SENEGAL

15 years of liberal human rights work in West Africa

The right of every human being to dignity, freedom and equality is paramount in the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It forms the cornerstone of German commitment abroad and the work of German political foundations worldwide. In cooperation with civil society, legal institutions and human rights activists, measures are offered to raise awareness, educate, train and empower, focussing on universal human rights and the fight for their observance. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, together with its French partner organisation Fondation René Cassin, has been running training seminars in West Africa for many years. Initially located in Strasbourg, the headquarters of the Fondation René Cassin, the participation of interested parties from non-European countries proved to be complicated.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, together with its French partner organisation Fondation René Cassin, has been running training seminars in West Africa for many years. Initially located in Strasbourg, the headquarters of the Fondation René Cassin, the participation of interested parties from non-European countries proved to be complicated. Visa issues and the financing of travel and accommodation costs stood in the way of participation. This gave rise to the idea of ‘delocalising’ the teaching staff and expertise from Strasbourg to the countries of West Africa. The Senegalese capital Dakar was chosen as the first location 15 years ago, where the two foundations launched the first joint so-called Session délocalisée en Droit de l'Homme in a proven Franco-German partnership. September is now the officially recognised ‘Human Rights Month’ in Senegal and a meeting place for human rights activists from all over French-speaking Africa.

The events of the human rights seminars offer a top-class programme that is geared towards current events. The topic of 2024 in Dakar, for example, centres on the issues of international human rights, elections and the constitution. Inspired by the changes of government in Senegal and in several African countries in recent years, in which the constitutions of the respective countries have been interpreted and applied very differently, human rights-, criminal- and international law experts, judges, lawyers and human rights activists from West Africa are pondering the question of the value, protection and scope of application of these constitutions, essential instruments of the rule of law and liberal, democratic governance.

Theorists and practitioners will be joining forces. Sharing experiences and empowerment are at the centre of the more than 100 Dakar participants who are defending in their countries of origin - including the so-called coup-belt countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso - sometimes under adverse circumstances dignity, protection and respect of people, minorities or members of the opposition. 

The Session délocalisée des Droits International des Droits de l'Homme 2024 in Senegal is co-financed by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the Fondation René Cassin, the French Embassy in Dakar, the Senegalese Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (BRAO).

Further human rights seminars take place every year in Abidjan, Yaoundé, Maputo, Brazzaville, Bamako as well as Buenos Aires and Lima.