Human Rights in Africa: From the OAU to the African Union

This work examines the role of the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union, and how it has dealt with human rights since its inception in 1963. It considers the role of its main institutions both under the OAU and its transformation into the African Union. The book is divided into chapters examining various themes including the rights of women, the rights of the child, the concept of democracy and the right to development. Written by a leading human rights scholar, this book is essential reading for lawyers acting for African states, and for foreign governments and NGOs active in Africa, as well as being of interest to international and comparative human rights scholars.

• Examines how the main political institution in Africa, the OAU/AU, has dealt with human rights: offers a detailed consideration of the institution • Is centred around the debate regarding the provisions for human rights in the Constitutive Act of the Union, adopted in July 2000 • Written by a leading human rights scholar: will have broad appeal to international and comparative human rights scholars, African law scholars, as well as practitioners

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; 1. Historical overview of human rights in the OAU/AU; 2. The relationship between the OAU/AU and the African Commission on human and peoples’ rights; 3. The link between human rights and democracy; 4. The relationship between conflict and human rights; 5. Women and the OAU/AU; 6. Children’s rights in the OAU/AU; 7. Refugees and human rights; 8. Development, NEPAD and human rights; 9. Conclusion; Appendix I. Charter of the Organization of African Unity; Appendix II. Constitutive Act of the African Union; Appendix III. African Charter on human and peoples’ rights; Bibliography; Index.

\'Being mainly descriptive analyses of African human rights regionalism … Murray\'s book, in particular, provides sufficiently researched material for anyone interested in getting an updated picture of … the place of human rights in regional political institutions.\' Leiden Journal of International Law