Our advocacy team seeks to influence Africa’s Heads of State and Government, its Policy Organs and the African Commission which has oversight for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa. Our advocacy also targets policy-makers at the level of the Recs, AU Member States with tailored analysis and recommendations for change which are presented in the form of Policy Papers, Analysis and other forms of publications. We use advocacy to influence the AU, AU Member States, NGO partners and the public at large to adopt practices that ensure the protection of those in need. Our long-term objective is an Africa where no one will have the need to seek refuge anywhere. We use advocacy to influence the AU, AU Member States, NGO partners and the public at large to adopt practices that ensure the protection of those in need.

We also promote justice for refugees by supporting them to speak out for their rights. Advocacy helps to transform policies and services that affect displaced and stateless people on a national, regional and global level. It is a vital part of our work at AU Watch. We work with the African Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Refugees, IDPs, Asylum Seekers and Migrants to ensure that AU Member States bring policies, practices and laws into compliance with regional and international standards.

We intercede on behalf of those who are suffering, in poverty or without protection, in order to influence those in positions of power who can save lives. We seek to not only defend and speak up on behalf of the vulnerable, but with and alongside them.

To that end, we seek to:
Address structural inequality & violence that causes people to leave their homes;
• Increase awareness
• Build a movement for justice
• Deepen empathy and understanding
• Catalyse engagement

Advocacy on the African Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa
We provide thorough and authoritative analysis of AU refugee crises with a particular focus on the rights of IDPs, those who are stateless and women who are especially vulnerable to large scale movement. Its overall objective is to ensure that the legal framework for the protection of refugees, IDPs, asylum seekers and migrants reflects the highest human rights standards. We analyse and provide detailed recommendations for improvement of refugee treatment. We analyse national legal frameworks and practice, assessing compliance with AU and international human rights law and jurisprudence.