A charter adopted by the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) in 1981 and ratified by all of its members except South Sudan. The Charter reaffirms the duty of African states to eliminate colonialism, apartheid, and Zionism, and stresses that civil and political rights cannot be dissociated from economic, social, and cultural rights. The Charter concurs with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and emphasizes the rights of ‘peoples’. It established the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, now based in Banjul, the Gambia, a body intended to promote human rights, as well as to investigate complaints from individuals. A protocol to create an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights was adopted in 1998 and came into force in 2005. However, in many African countries habitual abuse of human rights continues.