ISLA at the 83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Banjul, The Gambia | 29 April – 3 May 2025

As part of its commitment to strengthening the African regional mechanisms, the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) convened and contributed to multiple strategic spaces on the sidelines of the 83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) held in Banjul, The Gambia. These engagements focused on advancing transparency in human rights mechanisms, asserting contested rights, and reinforcing civil society solidarity in the face of anti-rights pushback.

On the 29th of April, ISLA co-convened the launch of the ACSE SOGIE Advocacy Working Group Strategy and Operational Guidelines, reinforcing its commitment to intersectional, coordinated, and sustained engagement on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) rights at the regional level .

A day later, on the 30th of April, ISLA co-convened a side event with the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA). The side event “Litigating SOGIE Before the African Human Rights System: Asserting Contested Rights in a Changing Landscape” provided a space that brought together practitioners and defenders to explore the intersection of strategic litigation, advocacy, and movement-building in the face of rising anti-rights narratives across the continent .

Additionally, as a member of the Article 59(1) Campaign and the Litigants Group, ISLA convened a side event on the 3rd of May titled “Reclaiming the People’s Mechanism: Confronting the Disappearing Records at the ACHPR”. The session interrogated the Commission’s regressive interpretation of Article 59(1) of the African Charter and its impact on transparency, procedural fairness, and access to justice. Panellists, including litigants and legal advocates, called for urgent institutional reforms and reaffirmed the centrality of access to information in realizing the justice.

These interventions reflect ISLA’s continued dedication to protecting and advancing human rights through strategic litigation, inter-movement solidarity, and regional advocacy. The outcomes of these sessions will inform ISLA’s litigation priorities and coalition-building efforts in the coming months.

Please see a full breakdown of our activities in the Communiqué linked below.

For further enquiries, kindly contact:

Mai Aman

Legal Officer, ISLA