Luanda - The Angolan Parliament unanimously approved this Wednesday the draft resolution for Angola's accession to the Protocol Relating to the Creation of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Draft Resolution was approved with 164 votes in favor, no votes against and no abstentions at the 6th Ordinary Plenary Meeting, chaired by the president of the legislative body, Carolina Cerqueira.
Deputy José Lopes Semedo, from the MPLA, indicated, on the occasion, that Angola's adherence to the aforementioned protocol has a high political-social significance in terms of material internal and international impact in the field of human and peoples' rights.
He emphasized that the country's accession to the African Peoples' Court requires, on the one hand, the deepening of the process of creating the necessary conditions to effectively guarantee the promotion and defense of these rights and, on the other, it sends a very clear and unequivocal signal to the international community about Angola's serious commitment in these matters.
Representative Sandra Cacunda, from the UNITA parliamentary group, justified her vote in favor by the fact that Angola's accession to the protocol constitutes a step towards the much-desired continental integration in various areas.
'The parliamentary group voted in favor of the resolution because it considers that respect for human rights is a value and a premise for the dignity of the human person, in the hope that Angola's accession will have an impact on improving the human rights framework in the country', maintained.
The legislator understands that the country's commitments to international institutions, in particular the African Union, must be reflected in the lives of Angolan citizens.
The OAU Conference of Heads of State and Government, held in June 1994, approved, through Resolution AHG/Res. 239, the creation of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Court's objectives are to guarantee the promotion and protection of Human and Peoples' Rights, as well as their freedoms and obligations.
The Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights was approved on June 9, 1998, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and came into force on January 25, 2004, after its ratification by more than 15 countries. Currently 34 States have ratified the Protocol.
The Protocol Relating to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Creation of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, does not have, in its text, principles and norms that violate the legal order and the Constitution of the Republic of Angola.
It has a preambular part and a dispositive part, containing 35 articles.
In the first (10) ten articles, the Protocol refers to the creation of the court, its organization, competence, functioning and relations with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Court officially began its functions in November 2006, with headquarters in Addis Ababa, (Ethiopia) and then transferred its headquarters in August 2007 to Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.
Of the (34) thirty-four Member States of the Protocol, only (8) 08 deposited a declaration of recognition of the Court's jurisdiction, for cases presented directly by NGOs and natural individuals.
The Court exercises consultative and contentious powers, complementary to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Court is made up of 11 eleven Judges from OAU Member States with recognized legal and judicial competence and experience, as well as extensive academic experience in the field of Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Member State has the right to present a maximum of (3) three applications, (2) two of which are reserved for national citizens.
The Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union elects, by secret vote, the members of the Court, with the criteria of regional equitable representation of the main regions of Africa, its main legal traditions and, in particular, providing greater attention to adequate representation of both sexes.
The judge's term of office is six years and can be reelected only once. With the exception of the president, who resides in the headquarters where the Court is located, the other judges reside in their countries of origin.
African Medicines Agency
Angolan deputies unanimously approved the Draft Resolution for Angola's accession to the Treaty that creates the African Medicines Agency (AMA).
The Treaty creating the African Medicines Agency (AMA) was adopted in February 2019, by the 32nd Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
The African Medicines Agency is a specialized agency of the African Union.
The AMA's main objective is to improve access to quality, safe and effective medical products on the African continent and aims to strengthen the capacity of States Parties and Regional Economic Communities to regulate access to medical products. DC/ART/DOJ
