+220 441 05 05-6 | au-banjul@africa-union.org
1. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (“the Commission”), through its subsidiary mechanism, namely the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and Those At Risk, Vulnerable to and Affected by HIV in Africa (“PLHIV Committee”), organized a Consultative Technical Meeting towards Commissioning a Study on “HIV, The Law and Human Rights in The African Human Rights System: Key Challenges, Best Practices and Opportunities for Rights-based Responses to HIV” (the Study), from 6 to 7 June 2014, in Pretoria, South Africa.
2. The Meeting, which was supported by UNAIDS, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria and the Human Rights Development Initiative (HRDI), was convened:
3. The Meeting had the following specific objectives, amongst others:
4. The Meeting was attended by twenty-six (26) various stakeholders, including members of the Commission, expert members of the PLHIV Committee, the 2nd Vice-President of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERCW), selected experts on the issue of HIV and human rights, as well as representatives of the Gender Unit of the Centre for Human Rights, the Centre for the Study of AIDS, based at the University of Pretoria, and HRDI.
5. The Meeting was chaired by Honourable Commissioner Lucy Asuagbor - Chairperson of the PLHIV Committee, and was co-facilitated by Honourable Commissioner Soyata Maiga - Member of the PLHIV Committee, and Ms. Karen Stefiszyn of the Gender Unit of the Centre for Human Rights.
6. The Meeting was serviced by Mrs. Abiola Idowu-Ojo, Ms. Prisca Chogero Mkama and Mr. Philbert Bayeka, from the Secretariat of the Commission.
7. The Meeting was divided into two (2) distinct sessions, preceded by a formal opening ceremony, where Honourable Commissioner Soyata Maiga made welcoming remarks, and Honourable Commissioner Lucy Asuagbor gave an opening speech and declared the Meeting open.
8. The substantive part of the meeting took the form of interactive sessions, comprising presentations by resource persons followed by plenary discussions, thematic group discussions and reporting to the plenary.
9. The presentations and discussions centred around: the legal and institutional frameworks for the protection of the rights of PLHIV in Africa; key issues pertaining to HIV, law and human rights; equality and non-discrimination in the context of HIV and the responsibilities of State Parties to the African Charter; sexual and reproductive health rights of women living with HIV in Africa and the responsibilities of State Parties to the African Charter; HIV testing and related human rights issues in Africa; an overview of the criminalisation of HIV transmission in Africa; populations at higher risk of HIV and related human rights issues in Africa; harmful cultural practices and traditional beliefs in the context of HIV; intellectual property rights and access to HIV medicine in Africa; and the work of the ACERCW on the rights and welfare of the African child in the context of HIV/AIDS.
10. The group discussions, which were themed along the lines of the key elements and expected outputs of the Meeting, focused on the following:
· The Legal Environments for PLHIVs in Africa: Case Studies of Punitive Environments and Best Practices;
· Strategies for rights-based responses to HIV by African States ; and
· Modalities and Terms of Reference for conducting the Study, and the preparation of the Draft Resolution on the Study.
11. After the two-day Meeting, participants had:
12. The Commission, through the PLHIV Committee, expresses its sincere and profound gratitude to UNAIDS, the Centre for Human Rights and HRDI, for the excellent financial, logistical and technical support provided towards the Meeting.
Done in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, this 7th Day of June, 2014
September 10 , 2022
August 23 , 2022
June 12 , 2014
31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District Western Region P.O. Box 673 Banjul The Gambia Tel: (220) 441 05 05, 441 05 06 Cell-Phone: +220 2304361 Fax: (220) 441 05 04 E-mail: au-banjul@africa-union.org : africancommission@yahoo.com More about us