1. Every young person accused or found guilty of having infringed the penal law shall have the right to be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.

2. States Parties shall in particular: d) Provide induction programmes for imprisoned youth that are based on reformation, social rehabilitation and re-integration into family life;

2. States Parties shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures to: m) Provide rehabilitation for young people abusing drugs such that they can be re-integrated into social and economic life;

2. States Parties shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures to: f) Expand the availability and encourage the uptake of voluntary counselling and confidential testing for HIV/AIDS;

RECALLING the resolution of the Heads of State and government during the 1999 Algiers Summit for the development of the Pan-African Charter;

ACKNOWLEDGING the commitments already made towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and inviting the partners to reaffirm their support to advance the well-being of youth;

RECALLING the historic injustices imposed on Africa such as slavery, colonization, depletion of natural resources and taking into account the firm will of African peoples for self-determination and the economic integration of Africa;

TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION the needs and aspirations of young displaced persons, refugees and youth with special needs;

1. Every young person shall have the right to free association and freedom of peaceful assembly in conformity with the law.

1. States Parties of the African Union to the present Charter shall recognize the rights, freedoms and duties enshrined in this Charter.

CONSIDERING that Article 66 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights provides for special protocols or agreements, if necessary, to supplement the provisions of the African Charter, and that the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity meeting in its Thirty-first Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June 1995, endorsed by resolution AHG/Res.240 (XXXI) the recommendation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to elaborate a Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa;

Every young person has the right to leave any country, including his/her own, and to return to his/her country.

2. States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure that youth are protected against all forms of discrimination on the basis of status, activities, expressed opinions or beliefs.

Every young person shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

2. States Parties shall ensure that young men and young women enjoy equal rights to own property.

2. States Parties shall commit themselves to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of women and men through public education, information, education and communication strategies, with a view to achieving the elimination of harmful cultural and traditional practices and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes, or on stereotyped roles for women and men.

4. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures with a view to achieving full realisation of this right and shall, in particular: k) Encourage youth participation in community work as part of education to build a sense of civic duty;

1. Every young person shall be assured the right to express his or her ideas and opinions freely in all matters and to disseminate his or her ideas and opinions subject to the restrictions as are prescribed by laws.

1. The family, as the most basic social institution, shall enjoy the full protection and support of States Parties for its establishment and development noting that the structure and form of families varies in different social and cultural contexts.

1. Every young person shall have the right to social, economic, political and cultural development with due regard to their freedom and identity and in equal enjoyment of the common heritage of mankind.

1. Every young person shall have the right to participate in all spheres of society.

1. Every State Parties shall develop a comprehensive and coherent national youth policy. a) The policy shall be cross-sectoral in nature considering the inter- relatedness of the challenges facing young people;

1. Every young person shall have the right to gainful employment.

State Parties undertake to design and implement social and economic policies and programmes that promote sustainable development and human security.

State Parties shall establish public institutions that promote and support democracy and constitutional order.

Reaffirming our collective will to work relentlessly to deepen and consolidate the rule of law, peace, security and development in our countries;

Determined to promote and strengthen good governance through the institutionalization of transparency, accountability and participatory democracy;

In this Charter, unless otherwise stated, the following expressions shall have the following meaning: “Constitutive Act” means the Constitutive Act of the Union;

The objectives of this Charter are to: Promote State Parties' sustainable development and human security;

Concerned about the unconstitutional changes of governments that are one of the essential causes of insecurity, instability and violent conflict in Africa;

In this Charter, unless otherwise stated, the following expressions shall have the following meaning: “Commission” means the Commission of the Union;

State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: Respect for human rights and democratic principles;

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

In this Charter, unless otherwise stated, the following expressions shall have the following meaning: “NEPAD” means the New Partnership for Africa’s Development;

Perpetrators of unconstitutional change of government may also be tried before the competent court of the Union.

State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: Promotion of gender equality in public and private institutions;

State Parties shall protect the right to equality before the law and equal protection by the law as a fundamental precondition for a just and democratic society.

The Commission shall: Assist State Parties in implementing the Charter;

State Parties shall institutionalize good economic and corporate governance through, inter alia: Providing a conducive environment for foreign capital inflows;

State Parties shall undertake to provide and enable access to basic social services to the people.

The Assembly may decide to apply other forms of sanctions on perpetrators of unconstitutional change of government including punitive economic measures.

State Parties shall ensure and promote strong partnerships and dialogue between government, civil society and private sector.

State Parties shall strive to institutionalize good political governance through: Strengthening the functioning and effectiveness of parliaments;

Any State Party may submit proposals for the amendment or revision of this Charter;

The Commission shall: Act as the central coordinating structure for the implementation of this Charter;

A copy of the report shall be submitted to the relevant organs of the Union for appropriate action within their respective mandates;

The amendments or revisions shall enter into force when approved by two-thirds majority of State Parties.

This Convention shall be without prejudice to the human rights of internally displaced persons under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other applicable instruments of international human rights law or international humanitarian law. Similarly, it shall in no way be understood, construed or interpreted as restricting, modifying or impeding existing protection under any of the instruments mentioned herein.

DETERMINED to adopt measures aimed at preventing and putting an end to the phenomenon of internal displacement by eradicating the root causes, especially persistent and recurrent conflicts as well as addressing displacement caused by natural disasters, which have a devastating impact on human life, peace, stability, security, and development;

2. States Parties shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures to: h) Provide food security for people living with HIV/AIDS;

2. States Parties shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures to: d) Institute programmes to address health pandemics in Africa such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria;

2. States Parties shall in particular: e) Make provisions for the continued education and skills development of imprisoned young people as part of the restorative justice process.

1. Every State Parties shall develop a comprehensive and coherent national youth policy. k) Such a programme of action shall be accompanied by adequate and sustained budgetary allocation.

The States Parties to this Protocol,

Every young person shall have responsibilities towards his family and society, the State, and the international community. Youth shall have the duty to: a) Become the custodians of their own development;

1. Every State Parties shall develop a comprehensive and coherent national youth policy. g) A baseline evaluation or situation analysis shall inform the policy on the priority issues for youth development;

3. The education of young people shall be directed to: a) The promotion and holistic development of the young person's cognitive and creative and emotional abilities to their full potential;

4. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures with a view to achieving full realisation of this right and shall, in particular: d) Strengthen participation in and the quality of training in science and technology;

States Parties shall prohibit and condemn all forms of harmful practices which negatively affect the human rights of women and which are contrary to recognised international standards. States Parties shall take all necessary legislative and other measures to eliminate such practices, including: prohibition, through legislative measures backed by sanctions, of all forms of female genital mutilation, scarification, medicalisation and para-medicalisation of female genital mutilation and all other practices in order to eradicate them;

4. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures with a view to achieving full realisation of this right and shall, in particular: p) Adopt preferential recruitment policies for African youth with specialised skills amongst States Parties.

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

States Parties shall enact appropriate legislation to ensure that women and men enjoy the same rights in case of separation, divorce or annulment of marriage. In this regard, they shall ensure that: in case of separation, divorce or annulment of marriage, women and men shall have reciprocal rights and responsibilities towards their children. In any case, the interests of the children shall be given paramount importance;

We, the Member States of the African Union (AU);

Committed to promote the universal values and principles of democracy, good governance, human rights and the right to development;

Guided by our common mission to strengthen and consolidate institutions for good governance, continental unity and solidarity;

Desirous to enhance the relevant Declarations and Decisions of the OAU/AU (including the 1990 Declaration on the political and socio-economic situation in Africa and the fundamental changes taking place in the world, the 1995 Cairo Agenda for the Re-launch of Africa’s Economic and Social Development, the 1999 Algiers Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government, the 2000 Lomé Declaration for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government, the 2002 OAU/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa, the 2003 Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union);

In this Charter, unless otherwise stated, the following expressions shall have the following meaning: “Member States” means the Member States of the African Union;

The objectives of this Charter are to: Promote gender balance and equality in the governance and development processes;

State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: Holding of regular, transparent, free and fair elections;

State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: Condemnation and total rejection of unconstitutional changes of government;

The objectives of this Charter are to: Promote and protect the independence of the judiciary;

Recognising the contributions of the African Union and Regional Economic Communities to the promotion, nurturing, strengthening and consolidation of democracy and governance;

Cognizant of the historical and cultural conditions in Africa;

In this Charter, unless otherwise stated, the following expressions shall have the following meaning: “AU” means the African Union;

The objectives of this Charter are to: Promote adherence, by each State Party, to the universal values and principles of democracy and respect for human rights;

State Parties shall institutionalize good economic and corporate governance through, inter alia: Prudent and sustainable utilization of public resources;

State Parties shall decentralize power to democratically elected local authorities as provided in national laws.

State Parties shall provide the above-mentioned institutions with resources to perform their assigned missions efficiently and effectively.

State Parties shall create a conducive environment for independent and impartial national monitoring or observation mechanisms.

State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: Separation of powers;

The Peace and Security Council shall lift sanctions once the situation that led to the suspension is resolved.

State Parties shall promote participation of social groups with special needs, including the Youth and people with disabilities, in the governance process.

State Parties shall institutionalize good economic and corporate governance through, inter alia: Efficient management of public debt;

To give effect to the commitments contained in this Charter: Commission Level At Regional Level The Commission shall establish a framework for cooperation with Regional Economic Communities on the implementation of the principles of the Charter. In this regard, it shall commit the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to: Designate focal points for coordination, evaluation and monitoring of the implementation of the commitments and principles enshrined in this Charter in order to ensure massive participation of stakeholders, particularly civil society organizations, in the process.

This Charter shall enter into force thirty (30) days after the deposit of fifteen (15) Instruments of Ratification.

The Assembly shall adopt amendments or revisions by consensus or failing which, by two-thirds majority;

For the purpose of the present Convention: k. "Internally Displaced Persons" means persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border;

All persons have a right to be protected against arbitrary displacement. The prohibited categories of arbitrary displacement include but are not limited to: Displacement caused by any act, event, factor, or phenomenon of comparable gravity to all of the above and which is not justified under international law, including human rights and international humanitarian law.

States Parties shall protect the rights of internally displaced persons regardless of the cause of displacement by refraining from, and preventing, the following acts, amongst others: Arbitrary killing, summary execution, arbitrary detention, abduction, enforced disappearance or torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

States Parties shall facilitate the issuance of new documents or the replacement of documents lost or destroyed in the course of displacement, without imposing unreasonable conditions, such as requiring return to one's area of habitual residence in order to obtain these or other required documents. The failure to issue internally displaced persons with such documents shall not in any way impair the exercise or enjoyment of their human rights.

1. Every young person shall be entitled to the enjoyments of the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed in this Charter irrespective of their race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status.

2. States Parties shall in particular: a) Ensure that youth who are detained or imprisoned or in rehabilitation centres are not subjected to torture, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment;

2. States Parties shall in particular: f) Ensure that accused and convicted young people are entitled to a lawyer.

2. States Parties shall in particular: c) Build rehabilitation facilities for accused and imprisoned youth who are still minors and house them separately from adults;

GUIDED by the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the States Parties to the present "African Youth Charter",

REAFFIRMING the need to take appropriate measures to promote and protect the rights and welfare of children as outlined in the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) and through the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1999),

FULLY ATTACHED to the virtues and values of African historical tradition and civilization which form the foundation for our concept of people's rights;

2. States Parties shall encourage youth organizations to lead youth programmes and to ensure the exercise of the right to development.

REAFFIRMING that the continuous cultural development of Africa rests with its youth and therefore requires their active and enlightened participation as espoused in the Cultural Charter for Africa;

No young person shall be subject to the arbitrary or unlawful interference with his/her privacy, residence or correspondence, or to attacks upon his/her honour or reputation.

3. States Parties shall ensure that youth are not arbitrarily deprived of their property including inherited property.

RECALLING that women's rights have been recognised and guaranteed in all international human rights instruments, notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and its Optional Protocol, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and all other international and regional conventions and covenants relating to the rights of women as being inalienable, interdependent and indivisible human rights;

States Parties shall recognise the right of young people to live anywhere in the world. In this regard, they shall: f) Encourage young people in the diaspora to engage themselves in development activities in their country of origin.

1. States Parties shall: Recognise the right of young people to a standard of living adequate for their holistic development.

1. States Parties shall take the following steps to promote and protect the morals and traditional values recognised by the community: c) Establish institutions and programmes for the development, documentation, preservation and dissemination of culture;

1. Young people shall have the right to rest and leisure and to engage in play and recreational activities that are part of a health lifestyle as well as to participate freely in sport, physical education drama, the arts, music and other forms of cultural life. In this regard, States Parties shall: b) Put in place adequate infrastructure and services in rural and urban areas for youth to participate in sport, physical education, cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activities.

2. Recognise the right of young people to be free from hunger and shall take individual or collective measures to: c) Provide grants of land to youth and youth organisations for socio- economic development purposes;

States Parties shall recognise the right of young people to live anywhere in the world. In this regard, they shall: a) Promote the equivalence of degrees between African educational institutions to enable the youth to study and work in State Parties;

1. States Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: b) Ensure that girls and young women are able to participate actively, equally and effectively with boys at all levels of social, educational, economic, political, cultural, civic life and leadership as well as scientific endeavours;

Every young person shall have responsibilities towards his family and society, the State, and the international community. Youth shall have the duty to: b) Protect and work for family life and cohesion;

States Parties shall recognise the right of young people to live anywhere in the world. In this regard, they shall: c) Facilitate youth organisations to liaise and collaborate with the African youth Diaspora;

1. States Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: k) Introduce special legislation and programmes of action that make available opportunities to girls and young women including access to education as a prerequisite and a priority for rapid social and economic development;

Every young person shall have responsibilities towards his family and society, the State, and the international community. Youth shall have the duty to: d) Partake fully in citizenship duties including voting, decision making and governance;

A copy of the report shall be submitted to the State Party concerned within a reasonable time.

State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: Condemnation and rejection of acts of corruption, related offenses and impunity;

All electoral observer missions shall present the report of their activities to the Chairperson of the Commission within a reasonable time.

Notwithstanding the suspension of the State Party, the Union shall maintain diplomatic contacts and take any initiatives to restore democracy in that State Party.

State Parties shall commit themselves to promote democracy, the principle of the rule of law and human rights.

States Parties shall take necessary steps to effectively organize, relief action that is humanitarian, and impartial in character, and guarantee security. States Parties shall allow rapid and unimpeded passage of all relief consignments, equipment and personnel to internally displaced persons. States Parties shall also enable and facilitate the role of local and international organizations and humanitarian agencies, civil society organizations and other relevant actors, to provide protection and assistance to internally displaced persons. States Parties shall have the right to prescribe the technical arrangements under which such passage is permitted.

States Parties shall: b. Provide internally displaced persons to the fullest extent practicable and with the least possible delay, with adequate humanitarian assistance, which shall include food, water, shelter, medical care and other health services, sanitation, education, and any other necessary social services, and where appropriate, extend such assistance to local and host communities;

2. States Parties shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures to: k) Raise awareness amongst youth on the dangers of drug abuse through partnerships with youth, youth organisations and the community;

2. States Parties shall in particular: b) Ensure that accused minors shall be segregated from convicted persons and shall be subject to separate treatment appropriate to their status;

1. States Parties shall ensure the use of sustainable methods to improve the lives of young people such that measures instituted do not jeopardise opportunities for future generations.

2. States Parties shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures to: i) Institute comprehensive programmes including legislative steps to prevent unsafe abortions;

CONSIDERING that the promotion and protection of the rights of youth also implies the performance of duties by youth as by all other actors in society;

GUIDED by the New Partnership for Africa's Development Strategic Framework for Youth Programme of 2004 that is working towards youth empowerment and development;

TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION the inter-relatedness of the challenges facing youth and the need for cross-sectoral policies and programmes that attend to the needs of youth in a holistic manner;

RECOGNISING the efforts made by States Parties and civil societies to address the economic, social, educational, cultural and spiritual needs of youth;

CONVINCED that Africa's greatest resource is its youthful population and that through their active and full participation, Africans can surmount the difficulties that lie ahead;