A regional convening in Cotonou will bring together stakeholders from West and Central Africa to rethink human rights governance, strengthen regional cooperation and develop African-led solutions to emerging challenges.
Human rights in West and Central Africa stand at a critical crossroads. Across the two regions, countries have made important commitments to protecting human rights through constitutional guarantees, national laws, regional instruments and international conventions.
Yet, for millions of people, the promise of these commitments remains unfulfilled. Conflict, economic inequality, restrictions on civic space, weak accountability, natural resource exploitation and environmental destruction continue to undermine the enjoyment of fundamental rights.
This growing gap between legal commitments and people’s everyday experiences raises an important question: Is Africa’s existing human rights architecture sufficiently equipped to respond to today’s challenges and anticipate those of tomorrow?
This question will take center stage at the regional convening on Reimagining the Future of Human Rights in West and Central Africa, scheduled for 10–12 November 2026 in Cotonou, Benin. Approximately 70 participants drawn from governments, regional institutions, civil society, academia, the private sector and development partners are expected to examine the evolving human rights landscape and identify practical, African-led solutions to strengthen human rights protection, democratic governance, peace, justice and sustainable development.
The Cotonou dialogue forms part of a broader continental initiative to develop a future-fit African Human Rights Architecture. It seeks to ensure that the experiences, perspectives and priorities of West and Central Africa meaningfully inform the continent’s wider conversation about the future of human rights governance.
At its core, the initiative recognizes that Africa’s human rights architecture must evolve alongside the political, economic, environmental, technological and security realities shaping the lives of its people.
Four themes, one shared agenda
The three-day convening will be structured around four interconnected thematic areas.
The first, Democratic Governance, Constitutionalism and Civic Space, will examine the foundations of accountable and inclusive governance. Beyond electoral processes, discussions will consider constitutionalism, the rule of law, judicial independence, public participation, digital rights and the protection of civic space. As restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly persist in parts of the region, strengthening democratic institutions and restoring public confidence in governance will remain central to the conversation.
The second theme, Peace, Security and Human Rights, will explore the relationship between human rights protection and the pursuit of lasting peace and security. Armed conflicts, violent extremism, organized crime and humanitarian crises continue to displace communities, disrupt livelihoods and expose civilians to serious violations. The discussions will therefore consider conflict prevention, early warning, transitional justice, accountability and the integration of human rights into peacebuilding and security responses.
The third theme, Human Rights Economies, the Triple Planetary Crisis, Natural Resource Governance and Extractivism, will examine how economic policies, resource exploitation and environmental change affect the realization of human rights.
Particular attention will be given to the consequences of illicit financial flows, debt burdens, taxation policies and extractive industries for states’ ability to mobilize resources and fulfil their human rights obligations. Climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss will also feature prominently, alongside the need to protect communities affected by resource exploitation, ensure fair distribution of development benefits and promote environmental justice.
The fourth theme, Regional Leadership and a Future-Fit Human Rights Architecture, will consider how African institutions and regional actors can strengthen cooperation, institutional accountability and implementation. Discussions will examine the respective roles of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Regional Economic Communities, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society in shaping a more responsive and effective human rights system.
Together, these themes recognize that human rights cannot be addressed in isolation from the political, economic, environmental and security conditions that determine whether people can enjoy their fundamental freedoms and entitlements.
Putting African experiences and leadership at the center
Reimagining Africa’s human rights future should not mean simply importing new models or adapting existing international frameworks. It must also involve drawing from the continent’s own experiences, institutions, knowledge systems and traditions of governance.
West and Central Africa possess rich traditions rooted in dignity, justice, solidarity, peaceful coexistence and collective responsibility. Historical sources such as the Charter of Kurukan Fuga (1236), the Charter of the Hunters of Mandé and the Timbuktu Manuscripts reflect longstanding African approaches to human dignity, social responsibility and governance.
These traditions offer important perspectives for contemporary discussions about human rights, democratic governance and social cohesion.
The region also benefits from vibrant civil society organizations, committed human rights defenders, youth movements, expanding digital innovation and Indigenous knowledge systems. These are important assets for developing locally grounded solutions to the challenges confronting the continent.
Nevertheless, serious implementation challenges remain. Communities affected by mining, logging and other extractive activities continue to raise concerns about access to information, meaningful participation, environmental degradation, livelihoods and access to justice.
In the Congo Basin, for example, the challenge of protecting one of the world’s most important ecological systems must be addressed alongside the rights of Indigenous peoples and forest-dependent communities.
Similarly, restrictions on civic space, digital surveillance, internet shutdowns and online censorship threaten the ability of citizens and civil society organizations to participate meaningfully in public affairs and hold institutions accountable.
The Cotonou dialogue will therefore place particular emphasis on ensuring that human rights policies and institutions respond to the lived experiences of communities. Gender equality, women’s rights, youth leadership, disability inclusion, Indigenous peoples’ rights, minority protection and environmental sustainability will be considered across all four thematic areas.
Ultimately, the credibility of any future human rights architecture will depend on whether those most affected by human rights violations have a meaningful voice in shaping the institutions and policies intended to protect them.
From institutional commitments to effective protection
One of the central challenges facing Africa’s human rights system is not necessarily the absence of legal instruments, declarations or institutions. Rather, it is the persistent difficulty of translating these commitments into effective protection and meaningful remedies.
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights provides an important normative foundation for the protection of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as collective and peoples’ rights. Its recognition of the right to a satisfactory environment favourable to development under Article 24 is particularly relevant to the growing relationship between environmental protection and human rights.
However, the effectiveness of these guarantees depends on implementation at national and regional levels, accessible remedies for victims, institutional independence and the willingness of governments to uphold their obligations.
For environmental and human rights defenders, the challenge is particularly immediate. Those who document abuses, challenge harmful projects, demand accountability or defend the rights of affected communities may face intimidation, threats, harassment and other forms of reprisal. A future-fit African human rights architecture must therefore strengthen not only the recognition of rights but also the protection of those who work to defend them.
This requires stronger national institutions, more effective regional accountability mechanisms, improved access to justice and meaningful protection of civic space.
It also calls for closer collaboration among governments, regional institutions, civil society, academia and affected communities to ensure that human rights commitments translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Building a stronger regional contribution to Africa’s human rights future
The Cotonou convening is expected to produce a Regional Outcome Statement, evidence-based policy recommendations, a regional synthesis report and priority recommendations to inform the wider continental dialogue. These contributions will feed into the development of a roadmap for a Future-Fit African Human Rights Architecture.
The convening is being organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Regional Hub for Central and West Africa (OHCHR-RHCWA), the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI).
Beyond the immediate meeting, the initiative envisages sustained collaboration through a Regional Working Group to promote implementation of agreed actions, monitor progress, document lessons and strengthen regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing.
The dialogue also provides an opportunity to inform the strategic priorities of OHCHR’s recently established Regional Hub for Central and West Africa, based in Yaoundé, Cameroon, while contributing to the implementation aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the African Commission’s Strategic Plan for 2026–2028.
Importantly, the regional recommendations will contribute to the continental convening and the development of a broader roadmap for strengthening Africa’s human rights architecture. This offers West and Central Africa an opportunity to ensure that their experiences and priorities are not peripheral to continental policy development but form an integral part of it.
Shaping a human rights future that works for Africans
Reimagining human rights in Africa requires more than adopting new declarations, establishing additional institutions or reviewing existing frameworks. It requires an honest assessment of why existing commitments are not fully implemented, where institutional weaknesses persist and what practical reforms are needed to deliver better protection and accountability.
It also requires a renewed commitment to African ownership. The future of human rights governance must be shaped by African institutions, governments, civil society organizations, communities, human rights defenders and other stakeholders, with international partnerships providing support without displacing African leadership.
The Cotonou convening offers an important opportunity to advance this conversation. Its ultimate significance, however, will not be measured by the number of participants or recommendations produced, but by whether the resulting priorities translate into stronger institutions, greater accountability, meaningful public participation, improved access to justice and tangible improvements in people’s lives.
The challenge before the participants is therefore clear: to move from shared concerns to shared priorities, from institutional commitments to effective protection, and from dialogue to sustained, African-led action.
Africa’s human rights future must not simply be discussed on behalf of its people. It must be shaped with them and deliver for them.
By Peter Quaqua
Head of Secretariat, Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) Coalition
