The ECOWAS Court of Justice has called on member states to cooperate with the court to ensure the effective enforcement of its judgments, especially in human rights cases.

The president of the court, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja at a ceremony to mark International Human Rights Day 2025.

He also urged all member states to renew their dedication to the ECOWAS legal framework, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and all international human rights agreements they had ratified.

Mr Gonçalves also urged them to encourage more investment in legal and human rights education, especially for young people, to empower them to understand and defend their rights and those of others.

“The court is concerned that ECOWAS member states have yet to implement most of its judgments. Without effective and total implementation of the court’s judgments, the promise of human rights protection offered by the 2005 Supplementary Protocol becomes a mirage.

“The court therefore calls on member states to fully implement its judgments, ensuring that the remedies bring meaningful improvements to the lives of everyone in the community,” he said.

The court’s president also solicited the court’s continued partnerships with regional and international organisations, national institutions, civil society groups, and all human rights advocates. He reaffirmed the court’s commitment to safeguarding the human rights of all persons within the sub-region, noting that the court is the principal judicial organ of ECOWAS.

Mr Gonçalves said the court had issued several progressive judgments across different areas of human rights, including the rights to life, freedom from torture, expression, association, assembly, education, work, and a healthy environment, among others.

The judgments, he said, held member states accountable for violations of civil and political rights, economic, social, and cultural rights, and third-generation rights, but did not fully achieve their aims due to a lack of enforcement.

The court’s president further said that the civil society, the media, and human rights defenders must be respected and safeguarded, as they play a vital role in exposing abuses, supporting victims, and bringing cases to the court.

He added that victims of human rights abuse should have genuine access to justice, without obstacles like cost, distance, language barriers, or complex procedures.

(NAN)