may refer appropriate matters to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR, or African Court) in accordance with the Court’s Protocol and the African Commission’s Rules of Procedure.

 

Periodic State Reporting

The ACHPR monitors States’ implementation of the Banjul Charter through the periodic State reporting procedure. Under Article 62 of the Banjul Charter, each State party must submit a report every two years on the legislative, administrative, judicial, policy, and other measures it has adopted to give effect to the rights and freedoms recognized in the Charter.

The ACHPR examines these reports during its sessions and engages State representatives in a constructive dialogue concerning the implementation of the Charter. National human rights institutions, NGOs, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders may submit alternative or supplementary reports to assist the ACHPR in assessing the human rights situation in the state concerned.

Following its examination of a State report, the ACHPR may issue concluding observations identifying positive developments, areas of concern, and measures the State should take to strengthen implementation of the Charter. Information on submitted reports, overdue reports, concluding observations, and reporting guidelines is available on the ACHPR’s website.

 

Sessions and Missions

The ACHPR holds two ordinary sessions a year and may convene extraordinary sessions when necessary. Its sessions include public proceedings in which States, national human rights institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders may participate. The ACHPR also holds private proceedings, particularly when considering communications and other confidential matters.

During its sessions, the ACHPR may examine State reports, consider communications, receive reports from its special mechanisms, adopt resolutions and interpretive instruments, and engage with States and other stakeholders on the development of human rights issues across the continent.

The ACHPR engages directly with countries in a variety of ways, including by undertaking promotional missions, protection missions, and fact-finding missions. These types of activities enable the ACHPR to asses human rights conditions, encourage implementation of regional standards, and maintain dialogue with State parties, national human rights institutions, civil society, affected communities, and other relevant actors.

 

Standard Setting and Interpretation

In addition to considering communications and examining State reports, the ACHPR develops African human rights standards by drafting general comments, guidelines, principles, model laws, resolutions, studies, declarations, and other forms of soft law.

 

The African Commission’s Special Mechanisms

General

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has established multiple special mechanisms to support the Commission’s promotional, protective, interpretive, and standard-setting functions and allow sustained attention to issues requiring specialized expertise. These subsidiary mechanisms take the form of special rapporteurs, committees, and working groups whose mandates extend to all African Union (AU) Member States who are States parties to the Banjul Charter. The special mechanisms are dedicated to protecting and promoting specific rights or the rights of specific vulnerable groups.

The ACHPR determines the mandate and terms of reference of each special mechanism. Most thematic mechanisms are led by a Commissioner and may include other Commissioners and Independent expert members. The Commission also maintains internal mechanisms that support its institutional and procedural work. Each mechanism reports on its activities to the Commission at ordinary sessions, and its mandate is established, renewed, or modified through African Commission resolutions.

The special mechanisms engage with all States parties to the Banjul Charter. Depending on their mandates, they may also address wider continental developments and work with AU organs, regional and international bodies, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, affected communities, academic institutions, and other stakeholders.

Principal Functions

Although each special mechanism has a distinct mandate, its functions may include:

• collecting, requesting, receiving, and analyzing information relating to its mandate;
• conducting promotional visits, fact-finding missions, research, consultations, and studies;
• contributing specialized expertise when the Commission is considering communications, State reports, resolutions, or other matters within the special mechanism’s mandate;
• developing guidelines, principles, general comments, model laws, studies, and other standards or interpretive materials;
• monitoring national laws, policies, practices, and emerging human rights developments;
• engaging States through urgent appeals, letters of concern, requests for information, and recommendations;
• organizing seminars, public consultations, expert meetings, training activities and awareness-raising initiatives;
• cooperating with national human rights institutions, civil society, affected communities, AU institutions, UN mechanisms, and other regional and international bodies; and
• reporting to the ACHPR at its ordinary sessions and recommending further action by the Commission.

Creation and Operation of Special Mechanisms

The African Commission appoints Special Rapporteurs, Chairpersons, and members of the special mechanisms either by consensus or by a vote. See ACommHPR,  Rules of Procedure of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (2020), rules 25 and 26. Typically, the ACHPR authorizes a special mechanism for a two-year mandate, which may be renewed through a resolution. Each special mechanism’s webpage contains a list of the resolutions that have authorized the continuing mandate for that mechanism. In 2020, the ACHPR adopted Standard Operating Procedures for its special mechanisms. [IJRC]

Current Special Mechanisms

As of June 2026, the Commission lists the following thematic special mechanisms:

• Committee on the Protection of the Rights of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and Those at Risk, Vulnerable to and Affected by HIV;
• Committee for the Prevention of Torture in Africa;
• Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information;
• Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Point on Reprisals in Africa;
• Special Rapporteur on Prisons, Conditions of Detention and Policing in Africa;
• Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa;
• Special Rapporteur on Rights of Women in Africa;
• Working Group on Death Penalty, Extra-Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings and Enforced Disappearances in Africa;
• Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
• Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights Violations;
• Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities and Minorities in Africa; and
• Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Africa.

The Commission also lists the following internal special mechanisms:

• Advisory Committee on Budgetary and Staff members;
• Committee on Resolutions;
• Working Group on Communications; and
• Working Group on Specific Issues Related to the Work of the African Commission.

The membership, mandate-holders, resolutions, mission reports, activity reports, and outputs of each mechanism are available through the ACHPR’s Special Mechanisms webpage.