2021 Statelessness & Citizenship Review 3(1) In September 2020, Cote d’Ivoire became the first African country to establish a statelessness determination procedure, 109 although a dozen African countries had pledged to establish such procedures during the HLS in October 2019. 110 Moreover, art 21 of the Draft Protocol stipulates that African states should take all necessary measures to establish all possible frameworks to guarantee the right to nationality. A Manifestation of Individual and Collective Right to Nationality in African Case Law The Commission has used its interpretative mandate to contribute to the development of a specific African case law on the right to nationality and the prevention of statelessness in the continent. Because of the absence of a specific provision on this right to nationality, the Commission has been basing its arguments on several other individual, group, and peoples’ rights to find redress to human rights abuses. In making advisory opinions on individual rights to nationality, the Commission has been basing its arguments on art 2 (principle of non-discrimination), art 5 (legal status) and art 12 of the Charter. There have been a number of cases in which the right to nationality, based on these articles, were brought before the Commission. 111 This non-discriminatory principle can help significantly in addressing the discriminatory laws in the continent, which are contributory causes of statelessness in Africa. In this connection, the Draft Protocol has integrated the non-discrimination principle, where it stipulates that: The rules and practices of a State Party on nationality shall not contain distinctions or include any exclusion, or restriction or any different treatment based on grounds 109 See more at ‘Côte d’Ivoire Adopts Africa’s First Legal Process to Identify and Protect Stateless People’, UNHCR (4 September 2020) <https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2020/9/5f51f33b4/cote-divoire-adopts-africas-firstlegal-process-identify-protect-stateless.html>. 110 ‘Results of the High-Level Segment on Statelessness’, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Web Page, October 2019) <https://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/results-of-the-highlevel-segment-on-statelessness/>. 111 Cases related to citizenship include: John K Modise v Botswana (African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights, Comm 97/93, 28th ord sess, 6 November 2000) (‘John K Modise v Botswana’); Amnesty International v Zambia (African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights, Comm 212/98, 25th ord sess, 5 May 1999) (‘Amnesty International v Zambia’); Union Interafricaine des Droits de l’Homme v Angola (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Comm 159/96, 22nd ord sess, 11 November 1997) (‘Union Interafricaine des Droits de l’Homme v Angola’); Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture v Rwanda (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Comms 27/89, 49/91 and 99/93) (‘Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture v Rwanda’); Rencontre Africain pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme v Zambia (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Comm 71/92, 20th ord sess, October 1997) (‘Rencontre Africain pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme v Zambia’); Legal Resources Foundation v Zambia (n 47); Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa v Angola (African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Comm 292/2004, 43rd ord sess, 22 May 2008) (‘Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa v Angola’); Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (on Behalf of Sierra Leonean Refugees in Guinea) v Republic of Guinea (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Comm 249/02, 36th ord sess, 7 December 2004) (‘Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (on Behalf of Sierra Leonean Refugees in Guinea) v Republic of Guinea’); Mouvement ivoirien des droits humains (MIDH) v Côte d’Ivoire (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Comm 246/02, 5th extraordinary sess, 29 July 2008). 52

Select target paragraph3