Date of publication
Feb. 24, 2023
Publishing Organization
African Commission and Court on Human and Peoples Rights
Document Type
Judgement
Country
Tanzania
Protected Area Reference
Relevant paragraphs, or extracts

Press Statement at the Conclusion of the Promotion Mission of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to the United Republic of Tanzania, 23-28 January 2023

In view of all the above, the Delegation, in the interim, urges the Government of Tanzania to:

General:

  • Domesticate and observe the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, as well as other regional human rights legal instruments that have been ratified by Tanzania;
  • Ratify the regional and international human rights instruments that have not yet been ratified by Tanzania, including: the African Union Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons,  and the African Convention on Data Protection and Cyber Security;
  • Consider re-instating the declaration under Article 34(6) of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, which permits individual and NGO access to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which was withdrawn in 2019.
  • Implement the recommendations given in the Promotion Mission to the United Republic of Tanzania, which was conducted by the Commission in 2008, as well as the Research and Information Visit conducted by its Working Group on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples/Communities and Minorities, in 2013;
  • Submit outstanding Periodic Reports under Article 62 of the African Charter and participate regularly in the activities of the Commission including attending sessions and programmes of the Commission; and
  • Put in place effective mechanisms for ensuring the protection of Human Rights Defenders from attacks, including by conducting prompt investigations into reported attacks and guaranteeing access to justice.

Specifically:

  • In light of several communities’ calls for effective and conclusive consultations, explore fresh rounds of civil dialogues with the respective pastoral and farming communities in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Loliondo and Msomera, to advance peaceful resolutions of individual and group grievances in the implementation of the Government’s conservation efforts in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and in Loliondo;
  • Ensure, in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, including specifically Articles 21 and 22 of the same, the inclusive, effective, and rigorous participation of local and affected communities, including the women and youth, in all conservation programs and processes initiated by the Government, in the Ngonrongoro Conservation Area and in Loliondo;
  • Provide adequate information and timely assistance to pastoralists in the Ngonrongoro Conservation Area who have signed up for voluntary relocation and ensure their adequate and effective compensation in line with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; and 
  • Attend to the complaints about the decline in social amenities and infrastructure in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to ensure continued dignified living conditions for the local communities whilst awaiting the relocation of those who have volunteered to be relocated, as well as for those who choose to remain behind, in respect of which latter group the Government should reach a mutually acceptable strategy with the affected people.