AfricTivistes brings communities’ voices to the 89th ACHPR session

From 12 to 21 October, Dakar is hosting the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Since the NGO Forum that preceded it (8–10 October), AfricTivistes has been participating in several panels, side events and roundtables, sharing its field experience and recommendations. The pan-African network is also co-organising three events on the sidelines of the session, focusing on civic participation, the protection of young women activists and civic space in the Sahel.

The 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) opened on Monday 12 October in Dakar and will run until 21 October 2026. This session holds particular significance, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the entry into force of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

For AfricTivistes, the session reflects a longstanding commitment: ensuring that citizens and civil society have a meaningful voice in African institutions. This was the purpose of the citizen consultation launched in September. Working with its Sahel Activistes, Sahel Résilience and CitizenLabs communities, alongside African citizens, AfricTivistes gathered concerns and recommendations from citizens, activists and human rights defenders on civic space, fundamental freedoms, digital rights, the protection of communities and access to African human rights protection mechanisms.

In Dakar, this initiative continues through three side events co-organised alongside the session. AfricTivistes will deliver opening remarks at each event.

Participating in regional decision-making

Tuesday 13 October — National Forum on the Operationalisation of ECOSOCC-West Africa, with WADEMOS, WACSI and the Open Society Foundations

Envisaged under the 1993 Revised ECOWAS Treaty, the ECOWAS Economic, Social and Cultural Council is intended to provide a platform for dialogue between Community institutions and civil society. More than thirty years later, it is still not operational, although the process was revived in Accra in March 2026.

The forum will review progress with ECOWAS and present the campaign led by WADEMOS to establish the Council, including opportunities to join the initiative. AfricTivistes will deliver the welcome remarks.

Protecting women who take action

Thursday 15 October — “Meeting the Moment: Protecting Young Women Leaders in Social Movements”, with AWLF, Demos Kratos and AfricanDefenders

This event will place the experiences of young women involved in social movements at the centre of discussions, focusing on their protection and access to African accountability mechanisms.

Commissioner Rémy Ngoy Lumbu will participate in the opening session. The AfricTivistes citizen consultation platform helped gather experiences and recommendations ahead of the session.

Defending civic space

Friday 16 October — “Civic Space Under Siege: Freedom of Association and the Rising Judicialisation of Civic Action in the Sahel and West Africa”, with WACSI and RFLD, supported by EU SEE

The event aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society, national institutions and regional bodies to protect freedom of association in the Alliance of Sahel States countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) and across West Africa, while coordinating regional advocacy in response to the increasing judicialisation of civic action.

Discussions will address restrictions on civic space, their digital dimensions and the challenges of accessing ACHPR protection mechanisms. One of the event’s objectives is to facilitate dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Point on Reprisals.

Participating in decision-making, protecting those who take action and defending the space in which they operate: from the regional to the continental level, these three events share a common objective — ensuring meaningful and protected civic participation.

These activities form part of the AfricTivistes 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, particularly its Civic Engagement pillar, alongside technological innovation and documentation.

They build on the pan-African citizen consultation and reflect a shared ambition: ensuring that the voices of citizens and civil society are heard by African institutions, from the regional to the continental level.

👉 Follow the 89th Ordinary Session and our side events on our social media channels:

#CADHP89 #AfricTivistes #WADEMOS #WACSI #DemosKratos #AWLF #ACHPR89

For further information, please contact: info@africtivistes.org