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PV CEO Invited to Media Conference by African Union

4 October 2013 at 00:25 | 403 views

By PV Staff Writers

Mr. Gibril Gbanabome Koroma, CEO and Publisher of the Patriotic Vanguard, one of Sierra Leone’s leading newspapers, has been invited by the African Union to attend a conference for the media in Arusha, Tanzania, November 21-22. The conference will bring together legal and media experts from the continent of Africa and beyond.

Titled Continental Conference for the Media, the event will specifically focus on the African Court on Human and People’s Rights and courts in the continent in general.

The concept note of the conference states the following:

- In every democratic society, the Courts play a key role in the upholding of
the rule of law and ensuring justice, thereby contributing significantly to the
maintenance of peace and stability. These outcomes, in turn, are
grounded upon the public’s confidence in the independence and
accessibility of the Courts. In order to build this confidence the Courts
have to ensure that they publicize their activities so as to keep the public
informed and aware of the scope of their access to justice.

- The media plays a crucial role in publicizing the activities of the Courts
and bridging the gap between the Courts and the public. Therefore, it is
essential for any Court to develop linkages with the media.

- The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (“the Court”) was
created by the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’
Rights (“the Protocol”), to complement the mandate of the African
Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (“the African Commission"), in
the protection of human rights in the continent. The Court has jurisdiction
over all cases and disputes submitted to it concerning the interpretation
and application of the Charter, the Protocol and any other relevant human
rights instrument ratified by the States concerned. It is the only continental
human rights body mandated to adopt legally binding judgments on
human rights issues.

- The Court became operational in 2006 and has its seat in Arusha, The
United Republic of Tanzania.

- To date, only twenty six (26) Countries have ratified the Protocol
establishing the Court, the most recent ratification having been made in
October, 2010.

- Under Article 34(6) of the Protocol, apart from ratifying the Protocol, a
State party thereto has to make a declaration accepting the competence
of the Court to directly receive cases from individuals and NGOs. To date,
only seven States, that is, Burkina Faso, Côte d’ivoire, Ghana, Malawi,
Mali, Rwanda and Tanzania have made such a declaration.

- As at March 2013, the Court had received only 27 applications, 19 of
which have been determined and 8 are pending. The Court has also
received 5 requests for advisory opinion.

- The success of the Court as a mechanism for human rights protection
necessitates that all African Union (AU) Member States not only ratify the
Protocol but also make the declaration allowing individuals and NGOs
direct access to the Court. Such universal ratification and declaration will
greatly enhance the Court’s capacity to discharge its mandate and assure
the optimal benefits to the people of Africa.

- The non-ratification of the Protocol, by the majority of the AU Member
States and the lack of deposit, by State Parties to the Protocol, of the
declaration allowing direct access to the Court for NGOs and individuals
might be attributable to the dearth of information and publicity about the
Court and its role in the protection of human rights among State and non-
State actors, It is therefore necessary that accurate information about the
existence, role, relevance and operations of the Court be disseminated to
various publics.

The participation of the media is indispensable in the protection of human
rights on the continent, and it is crucial that the media disseminates
accurate and insightful information to the population about institutions
such as the Court, which could offer them redress if rights are violated. In
order to further publicise the work of the Court it is necessary that the
Court explores how to build an effective relationship with the media in AU
Member States. It is on this premise that the Court is organising a

Continental Conference for the Media.

Objectives of the Conference

11.Overall Objective: The overall objective of the Conference is to enhance
the protection of human rights through the Court developing linkages
between it and the media in AU Member States.

12.Specific Objectives: The specific objectives of the Conference are as
follows:

- To acquaint the media with the African Human Rights System

- To acquaint the media with a complete information about the Court;

- To explore and provide to the media a deeper understanding of the Court
(a case in point being that the Court is commonly confused with the
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights);

- To foster in media practitioners a greater appreciation of their role as
multipliers of information to African citizens, concerning the existing
Continental means for protection of their Rights, in general and the
modalities for judicial redress through the Court, in particular.

- To explore the various interaction mechanisms available to the media

- To create a better understanding of the African Court to the public.

Mr. Koroma (photo) has accepted the invitation and has notified the AU that he will be in Tanzania for this very important conference.

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