Africa: Regional Meeting of West African National Human Rights Institutions on Monitoring Human Rights in the Context of Migration

8 November 2022
United Nations Human Rights (Geneva)
press release

Dakar, Senegal: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR-WARO) for West Africa is hosting from 7 to 11 November 2022 a regional training of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) in West Africa on the monitoring of human rights in the context of migration. This meeting is part of the process of strengthening effective monitoring of human rights violations in order to respond to the challenges faced by migrants during the different stages of the migration cycle.

The regional meeting will bring together delegations from the National Human Rights Institutions of Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal, which, in accordance with the Paris Principles, have a mandate that includes research, legal and policy advice, education and advocacy in monitoring the effective implementation of international human rights standards at national level; as well as cooperation with other national organisations for the protection, promotion and monitoring of the effective implementation of international human rights standards in the country.

The objective of this regional meeting is to improve NHRIs' knowledge of the international human rights framework protecting the rights of migrants (particularly on the human rights situation of smuggled and trafficked migrants).  The nexus between human rights, migration and climate change will also be considered.

Indeed, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted in 2018 by the UN General Assembly, recognises the key role of NHRIs in the implementation and monitoring of migration standards. The Pact recognises climate change as a driver of migration, and calls on states to find ways to address the vulnerabilities of people, including those affected by natural disasters. The Pact also recognises the risks of human rights violations associated with migrants forced to move in precarious conditions and using the services of smugglers and other irregular networks. It calls for the improvement and expansion of regular migration channels.  The training will explore concrete ways to fully and effectively meet this demand.

This training is organised within the framework of the regional PROMIS project funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a joint initiative of OHCHR-WARO and UNODC ROSEN to support States in developing human rights-based responses to migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons and to respond effectively to human rights violations related to irregular migration.

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