The ICJ and the Law association of Zambia jointly undertook the monitoring and observation the Zambian 2011 tripartite elections, which were held on20 September 2011.
Zambia-ICJ-LAZ statement-press release-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
The ICJ, in collaboration with Citizens for Justice and the Judiciary of Malawi will host on 27 – 29 September 2011 a Judicial Symposium on the Role of the Judiciary in the Enforcement of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The symposium, to be held in Mangochi, aims to bring together judges from Malawi and the their peers from the SADC region and legal experts in the field of ESC rights to discuss on their role in the domestic implementation and enforcement of ESC rights. It is expected that at the end of the symposium, Malawian judges and magistrates will have acquired enhanced practical understanding of international ESC rights protection and ESC rights adjudication. This will significantly enhance victims’ access to justice and effective remedies and considerably increase public confidence in the role of judicial actors regarding ESC righ
Malawi-concept note-event-2011 (full text, PDF)
Malawi-enforcment of economic social and cultural rights-event-2011 (full text, PDF)
The Kenyan Section of the ICJ and other human rights institutions will be convening the Third Roundtable on strengthening the African human rights system in Mombasa, Kenya from 20 – 21 October 2011.
SADC Tribunal: the Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will continue to have pervasive effects on human rights and the rule of law in the SADC region.
This is despite the advice of the World Trade Institute Advisors (WTIA) and the finding of the SADC Committee of Ministers of Justice/Attorneys-General that the Protocol on the Tribunal took effect through its incorporation into the Treaty by the adoption of the Agreement Amending the Treaty in August 2001; that the effectiveness of both the Protocol and the Agreement Amending the Treaty in August 2001 did not require ratification; and that the SADC Tribunal was legally constituted, and its decisions are binding on all SADC Member States, the SADC,
Regional legal consultative meeting-events-2011 (full text, PDF)
Conference synopsis-event-2011 (full text, PDF)
The ECOWAS Court has played a commendable role in upholding human rights and the rule of law and in imposing remedies where violations have occurred.
However, its much applauded judgements and pronouncements has been followed by poor state compliance and a gap of effective implementation or enforcement measures. Failure to move from good judgements to effective implementation or enforcement thereof has continued to seriously hamper the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court and to lessen public confidence in its role as a custodian of the rule of law and human rights in the West African sub-region.
In view of this, it is worth bringing together legal and human rights practitioners, academics and activists from West Africa to deliberate on mechanisms and strategies for an effective implementation and enforcement of judicial decisions from the ECOWAS Court. The symposium will be held in Dakar, Senegal, on 6- 7 June 2011.
Learning from positive and negative experiences from other African sub-regional courts, the discussions will focus on a wide range of topics, identify the role of sub-regional lawyers and human rights activists and put in place strategies for their active involvement in the effective implementation and enforcement of judicial decisions from the ECOWAS Court.
West Africa-judical decisions ECOWAS Court concept note-events-2011-eng (concept notes in English, PDF)
West Africa-judicial decisions ECOWAS Court programme-events-2011-eng (programme in English, PDF)
The ICJ and the Southern African Chief Justices’ Forum (SACJF) will be hosting the 2nd Judges’ Summer Colloquium on ‘Independence of the Judiciary as a Challenge to Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law’.
The event, to take place in Livingstone (Zambia), from 19 – 21 May, 2011 will provide space for a critical review of the current state of judicial independence in the East and Southern Africa region, by the Chief Justices from the judiciaries within the region, Judges from Zambia, and stakeholders from continental and regional institutions including the ICJ, OSISA, IAWJ, SADC LA, UN agencies, NGOs and academic institutions. Over 60 participants from national, regional and international institutions are expected to attend
Zambia-human rights and rule of law-event-2011 (full text, PDF)
Civil Society Statement Ahead of Cour de Cassation Hearing on Immunities for State Officials in the Case of Bashar al-Assad
Palestine/Israel: Israel must immediately stop its criminal forcible displacement in Gaza
ICJ Submission on draft General Comment No. 27 on Children’s access to justice and effective remedy
HRC59: ICJ Statement in the interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Venezuela – addressing arbitrary detention and repression of civic space