14 Commonwealth African Countries Trained to Improve Human Rights Reporting

Last week, senior officials from 14 Commonwealth African countries participated in training aimed at enhancing their ability to report on human rights obligations, including safeguarding basic economic, social, and cultural rights. This initiative is expected to improve compliance with follow-up recommendations from United Nations (UN) Human Rights Treaty Bodies, facilitating the transformation of human rights obligations into tangible actions.

The Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, hosted the workshop from October 1 to 3, 2024, in Dar es Salaam. Forty-two senior officials attended the event, which focused on addressing challenges related to delayed reporting and building capacity for more effective national reporting mechanisms.

Although all the participating countries have ratified several of the nine core human rights treaties, many have experienced significant delays in submitting reports to the relevant treaty bodies, with some reports overdue by more than a decade. These delays are often attributed to limited capacity for data management and maintaining institutional memory. The workshop was designed to help countries overcome these challenges by sharing best practices and strategies for timely reporting.

Throughout the event, participants discussed ways to clear the backlog of reports due to human rights treaty bodies, as well as those required under the voluntary national reviews of the Sustainable Development Goals. The training also provided guidance on establishing or enhancing National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up (NMIRFs), which are designed to improve coordination across government agencies for collecting information and preparing national reports.

Bucyana U. Allen, Assistant Commissioner of Legal Affairs from Uganda, noted that the workshop simplified what she had previously perceived as a complex process. She appreciated the insight gained from UN facilitators, explaining that she now had a clearer understanding of the expectations for report submissions.

Similarly, Nozipho L. Mazibuko, State Reporting Coordinator from Eswatini, valued the training for addressing her struggles with implementing recommendations from human rights bodies. She expressed hope that the new knowledge would help ensure the full realization of human rights in Eswatini.

Hon. Jumanne Abdallah Sagini, Deputy Minister of Tanzania’s Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, opened the workshop by emphasizing the link between human rights and development. He highlighted the need to harmonize the multiple mechanisms and reporting systems in place across African states to reduce duplication, lower costs, and improve data integration. He remarked that the workshop was timely and would help support the reform of reporting systems, enhancing the work of NMIRFs.

Steve Onwuasoanya, Acting Head of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit, stressed the importance of the workshop in bringing African member countries together to address their unique challenges. He noted that complying with treaty obligations strengthens protections for all citizens and contributes to sustainable development by placing human rights at the core of progress.

Marcel Akpovo, East Africa Regional Director for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, acknowledged the difficulties countries face in engaging with international human rights treaty bodies. He expressed optimism that events like the workshop would encourage participating states to build sustainable institutional solutions and retain institutional knowledge for future engagement.

The workshop concluded with the adoption of an outcome statement, in which participants committed to developing action plans to keep their human rights treaty reporting on track. They also agreed to establish a regional network to facilitate the exchange of best practices and experiences.

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