Today, Tuesday, February 18, 2025, the activities of a workshop on the human rights situation in Sudan were launched at the Foundation of Human Rights Initiative – Human Rights House in Kampala, Uganda. The workshop is organized by the Nuba Center for Peace and Democracy, in collaboration and coordination with its partners, key human rights defenders, and in particular the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, based in Banjul, The Gambia, in addition to various stakeholders, civil society organizations, and other actors.
This preparatory workshop, which will last for two days, aims to prepare for participation in the 58th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, scheduled to take place from February 24 to April 4, 2025. The workshop was distinguished by the participation of young human rights and humanitarian activists, both in person and virtually, including human rights defenders and defenders of human rights defenders. The opening session was addressed by Mr. Abdelbagi Jibril, the principal representative of the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies and the Sudanese Knowledge Center in Geneva.
The workshop aims to foster discussions and dialogue on coordination and integration mechanisms with regional and international bodies working in the field of human rights in Sudan. It also seeks to provide practical insights into the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report and related mechanisms concerning Sudan. Additionally, the workshop aspires to empower Sudanese human rights defenders, civil society organizations, and youth and women advocacy groups to formulate impactful messages, develop actionable strategies, and identify key tools to contribute effectively to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Furthermore, the workshop seeks to promote accountability, stimulate justice, and ensure that perpetrators do not escape punishment, while actively working to prevent further violations, atrocities, and grave crimes.
On the first day, participants discussed various mandates of the UN Human Rights Council mechanisms, previous reports, and the Council’s agenda. The discussions also covered the upcoming OHCHR report on the human rights situation in Sudan, which is set to be presented on February 27, particularly report No. 58-29, available at the following link:
The Nuba Center for Peace and Democracy and the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies urge Sudanese civil society, particularly human rights defenders, to engage actively in efforts to improve the human rights situation in Sudan. The organizations also emphasize the need to include youth, persons with disabilities, and marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, women, and children, to ensure the protection of their fundamental rights, including the right to life, food, housing, and peace, as guaranteed by international humanitarian law and human rights conventions.
The Nuba Center for Peace and Democracy calls upon all participants in the regular session of the Human Rights Council to collaborate and advocate for engagement with peace-loving and human rights-supporting communities and to show solidarity with the Sudanese people, who are currently facing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world today.
Nuba Center for Peace and Democracy
February 18, 2025 – Kampala.