The African Human Rights Yearbook is published each year within a framework of complementarity between these three institutions to promote research, the protection of human rights and create a space for constructive exchange between academics, experts, and actors in the field of human rights across the African continent.

The African Human Rights Yearbook (Yearbook) focuses on various themes relevant to the African human rights system and African Union law. This joint publication has been initiated within the framework of the complementarity relationships among the three institutions to spearhead studies on the promotion and protection of human rights and to provide a forum for constructive engagement about the African human rights system with academics and other human rights commentators on the continent.

The Yearbook appears annually under the aegis of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The Yearbook is an Open Access Journal and provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

To further enrich its impact and credibility, the Yearbook has recently received accreditation with SCOPUS, an international citation database launched in 2004. This accreditation bears testament to the rigorous editorial standards and scholarly significance of the Yearbook in enriching the intellectual wealth of the African human rights discourse.

Submissions are accepted for fully developed articles and case discussions contributing to the human rights discourse in Africa. Although the contributions are expected to take a continental (African) approach to the issues they cover, country-specific or sub-regional level case studies that relate to the African regional human rights system are also considered.

For the aspects of the African human rights system or African Union human rights standards, focus is on exploring the domestic impact of African Union human rights treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and its Protocols, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Authors are also encouraged to explore the impact of cases decided by the three institutions (the Commission, the Court and the Committee) at the domestic level.

Concerning the African Union theme of the Year 2024, articles focusing on the education of an African fit for the 21st century, as well as building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa, are welcomed.

The Yearbook also includes a section titled Case Commentaries, inviting critical propositions to analyze and improve case law. Authors are required to consult recent decisions and judgments of the Commission, the Court and the Committee on their respective websites to review recent jurisprudential developments these bodies have made.

In recognition of the intellectual work and the value it adds to the Yearbook, authors of finally accepted papers are added to a database of thematic experts of the African Court, the African Commission, and the Children’s Committee. They are also involved in various relevant activities and events organized by the three institutions either separately or jointly.

References

African Human Rights Yearbook