Launching ceremony of the Robben Island Guidelines
The APT and the African Commission organized a public ceremony to launch the RIG, which took place on 10 July 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique, during the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. To read more see the Summary Report on the launch of the Robben Island Guidelines.
Regional consultative meeting to set up strategies and plans for an effective implementation of the Robben Island Guidelines
In December 2003, the African Commission and the APT organized an expert consultative meeting on the implementation of the Robben Island Guidelines, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The Government of Burkina Faso hosted the meeting under the facilitation of the Ministry for the Promotion of Human Rights. The meeting gathered together APT and African Commission’s representatives as well as experts from the Government of Burkina Faso, United Nations, National Human Rights Institutions, Academics and Civil Society Organizations. For more details see the Report on the Consultative Meeting.
Training sensitization of African actors
NGO Forum Prior to each ordinary sessions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies organizes a NGO Forum with the aim to foster closer co-operation among NGOs, and with the African Commission for promoting and protecting human rights in Africa. The NGO Forum adopts recommendations and draft resolutions that are submitted to the African Commission of human and People’s Rights. One of the Working Group of the NGO Forum is dedicated to the Prevention and Prohibition of torture in Africa and the RIG. In its final declaration, the NGO Forum held in Accra, Ghana, from 11-14 May 2007, adopted a Resolution on the promotion and implementation of the RIG initiated by APT and OMCT. The latter was then endorsed during the 41st session of the African Commission calling up on African States for the ratification of the OPCAT and the implementation of the RIG. The NGO Forum preceding the 42nd session of the African Commission held in Brazzaville, Congo, from 10 to 12 November 07 reiterated the mentioned resolution and called up on all stakeholders to use it in their ant-torture work.
Training of Francophone African NGOs on the RIG to prevent torture in Africa in Burundi In December 2006, the first phase of a three-year joint APT/FIACAT project aimed at capacity building for NGOs on the implementation of the Robben Island Guidelines (RIG) was launched. Twenty-six members of national ACAT organizations from 13 African countries took part in the workshop held in Bujumbura, Burundi, from 11 to 15 December 2006. The second training and evaluation of the first phase took place on 11-13 December 2007 in Bamako, Mali. Participants were trained among others on methodology for monitoring places of detention. The 3rd seminar will take place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in October 2008. Forthcoming Activities Third training seminar for Francophone African NGOs on the RIG to prevent torture in Africa (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in October 2008) RIG Follow-up Committee working session on the 2 April 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa Regional seminar on the RIG and OPCAT (Cape Town, South-Africa, 4-5 April 2008)