AFRICA
Africa section
of the 2001 World Report
Africa
section of the 2000 World Report
Africa
section of the 1999 World Report
Africa
section of the 1998 World Report
Protectors
or Pretenders: Government Human Rights Commissions in Africa
State-sponsored national human rights
commissions have become a new vogue among governments, particularly in
Africa, over the past decade. While many human rights activists view this
trend with skepticism, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
and donor governments are actively championing these institutions as a
manifest contribution to human rights. The proliferation of these commissions,
many formed by repressive governments, poses something of a dilemma for
human rights activists who are more accustomed to challenging the state
on rights issues than collaborating with it. The question is: are
such state? sponsored human rights bodies to be regarded with suspicion
or should their development be encouraged? This report examines how,
and whether, the commissions set up by African governments are contributing
towards the protection of human rights. Our findings provide
an opportunity for governments, the United Nations, and donors, to take
stock, and where appropriate, to be more circumspect about their unquestioning
enthusiasm for these bodies.
(2556), 01/01, 428pp., $25.00
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Africa
-- Clinton Administration Policy & H. R. In Africa
The Clinton administration deserves commendation
for its recent efforts to develop a fresh approach toward Africa. The continent
is finally receiving high-level attention from the U.S. government, including
a trip by Secretary of State Albright in December 1997 and a historic visit
from President Clinton in 1998. The emphasis of the administration's new
Africa policy is on trade and security. But neither stability nor economic
development can be sustained in the face of new rounds of repression of
civil society and political opposition and massacres of civilians, with
their attendant refugee flows and humanitarian disaster. The success of
the administration's approach will ultimately hinge on the assertive promotion
of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
(A1001) 3/98, 19pp., $3.00.
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HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFRICA AND U.S. POLICY
The White House conference on Africa came at a time when the Clinton
Administration’s cautious response to the monstrous crime of genocide in
Rwanda was increasingly under attack at home and abroad and offered an
opportunity for it to adopt a much-needed change of course. This report
offers a summary of human rights developments and U.S. human rights policy
in ten African countries.
(A606) 7/94, 37 pp., $5.00/£2.95
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