THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-131
Author(s):  
Mbuzeni Mathenjwa

The place and role of local government within the structure of government in Africa has attracted much public interest. Prior to and after independence, African countries used local government as the administrative units of central governments without their having any legal status, to the extent that local authorities were under the strict control of central governments. The autonomy of local government is pivotal in the democratisation of a country. The United Nations, European Union and African Union have adopted treaties to promote the recognition and protection of local government in the state parties’ constitutions. Accordingly, this article explains the status of local government in Africa and its impact on strengthening democracy in African states.

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
HIKARU YAMASHITA

AbstractThis article considers a conceptual framework for peacekeeping cooperation between the United Nations and regional organisations. It articulates the ‘subcontracting’ and ‘partnering’ modes of global-regional peacekeeping cooperation, and examines how they have been practiced through efforts to form institutional partnerships with the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU). The article argues that there is incremental progress in institutionalising global-regional cooperation in peacekeeping, and yet managing such cooperation in the future requires a clearer understanding of the role of the UN in the globalisation of peacekeeping.


Author(s):  
Charles Riziki Majinge

SummaryThis article examines the role of regional arrangements under the Charter of the United Nations (UN Charter) in the maintenance of international peace and security. The African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC), the organ within the AU charged with addressing threats to international peace and security on the African continent, is used as a case study. The author contends that the major challenges facing regional arrangements in exercising mandates under Article 53 of the UN Charter of the United Nations have more to do with inadequate financial and logistical resources than the nature of those mandates. Taking the AU’s role in Somalia, Sudan, and other African countries as examples, the article demonstrates that the AU PSC has failed to achieve its objective of maintaining peace and security precisely because the United Nations (UN) Security Council — a more powerful and better resourced organ — has failed to live up to its responsibility of extending the assistance necessary to enable the AU PSC to perform its functions. Consequently, the author concludes that the UN Security Council, when delegating powers to regional arrangements to maintain international peace and security, should provide adequate resources to such regional arrangements, especially those that will otherwise have minimal or no capacity to fulfil their mandate effectively.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Sarkin

This article explores the role of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the role it plays regarding human rights in individual country situations in Africa. It specifically examines the extent to which it has been able to advance a human rights agenda in countries with long-standing human rights problems. The article uses Swaziland/ eSwatini as a lens to examine the matter, because of the longstanding problems that exist in that country. This is done to indicate how the institution works over time on a country’s human rights problems. The article examines a range of institutional structural matters to establish how these issues affect the role of the Commission in its work. The article examines the way in which the Commission uses its various tools, including its communications, the state reporting processes, fact-finding visits, and resolutions, to determine whether those tools are being used effectively. The article examines how the Commission’s processes issues also affect it work. Issues examined negatively affecting the Commission are examined, including problems with the status of its resolutions and communications, limited compliance with its outcomes, and inadequate state cooperation. Reforms necessary to enhance to role and functions of the Commission are surveyed to determine how the institution could become more effective. The African Union’s (AU|) Kagame Report on AU reform is briefly reviewed to examine the limited view and focus of AU reform processes and why AU reform ought to focus on enhancing human rights compliance. The article makes various suggestions on necessary institutional reforms but also as far as the African Commission’s procedures and methods of work to allow it to have a far more effective role in the promotion and protection of human rights on the continent. It is noted that political will by the AU and African states is the largest obstacle to giving the Commission the necessary independence, support and assistance that it needs to play the role in Africa that it should.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mbuzeni Mathenjwa

The history of local government in South Africa dates back to a time during the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. With regard to the status of local government, the Union of South Africa Act placed local government under the jurisdiction of the provinces. The status of local government was not changed by the formation of the Republic of South Africa in 1961 because local government was placed under the further jurisdiction of the provinces. Local government was enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa arguably for the first time in 1993. Under the interim Constitution local government was rendered autonomous and empowered to regulate its affairs. Local government was further enshrined in the final Constitution of 1996, which commenced on 4 February 1997. The Constitution refers to local government together with the national and provincial governments as spheres of government which are distinctive, interdependent and interrelated. This article discusses the autonomy of local government under the 1996 Constitution. This it does by analysing case law on the evolution of the status of local government. The discussion on the powers and functions of local government explains the scheme by which government powers are allocated, where the 1996 Constitution distributes powers to the different spheres of government. Finally, a conclusion is drawn on the legal status of local government within the new constitutional dispensation.


Author(s):  
Ирина Викторовна Евстафьева

В статье исследуются вопросы попечительства в отношении несовершеннолетних, отбывающих наказание в виде лишения свободы. Проблема, поднимаемая автором настоящей статьи, многогранна, касается различных аспектов отбывания наказания несовершеннолетними в воспитательных колониях и требует комплексного исследования, способного ответить на определенно значимый вопрос: является ли колония законным представителем находящихся в ней несовершеннолетних со всеми вытекающими из статуса законных представителей последствиями. При этом необходимо обращать внимание на специфику правового статуса лиц, отбывающих наказание в воспитательных колониях, которые, во-первых, являются несовершеннолетними, то есть не обладают дееспособностью в полном объеме и нуждаются в особой заботе, защите и представительстве, а во-вторых, осуждены за совершение тяжкого или особо тяжкого преступления, влекущего изоляцию от общества и определенные ограничения и лишения. Отечественное законодательство достаточно детально регламентирует особенности режима отбывания наказания в виде лишения свободы несовершеннолетними, не определяя при этом статуса воспитательных колоний, кем они являются: воспитателями, попечителями или исключительно учреждениями исполнения наказаний. Между тем правильное понимание значения и роли воспитательной колонии в жизни находящихся в ней несовершеннолетних преступников, по мнению автора, поможет избежать ряда проблем, объективно складывающихся в учреждениях подобного рода. С этой точки зрения предлагаемая тема представляет интерес не только для ученых-теоретиков, но и для практиков - сотрудников соответствующих учреждений. Особо следует подчеркнуть, что исследований по данной тематике в специальной литературе нет. Отдельные исследования, встречающиеся в современной литературе, касаются исключительно общего гражданско-правового статуса несовершеннолетних осужденных. Однако это обстоятельство может свидетельствовать только о новизне данной темы, но никак не об отсутствии самой проблемы. The article analyzes the issues of the status of educational colonies as guardians of minors serving a sentence of imprisonment. In fact, the problem raised by the author of this article is multifaceted, concerns various aspects of the serving of punishment by minors in educational colonies and requires a comprehensive study that can answer, it seems, a definitely significant question: whether the colony is the legal representative of the minors in it with all the consequences arising from the status of legal representatives in the form of duties and responsibilities. At the same time, it seems, it is necessary to pay attention to the specifics of the legal status of citizens serving sentences in educational colonies, who, firstly, are minors, i.e. do not have full legal capacity and need special care, protection and representation, and, secondly, are convicted of committing a serious or particularly serious crime, entailing isolation from society and certain restrictions and deprivation. Domestic legislation regulates in sufficient detail the peculiarities of the regime of serving sentences in the form of deprivation of liberty by minors, without determining the status of educational colonies. Who are they: educators, Trustees or only institutions of execution of punishments. Meanwhile, the correct understanding of the importance and role of the educational colony in the life of juvenile offenders in it, according to the author, will help to avoid a number of problems that objectively develop in institutions of this kind. From this point of view, the proposed topic is of interest not only for theoretical scientists, but for practitioners-employees of relevant institutions. It should be emphasized that there are no studies on this subject in the special literature. However, this circumstance can testify only about novelty of the given subject, but in any way about absence of the problem. It seems that the relevance and importance of a problem is not always measured by the number of studies devoted to it. Sometimes these its traits are manifest only under particularly careful consideration.


Author(s):  
Martin Mennecke

Universal jurisdiction permits states to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of certain widely condemned offences, irrespective of whether they possess any of the traditional territorial, nationality, or other jurisdictional links to the offence. As a legal principle, African states accept the principle of universal jurisdiction, but in the past decade they have pushed back against it due to the perception that the courts of various European states have unfairly targeted African government officials that they perceive as enemies. Against this background, the chapter examines the status of the universal jurisdiction debate and how it relates to the role of the International Criminal Court and that of the African Union and its member states, in addition to evaluating the proposals made by African states within the framework of the United Nations to address the African government concerns about double standards in the application of universal jurisdiction through a special ad hoc committee of the General Assembly.


Author(s):  
Oliver P. Richmond

Abstract The theories and doctrines related to peacekeeping, mediation, peacebuilding, and statebuilding, as well as other tools used to end war and conflict, raise a range of long-standing questions about the evolution and integrity of what might be called an international peace architecture. A narrow version of this term has begun to appear in the context of peacebuilding through the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, other regional actors, the international legal system, and the International Financial Institutions. This article proposes a much broader, historical version, with six main theoretical stages, which have, from a critical perspective, produced a substantial, though fragile, international architecture.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-236
Author(s):  
Yevhen Leheza ◽  
Yuriy Deliya ◽  
Eduard Ryzhkov ◽  
Serhii Albul ◽  
Oleksandr Shamara

Relevant issues of the administrative and legal status of subjects of special competence in relation to public administration in the field of intellectual property are considered. Main  content. A circle of specified subjects in the system of subjects of public administration is determined. The role of subjects of special competence in the fulfilment of tasks of public administration in the sphere of intellectual property is identified. Classification of subjects of special competence regarding public administration in this field is presented. Features of the administrative or legal status of each group of subjects of special competence in relation to public administration in the field of intellectual property are analyzed. Specifics of the influence of these subjects on legal relations arising in the sphere of intellectual property are characterized. Materials and methods research based on the analysis of documentary sources. the  basis  is  the  dialectical  method  of  cognition  of  the  facts  of  social  reality,  on  which  the  formal legal and comparative legal approaches are largely based. Conclusions are drawn about the place of subjects of special competence in relation to public administration in the field of intellectual property among other subjects. Proposals on the necessity to improve current domestic legislation in the sphere of intellectual property are formulated.Keywords: Public administration; Intellectual property; Legal regulation; Relation; Sphere; Subjects of special competence Peraturan hukum status subjek kompetensi khusus dalam kaitannya dengan administrasi publik di bidang kekayaan intelektual di Ukraina  Abstrak.Masalah yang relevan dari status administrasi dan hukum mata pelajaran kompetensi khusus dalam kaitannya dengan administrasi publik di bidang kekayaan intelektual dipertimbangkan. Isi utama. Lingkaran mata pelajaran tertentu dalam sistem mata pelajaran administrasi publik ditentukan. Peran mata pelajaran kompetensi khusus dalam pemenuhan tugas administrasi publik di bidang kekayaan intelektual diidentifikasi. Klasifikasi mata pelajaran kompetensi khusus tentang administrasi publik di bidang ini disajikan. Fitur status administrasi atau hukum dari setiap kelompok mata pelajaran kompetensi khusus dalam kaitannya dengan administrasi publik di bidang kekayaan intelektual dianalisis. Spesifik pengaruh subjek ini pada hubungan hukum yang timbul di bidang kekayaan intelektual dicirikan. Bahan dan metode penelitian berdasarkan analisis sumber dokumenter. Basisnya adalah metode kognisi dialektis atas fakta-fakta realitas sosial, yang menjadi dasar sebagian besar pendekatan hukum formal dan hukum komparatif. Kesimpulan diambil tentang tempat mata pelajaran kompetensi khusus dalam kaitannya dengan administrasi publik di bidang kekayaan intelektual antara mata pelajaran lainnya. Proposal tentang perlunya meningkatkan undang-undang domestik saat ini di bidang kekayaan intelektual dirumuskan.Kata kunci: Administrasi publik, Kekayaan intelektual, Regulasi hukum, Hubungan, Lingkungan, Mata pelajaran kompetensi khusus Правовое регулирование статуса субъектов особой компетенции в отношении государственного управления в сфере интеллектуальной собственности в УкраинеАннотация Рассмотрены актуальные вопросы административно-правового статуса субъектов особой компетенции применительно к государственному управлению в сфере интеллектуальной собственности. Основное содержание. Определен круг указанных субъектов в системе субъектов государственного управления. Выявлена роль субъектов специальной компетенции в выполнении задач государственного управления в сфере интеллектуальной собственности. Представлена классификация предметов особой компетенции государственного управления в этой области. Анализируются особенности административно-правового статуса каждой группы субъектов особой компетенции применительно к государственному управлению в сфере интеллектуальной собственности. Охарактеризована специфика влияния этих субъектов на правоотношения, возникающие в сфере интеллектуальной собственности. Материалы и методы исследования на основе анализа документальных источников. в основе лежит диалектический метод познания фактов социальной действительности, на котором в значительной степени базируются формально-правовой и сравнительно-правовой подходы. Сделаны выводы о месте субъектов особой компетенции по отношению к государственному управлению в сфере интеллектуальной собственности среди других субъектов. Сформулированы предложения о необходимости совершенствования действующего украинского законодательства в области интеллектуальной собственности.Ключевые слова: Государственное управление, Интеллектуальная собственность, Правовое регулирование, Отношения, Сфера, Субъекты особой компетенции.


Author(s):  
Mathias Stephen ◽  
Trengove Stadler

This chapter explains the membership practices in international organizations (IOs). It focuses on criteria for membership, rights and obligations of membership, suspension, expulsion, and withdrawal. In addition to setting out the legal criteria in an international organization's constitutive treaty relating to membership, it also discusses how these criteria have been applied in practice and how decisions that are political in nature have been made within the established institutional and legal framework. The chapter focuses on three different types of IOs: the universal, represented by the United Nations (UN); the regional, such as the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU), where membership is restricted to countries from a particular geographic area; and the specialized agencies which, while fulfilling a limited and technical function, are often open to universal membership.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
Jan Fazlagić ◽  
Elżbieta Izabela Szczepankiewicz

Local government relates to the public administration of towns, cities, counties, and districts. One of the key responsibilities of local government is the administrative purpose of supplying goods and services. Local governments should also represent and involve citizens in determining specific local public needs and how these local needs can be met. As the structure of gross domestic product (GDP) in many countries across the world changes, so do the expectations towards the role of local governments as far as supporting local economic growth is concerned. The administrative purpose involves creating conducive conditions for economic development. Statistical figures show that the share of the creative economy in the GDP of the most developed countries is steadily increasing. New economic sectors such as “creative industries” pose a challenge to local governments. In this paper, we present a conceptual model for measuring the efforts of local governments in developing and supporting the creative industries. The model proposed by the authors allows for the comparison of smaller administrative units such as counties regarding their advancement and commitment to supporting creative industries.


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