Assembly/AU/Decl.2(XXVIII) Page 2 4. ALSO REITERATE our intention to strengthen the protection of human rights in particular, and the justice system on the continent as a whole, including the fight against impunity; 5. CONCERNEDthat almost two decades after the adoption of the Protocol, only 30 Member States have ratified it and only 8 have deposited the declaration under Article 34(6) thereof; 6. CONGRATULATE the 30 State Parties that have ratified the Protocol, that is, Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Comoros, Gabon, The Gambia; Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Tunisia; 7. ALSO CONGRATULATE the seven (7) State Parties that have deposited the declaration under Article 34(6) of the Protocol, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Mali and the United Republic of Tanzania, and encourage the Republic of Rwanda to reconsider its decision to withdraw the said declaration; 8. REITERATE Executive Council decisions EX.CL./Dec.842(XXV) of June 2014 and EX.CL/Dec.865(XXVI) of January, 2015, urging those States that have not already done so, to take all necessary measures to ratify the Protocol and deposit the Article 34(6) declaration, as we commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of the Court and celebrate African Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the rights of women; 9. RECALL the adoption of the Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea (Malabo Protocol) in June, 2014, which seeks to fight impunity on the continent; 10. NOTEWITH CONCERN that more than two years after the adoption of the said Protocol, only nine (9) Member States have signed and none have ratified it; 11. CONGRATULATE the 9 States that have signed the Protocol, that is, Benin, Chad, Congo, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Mauritania, Sierra Leone and Sao Tomé and Principe; 12. URGE all Member States of the African Union to manifest their commitment to the protection of human rights, justice and the fight against impunity, by taking urgent and necessary measures to ratify the Malabo Protocol; 13. REDEDICATE ourselves to ensuring respect for human and peoples’ rights, justice and the fight against impunity as pre-requisites for the attainment of our common vision of a united and prosperous Africa. 28th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, 30 - 31 January 2017, Addis Ababa