AU Validation Workshop on the ACHPR & the Draft African Social Agenda 2063

FES Zambia has for some time now, been collaborating with the African Union Commission through the Rights Based Social Protection – Sub Sahara Africa Project has been facilitating advocacy processes and activities for the formulation of an additional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security. The protocol was intended to consolidate the human rights to social security and social protection and specify State’s obligations for their realization, as part of the legal framework established by the African Charter. The Protocol would draw from the main African Union and international human rights instruments which lay down the right to social security and social protection. A third draft was recently finalized and was tabled before the ACHPR Commission for discussion and approval between 30^th July and 8^th August, 2018. Feedback was received from AUC and consolidated by the consultants culminating into the forth draft. The Fourth Draft was recently tabled at a validation workshop in Addis Ababa.

The aim of the workshop was to:

Validate the Fourth Draft of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection

Validate the AU Social Agenda 2063

In line with the FES Zambia’s Rights Based Social Protection Project in Africa through its Strategic Objective, “African Countries put programs of social security on a legal basis, the validation workshop paved way to ensuring comprehensive and all-inclusive views from the stakeholders in the protocol and the AU Social Agenda. The Protocol was adopted by stakeholders while the AU Social Agenda will be consolidated following partners’ input in readiness for further presented to the AUC. The two key documents will be prepared for consideration by the 3rd Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Social Development, Labour and Employment in March 2019 for approval.