This is a Report on the findings and recommendations emanating from a study (undertaken from June 2014 to March 2015) on the state of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in Africa, conducted for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Network for African Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI).  

This Report is in line with the UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017, which places human rights at the center of its work and implements this commitment through three strategic areas of intervention: supporting the strengthening national human rights systems; promoting the application of a human rights-based approach to development programming; and greater engagement with the international human rights machinery. 

NHRIs play an essential role in a country towards the advancement of the human rights agenda, good governance and sustainable development. This Report therefore, responds to the work of the African Union Commission (AUC) on the Human Rights Strategy for Africa, which includes the state of institutions that support democracy and human rights and in particular Member States’ readiness to implement the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance (ACDEG).