African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981/1986) Also sometimes called the ‘Banjul Charter’, the African Charter was adopted by the OAU in Nairobi, Kenya, on 27 June 1981 and entered into force on 21 October 1986. The Charter is the pivotal human rights instrument of the OAU/ AU. It recognises individual rights as well as peoples’ rights, rights and duties, and some socio-economic rights, in addition to civil and political rights. The supervisory mechanism created by the Charter is the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which had its first meeting in 1987. The Commission is now being supplemented with an African Human Rights Court. The Commission’s mandate includes the review of periodic state reports on the implementation of the Charter by state parties. The Commission also has the power to review individual and inter-state complaints. All AU members are state parties to the African Charter.