In his guest lecture at Freie Universität Berlin, Professor Pieterse will attempt to reassert the relevance of international human rights law in contemporary urban contexts. His talk will consider the extent to which the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights lend themselves to fruitful application in African cities, appropriation by African cities and the development of rights to African cities. He will argue that, despite the rural inclinations of its drafting context, certain textual shortcomings and the existence of major political hurdles to its effective implementation, the African Charter, as interpreted and applied by the African Commission and African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, is well-placed for the regional human rights system’s adaptation to the urban age.

Marius Pieterse is a Professor of Law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is the author of "Rights-based Litigation, Urban Governance and Social Justice in South Africa - The Right to Joburg" (Routledge 2017).

The guest lecture takes place in the class "Human Rights: Law, Politics, History".

Date and place: Monday, 10 July 2023, 10:15-11:45 AM, Boltzmannstr. 3, Room 2212.

Please register for participation by email until Thursday, 6 July at sekretariat.aust@rewiss.fu-berlin.de.