ACCRA TO HOST PAN AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Africa Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation will host a Pan-African Human Rights Conference from November 21 to 23 in Accra on the theme, "Dignity and Justice for All of Us".A statement released by the MFWA in Accra on Monday said representatives from the Africa labour movement, some major human rights advocacy and defence organisations, non-governmental organisations, networks, institutions and prominent individuals from around Africa would be present at the conference.These representatives will review the state of human rights in Africa to identity the most critical, pressing issues and cases for common actions and campaigns on a continental scale. Also, they would address the growing and deepening problems and challenges of human rights on the continent.The key topics to be reviewed include Civil and Political Rights in Africa Today and How to Promote Them Using Sub-Regional and African Mechanisms; A Review of the International and African Mechanisms for Promoting Women's Rights in Africa; and Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Impunity in Africa."This being the first active attempt to build an Africa-wide or Pan-Africa human rights movement to embrace and involve the continent's trade union movements, the conference promises to usher in the development of a truly new dynamic, popular, mass-based human rights movement in Africa."The Africa Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, which is the largest congregation of independent and democratic labour movements in Africa, has 87 national trade union centres from 46 countries while the Media Foundation for West Africa is a West African free expression advocacy organization that seeks to defend and promote the rights and freedoms of the media and all forms of expression in Africa. 17 Nov. 08

FROM;MFWA