Continental Human Rights Courts to strengthen democratic institutions

Three continental human rights courts have reaffirmed their commitment to support national efforts to enhance democratic institutions and human rights protection systems as well as to collaborate to address shared issues and risks to the effectiveness of human rights.

The European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights all reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation and joint efforts, which have made it possible for each court to share its conceptual and jurisprudential standards for the benefit of all three of their respective systems.

The "Declaration of San Jose," made by the three continental human rights courts, was reaffirmed at the conclusion of a conference held in San José, Costa Rica, on May 25 and 26, 2023, as part of the Dialogue among Regional Human Rights Courts.

The three continental human rights courts agreed to take into account the institutional and jurisprudential dialogue's historical framework in a communique that was provided to the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

The "Declaration of San Jose of July 18, 2018," in which the three continental human rights courts said that the purpose of their institutional conversation would be to promote the protection of human rights and access to international justice for the people under their respective jurisdictions, was also taken into consideration.

They also mentioned the Kampala Declaration of October 29, 2019, which emphasised the value of improving communication and sharing jurisprudence with national courts as one of the mechanisms for ensuring that national courts refer to the rulings of regional courts and aiding in the long-term enforcement of these rulings.

Additionally, the three continental courts reiterated their dedication to the tenets and goals set forth in each of their different regional human rights agreements.

The American Convention on Human Rights, the European Convention on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and other pertinent international human rights instruments are among the instruments.

The three Courts concurred that in order to maintain peace and uphold human dignity, states in the three regions that fall within their respective jurisdictions must ensure that democracy, human rights, and sustainable development are effectively protected.

-CDA Consult || Contributor