Compliance with (Quasi-) Judicial Decisions within the Regional African Human Rights System. Challenges and Opportunities

The ‘Achilles’ heel’ of international and regional human rights monitoring bodies could be identified in the lack, or poor levels, of implementation of their findings at national levels. Even when these bodies’ decisions are judicially binding, national states still show a certain reluctance to fully implement their outcomes. This research brief focuses in particular on the African human rights system. It briefly overviews its principal human rights monitoring bodies, i.e. the African Court and Commission,  and seeks to decipher the reasons behind the poor implementation of their findings. The challenges and opportunities arising from its advanced institutional and normative architecture are highlighted, together with potential recommendations that could further advance and increase compliance at the national level.