Resolution on Strengthening the Responsibility to Protect in Africa

We, the participants of the NGO Forum preceding the 41st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the 15th African Human Rights Book Fair, held at the Coconut Grove Hotel, Accra, from 12 – 14 May 2007,

Recall the report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) of 2001 which set the foundation for governmental and civil society effort in achieving international consensus on the Responsibility to Protect,

Note the report of the Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations – Civil Society Relations dated 7 July 2004 which among other things proposed increased civil society participation in the activities of the United Nations,

Mindful of the report of the High – Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Changes (A more secure world: our shared responsibility) dated 1 December 2004 with particular reference to pages 29 – 30 which called for Member States to endorse the Responsibility to Protect,

Further note the report of the United Nations Secretary General entitled ‘In Larger Freedom: Towards Security, Development and Human Rights for All’ particularly paragraph 18 and 19 which call for collective action in tackling human security challenges,

Re-affirm paragraph 138 and 139 of the United Nations Summit Declaration of September 2005, where the international community expressed its determination to its responsibility and readiness to act where national authorities fail to protect their population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,

Further Re-affirm the September 2005 United Nations Summit Declaration calling for the cooperation of relevant regional organisations to help protect populations from these grave threats and the common African position on the proposed reform of the United Nations otherwise known as the ‘Ezulwini Consensus’ where the African Union in its 7th Extraordinary Session of March 2005 in Addis Ababa adopted the Responsibility to Protect,

Deeply concerned at the slow response of the international community to past acts of genocide and crimes against humanity in Rwanda and the continued slow response to the allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur,

Call on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to:

Re-affirm paragraph 138 and 139 of the September 2005 United Nations Summit Declaration, where governments endorsed their collective responsibility to protect population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity when individual states “manifestly fail” to protect their own populations from these grave threats,

Urge the African Union to accelerate the promotion and protection of human and peoples’ rights by ensuring good governance and take steps to progressively protect their citizens from avoidable conflicts and provide fair and equitable participation in resource allocation and distribution,

Call on African States to expedite action towards commitment to the people of Darfur by increasing financial and logistics support for the African Union Mission with clear and effective civilian protection mandate in Darfur.

Done in Accra, May 14th, 2007