Forum on the Participation of NGOs

(ACDHRS)--The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) is an independent non-governmental pan-African organisation, established in The Gambia since 1989. Since its inception, the Centre has been playing a central role in promoting and protecting human rights and democracy in Africa, through the media of capacity building, networking, action-oriented research, publication and documentation.

The Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the Ordinary Sessions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights is one of the main advocacy tools that the Centre uses to promote networking among Human Rights NGOs, for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa. In collaboration with the African Commission and other human rights organizations, the African Centre has facilitated the participation of civil society organizations, academicians and other professionals from Africa and beyond in the African Commission’s sessions.

The last Forum held in Ezulwini, Kingdom of Swaziland in May, 2008 was a resounding success with 165 participants, coming from civil society organization and NGOs in Africa and beyond, inter-state organizations, the academia, and so on.

As is traditional, the African Centre will host the Forum on the participation of NGOs in the 44th Ordinary session of the African Commission. The forum will deliberate generally on the human rights situation in Africa in general and attempt to bring to the fore specific situations that need to be highlighted in order to attract the attention of the African Commission in particular and the international community and other concerned bodies.

The ACDHRS will also organize the 18th African Human Rights Book Fair during the Forum and the public sessions of the Commission, to enable NGOs network and initiate or renew, the exchange of materials and information, as well as to publicize their activities.

Objectives
The main objectives of the Forum are:
- to foster closer collaboration and co-operation among NGOs, and with the African Commission for promotion and protection human rights in Africa
- to provide a discussion platform for organizations working on democracy and human rights issues in the continent.
- to promote inter-regional/organizational networking for the implementation of decisions of the Forum as contained in the ACHPR Communiqué

Language
The Forum will be conducted in both English and French with simultaneous interpretation.

Participation
All participants to the Forum are expected to meet the full cost of their participation, including a registration fee of US$100 (one hundred United States Dollars) or its equivalent in Nigerian Naira. Please note that this amount is subsidised by the African Centre to meet the cost of tea and coffee breaks, lunch, documentation, stationery and other administrative logistics for the duration of the Forum only.

Furthermore, note that the said amount should be paid by ALL participants in cash at the registration desk on 7th November, 2008.

Due to the fluctuation of the US Dollars, the cost of participation will be reviewed for the May, 2009 NGO Forum.

Resource Persons
Resource persons for the Forum are usually eminent activists and experts dealing with democracy and human rights issues in Africa.

Place and Duration of the Forum
As usual, the three-day Forum would take place from the 7th to 9th November, 2008 in Abuja, Nigeria while the Sessions of the African Commission would hold from 10th to 24th November, 2008.

Book Fair
Display of publications at the Book Fair is encouraged for greater participation at the Forum. We encourage participants to hand carry publications and send in bibliographies by email to / latest Friday, 31st October, 2008.

Further information will be communicated to interested individuals and organizations upon receipt of the reply form.

Proposed Agenda
The following topics are proposed as the main themes for discussion at the NGO Forum:

1. Update on the Human Rights and Democracy Situation in Africa
2. Update on the Protocol on Women’s Rights in Africa & the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa
3. The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Criminal Court
4. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
5. Human Rights Defenders in Africa
6. 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
7. Minority Rights
8. Indigenous Peoples Rights
9. Durban Review Conference
10. Children’s Rights
11. Networking for Human Rights

Should you have any comments, proposal to the proposed agenda, please forward to the ACDHRS. However, please note that any proposal(s) to include a new theme or topic to the afore-said agenda should take cognizance of the fact that the NGO Forum Agenda is determined by the agenda of the proceedings of the African Commission Session.

Furthermore, proposals by organizations or individuals must be accompanied by proposed names of resource persons and an expression of their willingness to support their participation in the Forum, if necessary, as well as to provide the relevant documentation needed to facilitate the presentations on the given theme or topic.

Visa
We would wish to encourage participants to make necessary visa arrangements where required before departing from their respective countries for Nigeria.

Accommodation
With regards to accommodation, the African Centre would negotiate rates of rooms on behalf of participants and forward such information to participants.

Application Deadline
Participants must complete the attached reply form and return it to the African Centre no later than Friday, 17th October 2008 by either Tel: 00 44 62 341-2 or Fax: 00 220- 44 62 338-9 or email: / / in order to facilitate administrative and logistic arrangements. The African Centre is not obliged to process reply forms received after the deadline.

You are kindly encouraged to disseminate this information brochure to your network members as widely as possible.

*To read the full document and to fill the reply form, click respectively on: NGO_Forum_Brochure-Nov,_2008.doc and Reply_form1.doc

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