Manual on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Indigenous Populations/Communities through the African Human Rights System

Over the last ten years, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) has taken bold steps to understand, expound and address the human rights situation of indigenous communities in Africa. The African Commission’s Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities (Working Group) has been the institutional anchor for these efforts. Through various sensitization seminars and country missions/study visits, the African Commission’s Working Group on Indigenous Populations has engaged state and non-state actors on the specific challenges confronting indigenous communities in the continent. While considerable awareness has been created as a result of these initiatives, the Working Group is still concerned by the limited capacity of indigenous groups to use emerging human rights standards to address rights violations facing communities. There is still a dearth of high quality, wellsynthesized and simplified information on how the African Commission works to address collective and individual rights through both its promotional and protective mandates. This Training Manual is designed to ameliorate this gap. The manual is designed as a training tool for indigenous rights activists in Africa. It is also intended to be a practical instrument for use in the training of judicial officers, lawyers, media activists and government officials on indigenous rights in Africa. The full use of this manual will only be realized if it is used to enhance the capacity of indigenous groups to constructively and sustainably engage with the African human rights system. The manual has a seperate summary that can be downloaded on this page.