Our Vision is centered on achieving a society that respects, protects, and fulfill fundamental rights for all people. It is a collaborative effort involving regional bodies, national governments, and civil society, with a particular focus on addressing the legacies of systemic inequality, fostering democratic governance, and ensuring sustainable development.
Key components of the SAHRL vision
Promoting democratic governance and the rule of law
Strengthening institutions: The vision emphasizes strengthening the rule of law and democratic institutions across the region, with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) identifying this as a key concern.
Accountability: A core goal is strengthening accountability for human rights violations and ensuring access to justice, often through strategic litigation.
Conflict prevention: This involves building capacity for conflict prevention, management, and resolution to ensure sustainable peace and credible, transparent, and democratic elections.
Achieving socio-economic rights
Addressing poverty and inequality:
The vision seeks to illuminate the structural drivers of poverty and economic inequality and their disproportionate impact on marginalized groups. This involves implementing policies that foster inclusive growth and social justice.
Access to basic services:
Goals include ensuring access to essential services like clean water, healthcare, sanitation, and housing, and implementing reforms that address historical injustices related to land ownership.
Food security:
The region aims to tackle the issue of severe food poverty, which affects a significant number of children and increases the risk of malnutrition.
Advancing equality and non-discrimination
Gender equality: Integrating gender equality is a cornerstone for achieving justice and sustainable peace. This includes combating gender-based violence and femicide and addressing issues like the forced sterilization of women living with HIV.
Inclusive development: The vision prioritizes addressing the needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, and ensuring their active involvement in development efforts.
Countering xenophobia: Combating discrimination and xenophobia against migrants and refugees is a critical element, involving the implementation of non-discriminatory policies.
Enhancing civic participation
Protecting civic space: This involves protecting and enhancing civic space and the participation of civil society and human rights defenders. The repression of activists, as seen in some countries like Zimbabwe and South Africa, is a major concern.
Youth involvement: The vision recognizes the critical role of youth in the peace agenda and aims to address high unemployment levels to prevent them from falling prey to other negative influences.
Combating corruption: Fighting corruption is viewed as a human rights imperative because it undermines public trust and deprives communities of essential services.
Regional and international collaboration
Implementing international mechanisms: A goal is to increase the implementation of outcomes from international human rights mechanisms, such as the UN Human Rights Council.
Regional dialogue: Collaborations with organizations like the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) involve dialogues and technical assistance to integrate human rights into sustainable development across Southern Africa.
Solidarity with vulnerable populations: Human rights bodies in Southern Africa have demonstrated solidarity with victims of human rights abuses, including on the international stage.