By Arret Jatta
Emmanuel Joof has called for stronger implementation of human rights decisions across Africa, warning that justice loses meaning when court rulings and recommendations remain unenforced.
The National Human Rights Commission chairperson made the remark during a side event organised by the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa on the margins of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights sessions yesterday.
Speaking during discussions on the publication “Making Human Rights Decisions Matter,” Joof said Africa does not suffer from a shortage of human rights judgments or declarations, but rather from weak implementation mechanisms.
“We have the decisions, the judgments and recommendations, but unfortunately many beautifully bound reports sit on shelves collecting dust,” he said.
He stressed that victims of human rights violations need remedies and accountability rather than symbolic declarations or press statements.
According to Joof, weak implementation undermines public trust in the human rights system and normalises impunity across the continent.
“A judgment that is never implemented can just be regarded as a piece of paper,” he stated.
He identified weak enforcement mechanisms, lack of political will, poor domestic incorporation of regional decisions and limited public awareness as major obstacles to implementation.
He explained that unlike national courts, regional human rights bodies heavily depend on state cooperation to enforce their decisions.
Joof emphasised the important role national human rights institutions can play in bridging the gap between regional human rights systems and domestic implementation.
He urged commissions across Africa to actively track decisions from the African Commission, African Court, Ecowas Court and UN mechanisms to ensure governments fulfil their obligations.
Drawing from The Gambia’s experience, Joof noted that the NHRC already engages government institutions and the National Assembly on treaty obligations, legal reforms and implementation of recommendations from the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission.
He further called for stronger collaboration between national human rights institutions and civil society organisations to increase public awareness and political pressure for implementation of human rights decisions.
