ACP hails Sierra Leone’s ratification of Protocol on Establishment of African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights – EnviroNews

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The African Climate Platform (ACP) has applauded the historic step taken on Thursday, July 16, 2026, by Sierra Leone, led by the country’s president, Julius Maada Bio, to ratify the African Charter on the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Protocol).

Sierra Leone’s significant step of becoming a State Party to the Protocol comes at a historic moment, as the African continent commemorates the 20th anniversary of the African Court’s operations since 2006.

“We warmly congratulate His Excellency Julius Maada Bio on consistently articulating a vision for multilateralism and respect for international human rights, and His Excellency Alpha Sesay, Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone, who led the domestic legislative process culminating in Sierra Leone’s ratification of the Protocol,” submitted the ACP in a statement.

A milestone for continental justice

Sierra Leone’s move to become a State Party to the Protocol is said to demonstrate its commitment to strengthening the continent’s human rights architecture and advancing the rule of law. As the Court marks two decades of protecting human and peoples’ rights across Africa, contributing to the strengthening of multilateralism, protecting vulnerable groups, and advancing fundamental human rights, the ratification reportedly signals a renewed dedication by States to the principles enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (The African Charter).

The ACP regards the ratification as particularly significant in light of the pending request for an advisory opinion before the African Court on the obligations of African States regarding the climate change crisis. In May 2025, the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), in collaboration with the ACP, submitted a landmark application to the Court seeking clarification of States’ human rights obligations in addressing climate change.

The request provides compelling evidence of the devastating impacts of climate change across the continent – from rising temperatures and unrelenting droughts to catastrophic floods and threats to livelihoods. These phenomena threaten numerous rights protected under the African Charter, including the rights to life, health, food, development, and a satisfactory environment, as set out in Article 24.

Sierra Leone’s ratification of the Protocol is therefore significant to the advisory opinion proceedings for several reasons:

First, it enhances the Court’s legitimacy and authority to issue advisory opinions on critical continental issues. As more States become parties to the Protocol, the Court’s advisory jurisdiction gains broader recognition and greater persuasive weight across the continent.

Second, ratification helps build a critical mass of State Parties, thereby strengthening the Court’s standing as a credible continental judicial body. Currently, Sierra Leone is among a significant number of African countries that have not yet ratified the Protocol, and this step helps bridge that gap.

Third, if Sierra Leone’s ratification is followed by a declaration under Article 34(6) of the Protocol, individuals and NGOs will have direct access to the Court to seek justice for human rights violations, including those arising from climate impacts. This would be transformative for climate-affected communities in Sierra Leone and beyond.

Thursday’s historic step by Sierra Leone is being celebrated by leading climate justice and environmental human rights activists across the continent, and rightly so, given its consequential impact in affording practitioners greater opportunities to access justice. 

“By submitting this petition for ratification, Sierra Leone is shifting the paradigm of African climate advocacy from reliance on moral persuasion to the enforcement of binding legal obligations. Africa has contributed the least to global emissions, yet our communities bear the devastating, disproportionate brunt of this crisis. We cannot protect human dignity with voluntary promises. We need robust, enforceable legal mechanisms to hold sovereigns strictly accountable for climate inaction.

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“Sierra Leone’s integration into the African Court protocol codifies environmental protection as an unassailable human right, providing a powerful, justiciable shield for frontline defenders and vulnerable populations across the continent. There’s no doubt that Sierra Leone’s proactive integration sets a powerful regional example, applying peer pressure on other Mano River Union, West African, ECOWAS, and African Union member states to commit to the Court’s jurisdiction,” said Alfred Bronwell, Lead Campaigner, African Climate Platform.

“Sierra Leone’s decision to open the door to full participation in Africa’s human rights court is exactly the kind of leadership our continent needs as it seeks accountability for the climate crisis,” stated Fatima Diallo, Chairperson, African Climate Platform.

“As a human rights lawyer in Sierra Leone, I warmly welcome the Honourable Minister’s initiative to seek ratification of the African Court Protocol. The African Court is an important regional mechanism that complements national courts by providing an additional avenue for justice where domestic remedies have been exhausted or are ineffective. Ratifying the Protocol will strengthen Sierra Leone’s human rights architecture and affirm its commitment to ensuring that justice is accessible to all citizens,” submitted Mucktarr Raschid Esq., Environmental Rights lawyer and Campaigner, African Climate Platform, Sierra Leone Chapter.

“I join Citizens in commending the government of Sierra Leone for recognising that the fight against climate change is fundamentally a fight for human rights. For decades, vulnerable communities have borne the brunt of environmental disasters, with little legal recourse. This historic move bridges the gap between environmental justice and judicial power, ensuring that our right to a safe, healthy planet is legally protected. Sierra Leone is leading the charge to secure a just, accountable future for its citizens and generations to come. “Congratulations to us all,” according to Aminata Finda Massaquoi, Journalist and Rights Advocate in Sierra Leone,

“Sierra Leone has just sent a powerful message across the continent: climate promises must be backed by legal accountability. By moving to ratify the African Court protocol, the government is not merely signing a document—it is weaponising international law to protect its people from the escalating climate crisis. This courageous step transforms environmental rights from abstract ideals into enforceable human rights, setting a brilliant example of bold climate leadership for the rest of West Africa to follow,” said Esther Kandeh, Women on Mining and Extractive.

The African Climate Platform is a coalition of more than 100 African CSOs, climate and environmental HRDs, human rights lawyers, Indigenous communities, women’s groups, and youth movements, working to amplify African voices in climate policy and justice. The Network’s goal is to advance a shared, progressive, and justice-driven African voice in the global fight against climate change.