Abimbola Akosile
4 November 2008
Lagos — The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) has unveiled plans to hold a Forum on the participation of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on the issue of protection and promotion of human rights across the continent.
The deliberation is to take place in Abuja this week at the 44th Ordinary Session of the Commission, and its 18th African Human Rights Book Fair.
The event is anchored by the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS), which is an independent non-governmental pan-African organisation, established in The Gambia since 1989.
Since its inception, the Centre has been playing a central role in promoting and protecting human rights and democracy in Africa, through the media of capacity building, networking, action-oriented research, publication and documentation.
The forum is being organised in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) and the Legal Resources Consortium (LRC).
According AHPR Chairperson, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, the forum is one of the main advocacy tools that the Centre uses to promote networking among Human Rights NGOs, for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa.
In collaboration with the African Commission and other human rights organisations, the Centre has facilitated the participation of civil society organisations, academicians and other professionals from Africa and beyond in the African Commission's sessions.
It (forum) is expected to deliberate generally on the human rights situation in Africa in general and attempt to bring to the fore specific situations that need to be highlighted in order to attract the attention of the African Commission in particular and the international community and other concerned bodies.
The ACDHRS is also expected to organise the 18th African Human Rights Book Fair during the Forum and the public sessions of the Commission, to enable NGOs network and initiate or renew, the exchange of materials and information, as well as to publicise their activities.
The objectives of the forum are to foster closer collaboration and co-operation among NGOs, and with the African Commission for promotion and protection human rights in Africa; to provide a discussion platform for organisations working on democracy and human rights issues in the continent; and to promote inter-regional/organisational networking for the implementation of decisions of the Forum as contained in the ACHPR Communiqué.
Among the topics proposed as the main themes for discussion at the NGO Forum are an update on the Human Rights and Democracy Situation in Africa; update on the Protocol on Women's Rights in Africa & the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa; the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Criminal Court
Others include 'Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa'; Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Human Rights Defenders in Africa; 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Minority Rights; Indigenous Peoples Rights; Durban Review Conference; Children's Rights; and Networking for Human Rights.
The last Forum held in Ezulwini, Kingdom of Swaziland in May, 2008 with 165 participants from civil society organisations and NGOs in Africa and beyond, inter-state organisations, the academia e.t.c.
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