Compendium of documents on National Human Rights Institutions in eastern and southern Africa Edited by Charles M Fombad 2019


Book Description

Compendium of documents on National Human Rights Institutions in eastern and southern Africa Edited by Charles M Fombad 2019 ISBN: 978-1-920538-95-8 Pages: 898 Print version: Available Electronic version: Free PDF available About the publication Africa’s increasing recognition and protection of human rights have been accompanied by a surge in the number of NHRIs established with broad mandates to promote and protect human rights. The mandates and powers of the NHRIs vary from country to country, as does their ability to deliver on these mandates. Indeed, the rapid increase in the number of NHRIs in Africa has come with a variety of substantive and operational challenges. In the face of such challenges, those who work in NHRIs need to understand the broader regional and global context in which the institutions operate and the changing nature of human rights issues. This compendium provides an overview of NHRIs in eastern and southern Africa. It is guided to a large extent by the internationally agreed-upon Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions, referred to as the Paris Principles. These Principles are broadly accepted as the benchmark against which the legitimacy and credibility of NHRIs can be assessed. Endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, the Paris Principles provide NHRIs with guidelines as to their competence and responsibilities, their composition and guarantees of independence and pluralism, and their methods of operation; additional principles relate to the status of commissions with quasi-jurisdictional competence. The generous financial support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Rule of Law for Sub-Saharan Africa, Nairobi, Kenya office, is gratefully acknowledged. Table of Contents PREFACE INTRODUCTION AN OVERVIEW OF NHRIS IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA THE OMBUDSMAN OF ANGOLA THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN IN BOTSWANA THE BURUNDIAN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO’S NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 6 PART B THE SWAZILAND COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION INTEGRITY THE ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS THE LESOTHO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE LESOTHO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF MAURITIUS THE RWANDAN NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE TANZANIAN COMMISSION FORHUMAN RIGHTS AND GOOD GOVERNANCE THE ZAMBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION THE ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA: LESSONS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE




The Global Community Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence 2010 Volume I


Book Description

a. The set generally: [Please note that the following description applies to both volumes in the 2010 Yearbook, not solely to Volume I.] The Global Community Yearbook is a one-stop resource for all researchers studying international law generally or international criminal tribunals specifically. The Global Community Yearbook appears annually in two-volume editions of carefully chosen primary source material and corresponding expert commentary. The general editor, Professor Giuliana Ziccardi Capaldo, employs her vast expertise in international law to select excerpts from important court opinions and also to choose experts from around the world who contribute essay-guides to illuminate those cases. Although the main focus is recent case law from the major international tribunals and regional courts, the first volume of each year's edition always features expert articles by renowned scholars who address broader themes in international law, themes that appear throughout the case law of the many courts covered by the series as a whole. b. This particular edition (2010): Beginning with the 2010 edition, the Yearbook will include the new section, Forum-Jurisprudential Cross-Fertilization: An Annual Overview. This section aims to compare and analyze the interconnections between the decisions of international courts and tribunals, as a way of exploring and examining judicial dialogue and the development of common legal principles and concepts in all branches of international law. The Yearbook is the first academic journal to present an annual overview of the process of jurisprudential cross-fertilization between the courts, based on the drafting and systematic classification of legal maxims (i.e. points of law decided by various international courts) in the section entitled Decisions of International Courts and Tribunals. A comprehensive and complete survey by eminent international law scholars exploring, evaluating and documenting this process has the potential to enhance our contribution and thus further guide our understanding of how to reduce conflicts and create an effective exchange of legal reasoning between different courts. The aim is to promote a favorable environment for the courts to advance the process of judicial cooperation with a view to the possible harmonization of legal principles governing the global community. c. Individual volumes: Volume 1: The 2010 edition of the Global Community Yearbook presents three categories of material wholly beneficial to any international law-researcher: International tribunals' court opinions, excerpted with scholarly skill by General Editor Giuliana Ziccardi Capaldo; expert guidance on those cases in the form of commentary by globally recognized luminaries whom Ziccardi has chosen personally; and more broadly focused introductory essays by similarly prominent scholars whom Ziccardi has also selected for that purpose. In the introductory essays, those scholars take on current topics such as global intellectual property law and policy, the nature of international law and human development, and the legal-political connotation of material support to terrorism. These incisive and knowledgeable introductory articles help frame the debates currently raging in international law before this edition leads the reader on to expert commentary on the noteworthy cases from this past year's dockets of the following tribunals: - The International Court of Justice - The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea - WTO Dispute Settlement System - International Criminal Court - International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia - International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda - Court of Justice of the European Union Ziccardi has arranged the sections of this volume according to that list of tribunals, and she has included a short, targeted index for each of those sections, making any research in this volume efficient and fruitful. The 2010 edition of the Global Community Yearbook also gives researchers an illuminating tour through the varied and dynamic law of regional and organizational courts. In the court opinion excerpts and expert commentary that fill this volume, researchers will find detailed guidance on a rich diversity of legal topics. On these questions and a host of others, this volume provides to students, scholars, and practitioners alike a valuable combination of expert discussion and direct quotes from the court opinions to which that discussion relates. The courts covered in this edition include: - The Court of Justice - The European Court of Human Rights - Inter-American Court of Human Rights - International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes




Repertorio Mundial de Instituciones de Investigacion Y de Formacion en Materia de Derechos Humanos


Book Description

This directory, prepared on the basis of information received by UNESCO in response to a questionnaire, includes lists of regional, national and international institutions, co-operation programmes, human rights periodicals, specialists and institutions providing scholarships.




African Yearbook of International Law / Annuaire Africain de Droit International, Volume 12 (2004)


Book Description

Founded in 1993, the African Yearbook, now published under the auspices of the African Foundation for International Law, is the only scholarly publication devoted exclusively to the study, development, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law in Africa as a whole. Through the scholarly analysis of international legal issues of particular relevance to the African continent, it also contributes to the acceptance of, and respect for the rule of law in intra-African relations, and for the principles of international law in general. Its uniqueness however goes beyond this, for through its special themes and general articles, it has succeeded over the years to serve as an intellectual forum where the development of international law is viewed as being integral to Africa s own development.Through the study and analysis of emerging legal issues of particular relevance to Africa, such as the creation of viable continental institutions capable of promoting unity and security for the peoples of the continent, the effective protection of human rights, the need for accountability for mass killings and massive violations of the rule of law, the promotion of a rule-based democratic culture, the role of African countries in a globalizing world economy and in international trade relations, the Yearbook strives to be responsive to the intellectual needs of African countries in the area of international law, and to the continuing struggle for creating an environment conducive to the rule of law throughout the continent. The Yearbook also provides ready access to the basic documents of African international organizations by regularly publishing the resolutions and decisions of regional and sub-regional organizations as well as the conventions, protocols and declarations adopted by pan-african agencies.







Select Proceedings of the European Society of International Law, Volume 1 2006


Book Description

This is the first volume of proceedings arising from the biennial conference of the European Society of International Law/Societe europeene de droit international, edited by Emmanuelle Jouannet, Hélène Ruiz Fabri and Vincent Tomkiewicz. The volume presents the highlights of the Paris Conference 2006, and the papers are evenly divided between English and French language contributions. It is envisaged that this will be the first volume of a series, with future volumes following on from each major ESIL/SEDI event.







Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights


Book Description

"This publication contains the 'Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework', which were developed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises. The Special Representative annexed the Guiding Principles to his final report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/17/31), which also includes an introduction to the Guiding Principles and an overview of the process that led to their development. The Human Rights Council endorsed the Guiding Principles in its resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011."--P. iv.




Human Rights and a Changing Media Landscape


Book Description

The media play a crucial role in the protection of human rights. They expose human rights violations and offer an arena for different voices to be heard in public discourse. Free, independent and pluralistic media are a core element of any democracy. However, the power of the media can also be misused to the extent that the very functioning of democracy is threatened. Some media outlets have been turned into propaganda megaphones for those in power. Others have been used to incite xenophobic hatred and violence against minorities and other vulnerable groups. Now the phenomenon of social media presents us with a range of fresh challenges. Blogs, video and social networking sites have become a key forum for political debate and organisation - so much so that they have provoked counter-responses from some repressive states. While there is a need to ensure better protection of personal integrity in social media, the right to freedom of expression must not be undermined. The purpose of this publication is to contribute to a more thorough discussion on media developments and their impact on human rights in a constantly changing media landscape. Eight experts were invited to contribute their personal assessments of trends and problems. They have not shied away from addressing controversial issues or providing far-reaching suggestions. Together their texts indicate that there is a need for stronger protection of media freedom and freedom of expression in Europe today. These are clearly topics of paramount importance which demand serious public debate.




World Report 2019


Book Description

The best country-by-country assessment of human rights. The human rights records of more than ninety countries and territories are put into perspective in Human Rights Watch's signature yearly report. Reflecting extensive investigative work undertaken by Human Rights Watch staff, in close partnership with domestic human rights activists, the annual World Report is an invaluable resource for journalists, diplomats, and citizens, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the fight to protect human rights in every corner of the globe.