Activities of the ACHPR Working Group on Indigenous Populations / Communities
On the basis of its mandate, the Working Group has developed a comprehensive activity programme. This programme includes undertaking country missions, organising sensitisation seminars and publishing reports, all with a view to promote indigenous peoples’ rights in Africa. Please find more information about these activities below.
Country missions The country missions review indigenous peoples’ human rights situation in a particular African country. These missions seek to engage with all relevant stakeholders and to establish dialogue about indigenous peoples’ situation in the country. The mission team therefore holds meetings with government officials, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations, international organisations, academic institutions and indigenous communities in order to gather as much information as possible. The reports from the country missions describe the different meetings held, analyse indigenous peoples’ situation in the given country and provide recommendations to various stakeholders. Prior to each country mission, IWGIA prepares a briefing note describing indigenous peoples’ situation in the country in terms of e.g. access to land and resources, natural resource management, poverty levels, as well as health and educational standards. The briefing paper also suggests key issues for the mission team to engage stakeholders on. Country missions have been undertaken to:
Botswana, June 2005 - Report forthcoming  Download IWGIA's briefing note - in ENGLISH
Download the Working Group's press release from the visit - in ENGLISH
Namibia, July 2005 - Report forthcoming
Download IWGIA's briefing note - in ENGLISH
Download the Working Group's press release from the visit - in ENGLISH
Niger, February 2006 - Report forthcoming
Download IWGIA's briefing note - in FRENCH
Download the Working Group's press release from the visit - in FRENCH
Research and information visits
The research and information visits largely have the same purpose and focus as the country missions, i.e. to gather information about indigenous peoples’ human rights situation and to enter into dialogue with all relevant stakeholders in the country. The key difference between the two types of visits is the composition of the mission team. The country missions are always headed by an ACHPR Commissioner, whilst the research and information visits can be headed by any member of the Working Group. The reports emanating from the research and information visits, like the country mission reports, provide an overview of the various meetings held in the country, analyse indigenous peoples’ situation and give recommendations to stakeholders.
Research and information visits have been undertaken to:
Burundi, March-April 2005 Order or download the report
Republic of Congo, September 2005
Order or download the report
Libya, August 2005 (report forthcoming)
Uganda, July 2006 (report forthcoming)
Central African Republic, January 2007 (report forthcoming)
Gabon, October 2007 (report forthcoming)
Sensitisation seminars
The sensitisation seminars seek to raise awareness about the African Commission’s policy and work on indigenous issues. The seminars therefore deal with issues such as: the concept of ‘indigenous peoples’ in Africa, indigenous peoples’ human rights situation, the African Charter and the protection it provides indigenous peoples as well as the Working Group’s activities. The seminars are also intended to provide a platform for dialogue between various national stakeholders as well as between these stakeholders and the African Commission.
Regional sensitisation seminar
A sensitisation seminar for the Central African region was held in Cameroon in September 2006. This seminar was the first of its kind and drew participation from eight countries - Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The African Commission, states, national human rights institutions, NGOs and indigenous organisations were represented at the seminar, and fruitfully engaged in dialogue about indigenous peoples’ situation in Central Africa. The seminar covered issues such as criteria for identifying indigenous peoples, indigenous peoples' rights to land and natural resources, poverty amongst indigenous communities and their lack of access to health and education. Download the seminar's final comuniqué - in ENGLISH (pdf)
Download the seminar's final comuniqué - in FRENCH (pdf)
Media sensitisation seminars
The media are a central way by which to highlight indigenous peoples’ human rights issues, and this necessitates that journalists are aware of indigenous peoples’ rights and violations thereof. The media sensitisation seminars therefore engage journalists on indigenous issues and the African Commission’s work in this respect. They provide the opportunity for interaction between journalists and experts on indigenous peoples’ human rights, and create a forum for discussion and dialogue.
The seminars deal with similar topics to the regional sensitisation seminars, but also engage with issues that are peculiar to journalists, such as the constraints journalists experience in reporting on indigenous issues and how journalists can establish contacts with indigenous communities.
Media sensitization seminars have been organized for:
East African journalists, Tanzania in November 2007 Tanzanian journalists, Tanzania in December 2007 Central African journalists, Rwanda, December 2007
Report on indigenous peoples in Africa
The Working Group has produced a standard setting report on the rights of indigenous peoples in Africa, and this document has been adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) as its official conceptualization of indigenous peoples' rights.
Extensive consultations with African human rights experts and indigenous peoples' organisations were carried out during the drafting of the report. The final report was submitted to, and adopted, by the ACHPR in 2003. It provides, among other things, an analysis of the human rights situation of indigenous peoples in Africa seen in the light of the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and includes concrete recommendations to the African Commission. The report was published by the African Commission and IWGIA in 2005, and a summary version was published in 2006.
Read more about the report / order a copy
Download the whole report in English or French - or a summary version in English, French or Portuguese
International processes
The Working Group is also involved with the promotion of indigenous peoples’ human rights at the international level. The Working Group seeks to collaborate with all relevant UN human rights mechanisms such as the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ACHPR is, for example, undertaking a joint research project with the ILO on the extent to which African constitutions and legislation protect indigenous peoples’ rights, and the ACHPR and the OHCHR have co-hosted a seminar on indigenous peoples in Africa and the implementation of the UN’s 2nd Decade on indigenous peoples.
The Working Group has also followed the developments leading to the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration), and it has engaged with the African Union in order to raise awareness about the ACHPR’s approach to indigenous issues. The Working Group has sought to promote understanding of the fact that the UN Declaration is in line with the ACHPR’s own position as well as with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
ACHPR documents on the UN Declaration and other UN events:
Advisory Opinion on the UN Declaration - in ENGLISH (pdf)
Advisory Opinion on the UN Declaration - in FRENCH (pdf)
Communiqué on the UN Declaration - in ENGLISH (pdf)
Communiqué on the UN Declaration - in FRENCH (pdf)
Message on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, August 2007 - in ENGLISH (pdf)
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