23 March 2022, Banjul, The Gambia - The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) wishes to inform the general public that the Working Group on Death Penalty and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings and Enforced Disappearances in Africa (the Working Group), will be organizing the Second Validation Workshop of The Guidelines on The Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances in Africa, from 28 to 30 March 2022, in Banjul, The Gambia. This activity is funded by the European Union (EU) under the EU/AGA Support Project 2021-2023.
The Workshop is being organized within the framework of Article 45 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and pursuant to Resolution ACHPR/Res. 448 (LXVI) 2020 adopted by the Commission at its 66th Ordinary Session held virtually from 13 July to 7 August 2020, which mandated the Working Group to draft Guidelines on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances in Africa (the Guidelines).
The Workshop would review and validate the Draft Guidelines to be considered and adopted by the Commission during its Ordinary Session, in order to assist States to fulfill their obligations to prevent and protect their populations against the Enforced Disappearances. They would specifically discuss the following: - Context of Enforced Disappearances in Africa; General Principles and Definitions; Rights commonly infringed upon by an Enforced Disappearance; Legal Obligations; and Implementation.
The Workshop will be attended by Commissioner Idrissa Sow, Chairperson of the Working Group, Commissioner Maya Sahli Fadel, Vice Chairperson of the Commission and Vice Chairperson of the Working Group, Experts Members of the Working Group, Partners, Experts from leading institutions specialized on enforced disappearances, academic scholars, UN and other international and regional bodies with expertise on the crime of enforced disappearance, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society organizations that have experience in working with victims of enforced disappearance either as legal representatives, assisting relatives to find their loved ones, or providing psycho-social or forensic support and the Staff of the Secretariat of the Commission.
The Workshop will also be facilitated by Members of the Working Group, Experts and staff of the Secretariat of the Commission.
For further information, please contact:
Secretariat, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
31 Bijilo Annex Lay-out, Kombo North District Western Region.
PO Box 673
Banjul, The Gambia
Tel: 220 4410505/6
Fax: 220 4410504
E-mail: au-banjul@africa-union.org
