Held annually in the lead-up to the Commission’s session, the NGO Forum serves as a critical platform for civil society actors and human rights defenders from across Africa and beyond to deliberate on pressing human rights challenges and shape advocacy strategies.
This year’s forum will focus on the theme: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.” The theme places renewed emphasis on water security, sanitation, and hygiene as fundamental human rights and essential pillars for sustainable development across the continent.
Organisers say discussions will centre on strengthening policy frameworks, enhancing accountability mechanisms, and promoting innovative solutions to ensure equitable access to safe water and sanitation services. The dialogue is also expected to highlight the intersection between environmental sustainability, public health, and social justice issues increasingly affecting vulnerable communities.
Over the three days, participants will engage in high-level panel discussions, thematic sessions, and strategy meetings covering a broad spectrum of human rights concerns, with particular attention to the impacts of climate change and resource management on livelihoods and dignity.
The outcomes of the forum are expected to play a pivotal role in shaping civil society positions and recommendations that will be presented during the 87th session of the ACHPR, influencing deliberations at one of Africa’s foremost human rights bodies.
The ACDHRS has extended an open invitation to civil society organisations, development partners, and other stakeholders to participate in the forum, describing it as a vital space for dialogue, collaboration, and collective action aimed at advancing human rights across the continent.
As Banjul once again becomes the focal point of Africa’s human rights discourse, expectations are high that the forum will generate actionable solutions to some of the continent’s most urgent development and rights-based challenges.
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