First four pieces of the Abidjan Principles Commentary

Published by the Oxford Human Rights Hub, the Commentary provides an expert analysis of the Abidjan Principles.

The Guiding Principles on the human rights obligations of states to provide public education and to regulate private involvement in education (the Abidjan Principles) were adopted on 13 February 2019 by a group of education and human rights experts. They are a tool to assist States and other actors in navigating the evolving education context in accordance with human rights law. 

The Abidjan Principles compile and unpack existing legal obligations of States regarding the delivery of education; to establish free, quality, public education systems for all, and to regulate private actors to guarantee that all participants involved in education are aligned towards the common aim of realising the right to education.​ 

The Commentary details the legal foundation of the Principles and elaborates on the reasoning and interpretation of them. The Commentary will be published in phases over the course of 2023 by the Oxford Human Rights Hub (OxHRH). 

The first four commentary pieces published on 12 May are the following: 

Introduction to the Abidjan Principles Commentary, by Ashina Mtsumi (Programme Officer on Public Services and Africa Representative at GI-ESCR)  

Scope, Application and Interpretation (Principles 1, 4-7), by Professor Ann Skelton (UNESCO Chair in Education Law in Africa, at the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa, as well as the Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child) and Dr Perekeme Mutu (post-doctoral research fellow with the UNESCO Chair in Education Law in Africa, in the 
Department of Private Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa) 

Equality and Non-Discrimination in Education (Principles 22 to 27), by Professor Sandra Fredman (Rhodes Professor of the Laws of the British Commonwealth and the USA, University of Oxford) 

Obligations to Respect, Protect, and Fulfil the Right to Education in the Context of Private Involvement (Principles 47-48), by Dr Roman Zinigrad (Assistant Professor of Law at the American University of Paris) 

Implementation (Principles 91 to 97), by Professor Ann Skelton (UNESCO Chair in Education Law in Africa, at the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa, as well as the Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child) and Dr Perekeme Mutu (post-doctoral research fellow with the UNESCO Chair in Education Law in Africa, in the 
Department of Private Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa)