28-31 March 2021
No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) and the Libyan Bar Association, in collaboration with UNSMIL/Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Division, organised from 28 to 31 March 2021 two consecutive workshops aiming at strengthening and developing the capacity of human rights defenders from sixteen Libyan civil society organizations in the preparation of parallel reports on Libya’s compliance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Participants coming from various regions and cities of the country were provided with necessary knowledge and information on the content of the two treaties, the functioning of the United Nations’ Committee against Torture and Human Rights Committee. They were also provided with the necessary skills and techniques to draft parallel reports based on the specific reporting guidelines developed by the two treaty bodies. The two workshops were an opportunity for the participants to discuss issues related to the fight against torture and impunity, enforced disappearances, death penalty, freedom of expression and assembly, political participation, internal displacement, refugees and migrant rights, equality, and other political and civil rights.
The participants had also the opportunity to exchange online with Mr. Ibrahim Salama Chief, Human Rights Treaties Branch’s official at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the functioning of the treaty bodies’ system, the importance of parallel reports and the involvement of CSOs in the cooperation with Treaty bodies. The role of civil society organisations in the promotion and protection of human rights in Libya, the relevance of the dialogue between the authorities and CSOs on human rights issues and the opportunities provided by the Human Rights Treaty Bodies System were emphasized.
It’s expected that the participating NGOs will engage in the preparation and submission of parallel reports to the two Committees.
The workshops were organised in the framework of a project launched by NPWJ in November 2020 and implemented with the financial support of the European Union, which aims at promoting a human rights approach within Libya’s legislative bodies and national authorities and supporting their efforts to fulfill their international obligations to Human Rights Treaties, including by submitting all overdue reports to the relevant bodies and mechanisms and by implementing their recommendations.
– For further information please contact Frej Fenniche, MENA Regional Representative of No Peace Without Justice (on ffenniche@npwj.org).
– Check also the Arabic FB page of NPWJ’s Libya Team
