At its recently concluded 46th Ordinary Session, the African Union (AU) Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) granted the Ismail Mahomed Centre for Human and Peoples’ Rights (IMCHPR), Faculty of Management, Commerce and Law, University of Venda (UNIVEN) an observer status. This status enhances UNIVEN’s regional influence, allowing the IMCHPR to participate actively in AU discussions, access critical information, and collaborate with other bodies, thereby strengthening its research and advocacy efforts on children’s rights in Africa. The historic development followed an application prepared by Prof. Ademola Jegede, the Director of the IMCHPR, which was approved for submission to the body by Prof. Barwa Kanyane, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management, Commerce, and Law.
The ACERWC is an AU Organ mandated to monitor the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and promote and protect children’s rights in Africa. The Observer Status granted to the IMCHPR is a formal privilege that takes effect from January 2026, allowing the IMCHPR to officially attend public sessions of the intergovernmental body, access information, present submissions and inputs, and network with other regional and international bodies for research and advocacy purposes on the children’s rights regime in Africa. This development is crucial to the realisation of Strategic Thrust 4: Internationalisation and Partnerships of the UNIVEN Strategic Plan 2026-2030.
Also at the same Session, the ACERWC renewed Professor Ademola Jegede’s appointment as an external expert to its Working Group on Children’s Rights and Climate Change, effective from January 2026 to December 2027. The ACERWC established the Working Group during its 35th Ordinary Session in 2020 in response to growing concerns about the impact of climate change on children in Africa. This renewal underscores his recognised leadership in the field of climate change and human rights, ensuring continued expert guidance on research, policy development, and advocacy efforts.
The mandates of the Working Group include facilitating research on the Impacts of Climate Change on the Rights of Children in Africa and disseminating its findings and recommendations; developing guidelines, policies and standards on matters related to the rights of children in the context of climate change; engaging with governments of states in Africa with a view to establish laws, policies and strategies that protect the rights and welfare of children in the context of climate change, as well as in its efforts to mitigate and adapt to its impacts. The position of an external expert is a non-remunerative appointment that aligns with the mandate of the IMCPHR in terms of Strategic Thrust 2: Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship of the UNIVEN Strategic Plan (2026-2030).
Professor Jegede is an NRF-rated researcher with expertise in the intersection of climate change and the rights of vulnerable populations. He has widely published on this theme and is expected to utilise his expertise when called upon to help fulfil the mandates of the ACERWC Working Group on Children’s Rights and Climate Change. The renewal of his appointment again bears testimony to his impressive expertise in this growing field of climate change interface with human rights law. Furthermore, the granting of Observer Status to the IMCHPR will significantly elevate UNIVEN’s regional and international profile as a leading institution in child rights research, advocacy, and policy development across Africa, positioning the university as a key player in this area of research.
These achievements highlight our collective dedication to Strategic Thrust 2: Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Thrust 4: Internationalisation and Partnerships, fostering pride and reinforcing our shared purpose within the organisation, as well as value addition to the new SARCHi Chair on climate change and rule of law, Prof Jegede, is leading.
Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811
