The African Union treaties, protocols, declarations, and agendas that provide the normative foundation for our work — and the domestication gaps we exist to close.
Every AU instrument listed here represents a commitment that African governments have signed. Signing is necessary but insufficient — the gap between signature and national legislation, between ratification and funded budget line, is where most commitments stall.
We use these frameworks as accountability references: evidence that commitments exist, that governments are bound, and that civil society and parliaments have legitimate grounds to demand action.
Organised by the thematic pillar each instrument primarily supports — most are cross-cutting.
Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Sets binding obligations on member states covering women's rights, reproductive health, gender-based violence, and political participation.
Our use: Primary accountability reference for gender equality domestication tracking — from legislative enactment to budget allocation for reproductive health services.
Commits African heads of state to gender mainstreaming across all government functions, annual reporting on gender equality progress, and achieving parity in national parliaments and decision-making bodies.
Our use: Reference for gender parity benchmarks in parliamentary representation tracking and gender-responsive budgeting advocacy.
Operationalises gender equality and youth inclusion across AU programmes and member state reporting. Provides the tracking structure used by civil society and parliamentary actors to monitor commitment delivery.
Our use: Our use: Foundation for the GEYSI Toolkit domestication tracking layer deployed through our active citizenry approach.
The African Union's 50-year strategic framework for transforming Africa into a peaceful, prosperous, and integrated continent. Organises continental aspirations into seven aspirations and fourteen targets — each with a 10-year implementation plan.
Our use: Overarching normative reference across all three pillars — provides the long-term legitimacy frame within which gender equality, health equity, and socio-economic justice commitments sit.
See the full register of AU decisions and resolutions organised by pillar and instrument type.
