The Judicial and Human Rights Centre(JHRC) is the main body within the AU Watch structure that is responsible for promoting the human rights agenda of the organisation. Simply put, we promote and defend civil, political, social and economic rights in Africa. We also monitor the activities and policies all the AU organs with a human rights mandate – and hold the AU and its Members accountable to live up to the standards of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and all the other hard and soft laws, enacted by the various human rights bodies of the AU.
Another key function of the JHRC is to assist the AU to promote its human rights policies, activities and agenda. The objective is to bring as many people into the AU conversation. We assist collaborating partners in organising themselves, supporting them so that they can become important players in civil society, capable of raising public awareness about the what AU human rights bodies are doing, and to have an impact on the authorities in their country.
The Centre also coordinates its network of partners by promoting exchanges, proposing, conducting and monitoring regional and international training events and joint advocacy campaigns, thus supporting the activities of the AU and providing it with exposure nationally, regionally and internationally.
AU Watch is a registered African non-profit that is religiously and politically unaffiliated.