The work of the international conference on the “Practices of National Mechanisms for the Prevention of Torture in Africa” was crowned on Saturday in Marrakech by the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration announcing the creation of a “Network of National Mechanisms for the Prevention of Torture in Africa”.
The role of this network will be to urge a number of African countries to ratify the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture (OPCAT), and to provide capacity-building support for national mechanisms for the prevention of torture (NPMs) in Africa.
This “network of NPMs in Africa”, which also aims to strengthen and institutionalise their cooperation, will provide a forum for exchanging experiences, best practices and knowledge, and for discussing challenges.
The participants at the conference also decided that the presidency of the Platform should rotate, with the National Human Rights Council/National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture holding the presidency for two years.
The South African Human Rights Commission/National Prevention Mechanism will act as vice-chair.
The Board of Directors will draw up the Platform’s Statutes, which will be adopted by the General Assembly at a second conference of NPMs.
Through the Marrakech Declaration, the participants at this conference also emphasise the unique role that OPCAT-compliant NPMs can play in advocating for the implementation of this Optional Protocol and in global monitoring, with a view to combating torture and preventing its occurrence.