29. From 11 to 13 October 2010, together with Commissioner Bitaye, Mr. Zephym Kalimba, Mr. Albert Barume and Ms Genivive Rose as members of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and Communities in Africa, I attended and participated in the Sub regional Conference on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples/Margnalised Communities in Africa organized by the office of the Prime Minister (Namibia) International Labour Organization and the ACHPR.
30. The Conference coincided with the official launch of the overview Report of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 24 African Counties. The study leading to the Report was undertaken by the Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria, represented by Prof Frans Viljoen. The seminar and the launch of the Report took place in Windhoek, Namibia.
31. The objectives were to increase participants’ awareness on the rights of indigenous peoples and to obtain input towards the future policies of Namibia towards indigenous populations. In place of Dr Naomi Kipuri, an expert member of the Group who could not attend the meeting for logistical reasons, I made a presentation on the work of the Commission’s Working Group on
Indigenous Peoples and Communities in Africa. We had occasion to visit a settlement of the San people off the city of Windhoek and saw the interventions that the Government of Namibia is making to integrate this indigenous group in the development program of the country.
32. From 7 to 8 November 2010, I participated in the meeting of the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples/ Communities held here in Banjul just before the current session of the ommission. The meeting reviewed, among other things, activities undertaken in the last inter session, and planned for programmes to be undertaken in the forthcoming intersession.
