When a State delegation sits before the African Commission, Commissioners have limited time to probe its report. The questions they ask shape what the State must explain and what ends up in the concluding observations. RFLD’s manual, Reporting on the Maputo Protocol: a manual for shadow reports, shows civil society how to help write those questions.
No list of issues, so questions matter more
United Nations treaty bodies such as the CEDAW Committee send States a formal list of issues before a review. The African Commission has no equivalent stage. Instead, the Secretariat sends the State report to Commissioners, and NGOs can send questions in advance. Rule 80 of the Commission’s 2020 Rules of Procedure provides that the State’s representatives answer “questions prepared by the Commission” as well as questions from individual Commissioners.
This makes the shadow report an important source of questions. The Commission’s 2022 Guidelines on Shadow Reports ask authors, for each issue, to suggest questions the Commission could ask the State. Civil society cannot question the delegation directly during the dialogue. Its influence comes through written questions, briefings with the Country Rapporteur Commissioner, side events and the NGO Forum.
What makes a good question
A good question for a Commissioner has a few qualities. It is anchored in the State report, citing the paragraph it responds to. It asks for something the State should be able to provide, such as data or a budget figure. It is hard to answer with a general statement. And it is short enough to be read aloud.
Compare two versions. A weak question asks: “What is the State doing about violence against women?” Any delegation can answer that with a list of policies. A stronger question asks: “Paragraph 112 of the report refers to a national action plan on violence against women. What budget was allocated to it in each of the last two years, and how much was spent?” That question requires a precise answer, and if the delegation cannot give one, the gap is visible.
The paragraph number in this example is illustrative. In a real report, authors should cite the exact paragraph and title of the State report they are responding to.
Group questions by theme
The International Service for Human Rights advises sending suggested questions grouped by theme. For reports on the Maputo Protocol, the natural structure is the eight thematic clusters of the Protocol’s reporting guidelines, from equality and non-discrimination to specially protected groups of women. Commissioners can then match questions to the relevant section of the State report.
The manual’s Annex G offers sample questions organised by article of the Protocol, covering 13 articles. They are a starting point for authors, who should adapt each one to the State report in front of them.
Questions on reservations
Reservations are a good subject for targeted questions. Nine States have reservations or declarations on the Maputo Protocol. The manual suggests an exercise using two States at the 89th Session: draft one question and one recommendation on Cameroon’s general interpretive declaration, and the same for Mauritius’s reservation to Article 14(2)(c).
A question might ask what steps the State has taken since the Commission’s Resolution 632 of 2025, which encourages States to withdraw reservations, and whether a review of the reservation is planned. The Commission’s 2026 Advocacy Framework for Withdrawing Reservations gives Commissioners a recent basis for asking.
Getting questions to Commissioners
Questions in the body of a shadow report may not be enough on their own. The manual recommends a two-page briefing note for Commissioners. Its template includes a heading identifying the shadow report and the submitting coalition, a short context section, the priority issues with key figures and sources, five numbered suggested questions, five priority SMART recommendations and contact details for the session.
The ISHR road map recommends working with the Country Rapporteur Commissioner, who leads on the State under review, and copying Commissioners on submissions. For Maputo Protocol issues, the manual also recommends copying the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa.
Linking questions to recommendations
Each question should connect to a recommendation in the same section. If the question asks why a bill has stalled, the recommendation can ask the State to adopt it by a set date. If the question asks for budget figures, the recommendation can ask the State to allocate adequate resources and to report on spending. This link helps Commissioners move from the dialogue to the concluding observations.
Watching the answers
The work does not end when the questions are sent. Public sessions are streamed live on the Commission’s YouTube channel. Watching the dialogue shows which suggested questions were used and how the delegation responded. The manual suggests recording every question that went unanswered or was answered vaguely. Those gaps feed the follow-up plan and the next shadow report.
A well-chosen question can push a State to give information it has never published before. That information then becomes evidence for the next cycle. RFLD’s country briefs on lifting the reservations contain background for questions on each reserving State.
About the report
This article draws on RFLD’s report Reporting on the Maputo Protocol: a manual for shadow reports, published on 4 October 2026. Read the summary, download the English edition or the French edition.
