The Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights wishes to inform the general public that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the ACHPR) is organising a Regional Conference on “The Role of the ACHPR in Promoting and Protecting Women’s Rights in Africa” from 13 to 15 July 2010, in Mali, Bamako.
The Conference will bring together partipants from countries in the North and West African Regions. They include State delegates, NGOs, and Female Lawyers Associations. African Union (AU) Organs and Inter-Governmental Organisations will also be in attendance. The objectives of the Conference include:
- Discussing with representatives of member States of the AU from West and North Africa as well as with representatives from NGOs, the ACHPR’s achievements and its contribution to women’s rights in Africa;
- Identifying strategies to contribute to strengthening the cooperation between the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa and other stakeholders to ensure a better protection of women’s rights in Africa;
- Ensuring that legal practitioners and NGOs are equipped with practical knowledge of the ACHPR’s complaint mechanism and of the integration of gender into their work, with a view to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women;
- Discussing the challenges faced by Member States in the adoption of new legislation as well as in the harmonization of its legislation with the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa;
- Encouraging the establishment of a network of Female Lawyers Associations in the region of North and West Africa.
After the three days of the Conference, participants are expected to be more familiar with the work of the ACHPR in general, and its role in promoting and protecting the rights of women in particular. It is also expected that there will be a stronger and continuous working relationship between the ACHPR and other stakeholders, as a nucleus for a continent-wide strategic partnership for the promotion and protection of women’s rights in Africa.
For further information, please contact:
The Secretariat of the African Commission
31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District
Western Region.
PO Box 673
Banjul, The Gambia
Tel: 220 4410505/6
Fax: 220 4410504
E-mail: achpr@achpr.org or Secretary@achpr.org
