Northern African TOT on African Human Rights Mechanisms: Starting point for partnership between various African stakeholders

The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) launched on 20 July 2018 the Northern African training of trainers (TOT) on African human rights mechanisms.
The three-day training hosted by the CNDH’s National Human Rights Training Institute- Driss Benzekri (INFDH) brought together civil society representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia and Morocco to equip them with knowledge and skills for a more effective way to engage them with the African human rights system.
This training focused on several aspects of the international and regional system of protection and promotion of human rights. It was an opportunity to underline the work of the African Union’s human rights instruments and the role of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) to strengthen NGOs’ engagement to the African human rights system. It also aimed to reinforce the trainees’ capacities for better engagement with African human rights mechanisms mainly the ACHPR.

At the opening session, Mr. Driss El Yazami, CNDH’s President welcomed this new cooperation process with the ACDHRS and expressed his wish to reinforce and sustain this partnership. He also reiterates that the CNDH has been always active at the African level, as a member of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI). Mr. El Yazami stated that the CNDH is advocating for the ratification of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights by Morocco. This TOT was a starting point for a long-term partnership that would involve human rights stakeholders in Africa, namely the CNDH, ACHPR, ACDHRS and NANHRI.
Mrs. Hannah Forster, Director of the ACDHRS highlighted that the TOT would provide the participants with pedagogic tools likely to help trainees to better understand the African human rights system. Mrs. Forster also urged the Moroccan government to ratify the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Mr. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, Commissioner of the ACHPR and Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, underscored that this training would be an opportunity to reinforce promotional actions on human rights and fundamental freedoms. It would also contribute to the implementation of African Charter many standards, which are based on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

This training testified to the CNDH’s engagement in Africa. To be noted that the CNDH participated in the session of the ACHPR and organized a side event on migration in Niamey, Niger in 2017.