Secretariat News
SADC Lawyers’ Association (SADCLA) 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Conference
PALU participated in the SADCLA AGM and Conference held on 2 and 3 August in Malawi.
For the official Communiqué of the AGM and conference click
here.
The keynote address was delivered by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation Patron, H.E Thabo Mbeki.
Click
here for the keynote address.
PALU to Take Part in Conference on Illicit Financial Flows (IFF)
The Financial Transparency Coalition and Policy Forum will be holding a Conference on the theme ‘
Towards Transparency: Making the Global Financial System Work for Development.’ The annual event brings together leaders in the development and finance communities to draw attention to the growing problem of IFF. The Conference will take place at White Sands Hotel on 1 and 2 October 2013. It will address how to increase global financial transparency and bolster equitable economic development.
Illicit financial outflows from developing countries which total around $1 trillion per year undermines a country’s tax base and erodes the accountability that is essential for good governance and global stability.
Conference speakers and participants will discuss the mechanisms of IFF and how the current system enables the movement of illegal money around the globe. Presentations throughout the two days will examine the links between IFF and extractive industries, conflict and instability, illicit wildlife and arms trades, and more. Participants will also discuss current proposals for greater financial transparency.
IFF is one of the main focus areas of PALU and will be the theme of the PALU Triennial Assembly and Conference to be held later this year.
You can visit the Conference website at:
http://conference.financialtransparency.org/conf/
2nd Annual Consultation on Governance and Democracy in Africa: Trends, Challenges and Prospects.
PALU will take part in the second High Level Consultation on Governance and Democracy in Africa: Trends, Challenges and Prospects. The Consultation, which is organized annually by the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission, and hosted by the Government of Senegal, will be under the theme “
Enhancing Constitutionalism and Rule of Law in Africa”. It will be held in Dakar, Senegal from 28-30 November 2013.
Click
here for the Concept note containing more details about the event.
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News from Our Members
Articles on Topical African Legal Issues by PALU Member
Dr. Mehari Taddele Maru, an active member of PALU, has enabled us access several articles that he has published, on issues pertinent to the social, economic and political situation in Africa. He is an independent international consultant. Until August 2012, he was the Programme Manager for African Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis at the Institute for Security Studies. A former fellow of very prestigious programmes at Harvard and Oxford Universities, he holds a Doctorate of Legal Sciences (DSL) from JL Giessen University, Germany, MPA from Harvard and MSc from University of Oxford and LLB from Addis Ababa University. Dr. Maru has served as the Programme Coordinator for Migration and Legal Expert at the African Union Commission. He worked as Director of the Addis Ababa University Office for University Reform.
For a full list of his Articles and more information about him you can visit his web page at
http://meharitaddele.info.
Meanwhile, we welcome PALU members and friends to similarly share with us articles, opinions and other publication that may be of interest to fellow members.
News from other Organizations
The Kenyan High Court affirms the right to dignity and freedom of movement of refugees
The Kenyan High Court delivered a ground breaking Judgement on the rights of refugees with implications for hundreds of thousands of refugees living in Kenya. The Court affirmed the right to freedom of movement and the right of refugees to live in urban areas. The decision by the Court puts the right to dignity for refugees back at the heart of refugee protection. For an international refugee protection regime under threat, this Judgement is inspiring.
To read the entire Judgement click
here .
For a short analysis of the decision by Deirdre Clancy of International Refugee Rights Initiative, a close collaborating partner of PALU, click
here.
PALU applauds the Kenyan High Court for this landmark Judgement, and Ms. Clancy for her prompt analysis of it.
The African Court Coalition (ACC) Holds Meeting in Democratic Republic Of Congo (DRC)
The ACC held an advocacy mission in Democratic Republic of Congo from 14to 16 August. The meeting was held in collaboration with the Coalition’s Central Africa Focal Point: Association de Droits de l’Homme et l’Univers Carcéral, Action against Impunity for Human Rights (ACIDH) and the Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ). It focused on the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights Establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Protocol) and the Declaration under Article 34(6) of the same Protocol.
For more information on presentations and resolutions you can contact Sophia Ebby at
legalofficer_1@africancourtcoalition.org.
Côte d’Ivoire Deposits the Article 34(6) Declaration of the African Court Protocol
On 23 July 2013,Côte d’Ivoire deposited the Declaration required under Article 34(6) of the Protocol Establishing the African Court accepting the competence of the Court to receive cases directly from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with observer status before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights or individuals.
Article 34(6) of the Protocol provides that ‘at the time of the ratification of this Protocol or any time thereafter, the State shall make a declaration accepting the competence of the Court to receive cases under Article 5(3) of this Protocol. Article 5(3) provides that ‘the Court may entitle relevant Non Governmental organizations (NGOs) with observer status before the Commission, and individuals to institute cases directly before it, in accordance with article 34 (6) of this Protocol.’ The Court shall not receive any petition under Article 5(3) involving a State Party which has not made such a declaration’.
Côte d’Ivoire is the seventh African Union Member State to deposit the Declaration, after Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda and Tanzania.
PALU would like to congratulate Côte d’Ivoire on this development to increase access to the African Court and encourages the rest of the African nations to follow suit.
Please click
here for a copy of the Declaration.
For the official Press Release from the Court click
here
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Upcoming Events
30th Ordinary Session and 6th Extra-Ordinary Session of the African Court
The African Court will hold its 30th Ordinary Session from the 16-27September 2013 in Arusha, Tanzania. The Extra-ordinary session will run from 30th September - 4th October 2013.
For more information you can visit the African Court’s official website at
www.african-court.org.
The Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) AML & Financial Crime Conference Africa
The ACAML will hold a conference from 9-11 December 2013 at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, Ghana. The Conference aims to provide Executives with critical regulatory updates, effective tactics for combating financial crime, and powerful solutions to the region’s toughest compliance challenges.
The 2013 program has been crafted from the latest financial crime intelligence to deliver cutting-edge, lively sessions including:
Click
here for the full conference Brochure containing further information.
Advertisements and Vacancies
African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC) Essay Competition
The AUABC has organized an Anti-Corruption Youth Essay Competition within the framework of the festivities to mark the tenth anniversary of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC). The activities also include the Annual International Anti-corruption week, which is a major item in the Regional Anticorruption Programme for Africa, developed by the UNECA, in collaboration with the AUABC.
Click
here for the full details including deadlines.
Call for Abstracts: Legal Research, Sudan and the Durham Archive
The University of Durham will be holding a conference on Sudan from 16-17 December 2013. This Conference intends to bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines with an interest in the legal and political developments in Sudan. It will take advantage of the University’s role as curator of the leading archive on material relating to Sudan, founded in 1957.
The keynote address will be given by Professor Abdullahi An-Na’im of Emory Law School, Atlanta.The University has also sent out a call for abstracts: "Legal Research, Sudan and the Durham Archive".
For more information click
here.
Alternatively you can contact Professor Tom Allen, Grey College,South Road, Durham, United Kingdom DH1 3LG (or email
Thomas.Allen@durham.ac.uk).
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