In 1981 the OAU adopted the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR). It is seen as the primary instrument for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa. It came into force in 1986 and all OAU/AU states are now party to it. The ACHPR provides for an eleven-member independent Commission, based in Banjul, The Gambia, to monitor implementation of its provisions. In addition, in 1998 the OAU AHSG adopted the Protocol to the African Charter establishing an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. As at the time of writing this Protocol had just received the necessary number of ratifications to come into force.

In order to put this book, examining the role of the OAU/AU in human rights, into context, the ACHPR must be mentioned. This chapter will not, however, focus on the work of the Commission or the provisions of the Charter which has been covered in detail elsewhere. Instead it will attempt to place the work of the Commission within the context of its parent organisation, the OAU/AU, to consider the OAU/AU's role in facilitating the functioning of the Commission and the integration of the Commission's work throughout the rest of the organs of the OAU/AU.

It is also essential to mention in this context the two ministerial conferences on human rights held at the levels of the OAU and AU, in Grand Bay, Mauritius, and Kigali, Rwanda, which have had a positive impact in consolidating the relationship between the Commission and the OAU/AU organs.