On 21 May – 4 June 2004 the 35th Session of the African Session on Human and Peoples' Rights took place in Banjul, the Gambia. It was preceded by the customary NGO Forum on 18 – 20 May 2004. Christopher Mbazira through the Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA) represented the Socio-Economic Rights Project.

During the Commission's session, Mr. Mbazira, made a statement on the role of the Commission in promoting and protecting socio-economic rights. Amongst other things, the statement commended the Commission's ruling in The Social and Economic Rights Action Center and the Center for Economic and Social Rights v Nigeria, communication No. 155/96 as a landmark in entrenching the principle of indivisibility, interdependency, and interrelatedness of both civil and political rights. The statement appealed to the Commission to call upon States to respect, protect, promote and fulfil their socio-economic rights obligations as enshrined under the African Charter and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.