About the presentation
This presentation focuses on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee), and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) as key mechanisms for monitoring and promoting children’s rights. Each section covers the establishment, children’s rights frameworks, working methods, and state reporting outcomes of these bodies, beginning with the UPR’s role within the broader UN human rights context, followed by the CRC Committee's specialized focus on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the ACERWC’s regional approach based on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Aman will additionally consider how these mechanisms might work in synergy, assessing opportunities for complementary actions such as reinforcing recommendations and enhancing consultations. This presentation will highlight the potential for collaborative strategies across the UPR, CRC Committee, and ACERWC to strengthen children’s rights frameworks globally and regionally, aiming to improve protections and advocacy impact through coordinated efforts.
About Mai Aman
Mai Aman is a Sudanese lawyer and a human rights activist. She holds an LLB degree from the University of Khartoum and an LLM degree in Human rights and democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria, she is currently pursuing her LLD in human rights from the same institution. Her LLD research seeks to understand how the UPR, as an international human rights compliance mechanism, contributes to the protection and advancement of children's rights, by using the right to education in Sudan as a case study. The research intends to evaluate the influence of recommendations from the UPR at the national level in Sudan and their contribution to improving children’s right to education. Furthermore, the research seeks to analyse the complementarity of international human rights monitoring mechanisms through an assessment of the dynamics and interactions between the UPR and the United Nations and African Union specialised mechanisms for monitoring children’s rights, specifically the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) and the African Committee of Experts on the rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC).
Mai has over 6 years of experience in research, advocacy and project management. She has demonstrated expertise in women’s rights, children’s rights, democracy and transitional justice. She also has a profound understanding of international law and the African Human Rights System and its institutions. She currently works at the Initiative for Strategic Litigation In Africa (ISLA), a Pan-African feminist organization. At ISLA, Mai holds the position of a legal officer focusing on strengthening accountability mechanisms on the continent.
Practical information
The presentation will be in English, in room 7227 on the 7th floor of Domus Juridica. If you do not have access to the building, please get in touch with Elise Sandvik at elisandv@uio.no/+47 95871033.