ZANZIBAR President Dr Hussein Mwinyi is today expected to grace the opening of the first tripartite judicial dialogue between the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (AfCHPR), the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice.
AfCHPR President Lady Justice Imani Daudi Aboud told journalists here yesterday that the three - day dialogue, bringing together 30 judges and over 50 lawyers from the three regional and sub-regional courts will be held here in Zanzibar.
"We expect the Zanzibar President to grace the opening of our dialogue tomorrow (today), which will provide opportunities for knowledge sharing and how best to face common challenges," Justice Aboud said.
Some of the challenges facing the courts are low ratification rate, implementation of court decisions, and withdrawal from membership.
She further said that the dialogue will provide a platform for enhanced collaboration of the three upper courts of Africa and other key stakeholders, through discussions on various key matters of common interest, including best practices and emerging issues that the courts encounter while undertaking their mandates.
President of the ECOWAS CCJ Justice Edward Amoako Asante also pointed out that the dialogue is a 'historic opportunity' to build foundation for a lasting cooperation between the courts and partners towards strengthening the courts for greater efficiency in delivering on their mandates, particularly in holding the state accountable for their obligations.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Justice Aboud and other speakers at the media briefing including Ms Christine Mutimura-deputy registrar of the EACJ, and Mr Nouhou Madani Diallo-deputy registrar of the AfCHPR, said many citizens of African states still do not know much about the courts, necessitating the need for increased awareness through the media.
They said that effective dissemination of information by the courts would help to enhance human rights and generally help lay a strong foundation for measurable and authentic democratic societies in African countries.
They urged journalists to be in the forefront to report objectively about activities of the Courts to enable a larger part of our citizens to feel, understand and appreciate the roles of the Courts and how they can access them easily.
The dialogue has been facilitated by Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, through support from the Swedish Development Cooperation, and in cooperation with Konrad Stiftung, GIZ and the UN office of the High Commission on Human Rights.
