Regional Instruments of Democratic Governance and Conflict Prevention

The African Union, ECOWAS and other institutions at the regional level have developed legal instruments aiming to promoting democratic gouvernance and preventing conflicts. Some of them have to be ratified in order to be fully effective. Better knowledge of those instruments among women and youth in West Africa is necessary in order to have them ratified and effectively implemented.

Conflict Prevention | Governance & Democracy | Human Rights | Women Rights | Youth & Child Protection

>> also view: AU Instruments | ECOWAS Instruments | Endogenous Mechanisms

Conflict Prevention

ECOWAS mechanisms

• Convention on Small Arms & Light Weapons in Conflict Prevention (June 2006)
• Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security (July 1999)

African Union mechanisms

• Non-Agression and Common Defence Pact (January 2005)
• Protocol relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (July 2002)

Governance & Democracy

• African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (January 2007)
• ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (December 2001) 
• AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (July 2003) 
• ECOWAS Protocol on the Fight against Corruption (December 2001) - French 

Human Rights

• Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (June 1998)
• African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (June 1981)

Women Rights

• Protocol of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (July 2003)

Youth & Child Protection

• African Youth Charter (July 2006)
• ECOWAS Declaration on the Decade of the Culture of the Rights of the Child in West Africa (December 2001)
• African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (July 1990)