The Maputo Protocol is a treaty instrument that is binding on all countries that ratify it. It went into effect in November 2005, after the minimum 15 of the 53 African Union member countries ratified it. As of June 2009, according to the African Union, 45 nations had signed it and 28 had formally ratified it: (Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Libya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Those who ratify the treaty are called “States Parties.”
For a constantly updated list of signatories and ratifications see this section of the African Union website: http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Documents/Treaties/List/Protocol%20on%20the%20Rights%20of%20Women.pdf
