Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Highlight Role of Parliaments in Protecting and Promoting Human Rights

Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami held talks on Thursday, April 14, 2022, at the headquarters of the House, a delegation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, headed by Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, Chairperson of the Commission, received by the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), on April 11-15.

At the outset of the meeting, Mr. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu and his entourage thanked the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the warm reception and gave a presentation on the structure and prerogatives of the Commission. In this respect, they noted that the visit and meetings in Morocco are part of the dialogue led by the National Human Rights Council and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights on the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and the promotion of dialogue with various institutional actors, especially the legislative institution, on the African human rights system.

Mr. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu and his entourage stated that their meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and other institutional and civil stakeholders aims to stimulate a debate on the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and an interaction with the African human rights system, which would contribute to the efforts to broaden the base of accession to the African Charter and the identification of opportunities and obligations it will entail, in addition to ways in which each component of the national system interacts with the African human rights system.

For his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami thanked Mr. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu and his entourage for the visit, and reviewed the progress and achievements made by the Kingdom of Morocco in the field of human rights and freedoms during the last two decades under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. In the same vein, he highlighted the Moroccan experience in the field of transitional justice and reparation, and the provisions of the 2011 Moroccan Constitution, which affirm Morocco's commitment to human rights as they are universally recognized, in addition to the competences and powers granted by the Constitution to the National Human Rights Council, which has a partnership and cooperation agreement with the House of Representatives.

In the same vein, Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami highlighted the competences and role of the House of Representatives and its bodies in promoting and protecting human rights in fields of legislation and government control and scrutiny. This occurs, he added, through written and oral questions, as well as through the evaluation of related public policies, and the examination and discussion of reports issued by the institutions of governance, in accordance with constitutional regulations and the decisions of the Constitutional Court.

Besides, the Speaker of the House recalled the achievements made during the last decade, which enabled the House to gain a distinguished position in numerous continental, regional and international parliamentary bodies and organizations. In this regard, he expressed the House’s readiness to share its experience with various institutions, bodies and commissions and to promote its utilization, especially in the field of human rights and freedoms and to open up to civil society through the mechanism of the right to submit petitions and motions.

It should be noted that the delegation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights is composed of Hon. Marie Louise Abomo, Commissioner and Chairperson of the Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Africa; Hon. Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, Commissioner and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa; Hon. Idrissa Sow, Commissioner and Chairperson of the Working Group on the Death Penalty, Extra-Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings and Enforced Disappearances in Africa; and Hon. Hannah Forster, the Executive Director of the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies.