While the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) makes human rights part of both the goals and guides of the Union, it does not establish or refer to any specialised human rights organ. Therefore, one wonders if the AU has an organ to execute its human rights objectives. This also raises a question as to the status of existing human rights bodies within the structure of the AU. Despite some level of attention to the issue at different times, the AU has not clearly and formally settled the matter. This article argues for the formal recognition of specialised human rights bodies, as organs of the Union, by highlighting the importance of such recognition to boost their legitimacy, visibility and effectiveness.

Keywords: African Union, human rights, organs, status.