The Africa Working Group translates GAAMAC’s vision into regional, culturally-relevant support to national atrocity prevention mechanisms and policies in Africa. It fosters regional emulation through awareness-raising activities and trainings and the sharing of expertise and good practices between governments, national institutions and CSOs.

The Africa Working Group holds regular virtual meetings to exchange atrocity prevention updates from members’ respective states. In addition, the group’s Focal Persons, representing the five geographic regions of the African continent, convene regional strategy meetings to exchange on good practices.

2023 activities

• Dissemination of the Training Toolkit on Establishing and Managing National Mechanisms for Mass Atrocity Prevention
  In Ivory Coast, Ghana and Uganda

• Trainings on the prevention of hate speech and incitement
  In Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Find out more about the activities in DRC

• Support the launch of UNESCO’s teachers’ guide on genocide education in Africa and contribute to its dissemination

• First Regional Forum of the Africa Working Group
  In Abidjan, Ivory Coast and online

2022 highlights

The Africa Working Group led a wide array of events to raise awareness of and support of atrocity prevention. Its 2021 Training toolkit was instrumental to several of these events. Activities were held for the first time in 3 countries.

• On 10-11 March 2022, the Chair of the Africa Working Group, Justice Jamila Mohammed, participated to the Great Lakes Regional Conference on Addressing Hate Speech and Preventing Incitement to Violence. The Conference was organized by the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.

• On 31 May, ahead of the Kenyan presidential elections, a training on atrocity prevention and early warning mechanisms was held in Nairobi. 23 government and civil society workers, all with a mandate on the electoral management, took part. Electoral periods can increase the risk of atrocities commission and Kenya has, in the past, experienced pre- and post-electoral violence. The Training Toolkit on mass atrocity prevention, developed in 2021, served as a base for the training.
  Read more

• On 7-8 June, the African Coordination of Human Rights for the Armed Forces (CADHA) led a training in Côte d’Ivoire. 17 people from CADHA’s pool of trainers (from civil society, police forces and the military) were familiarized with the 2021 Training Toolkit. The goal was to give participants tools to conduct their own trainings based on the Toolkit in the future, or incorporate the Toolkit in their standard trainings.
  Read press article (In French only)

• On 12-14 July, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and the National Peace Council of Ghana trained 27 government and civil society agents in Ghana. The training strengthened effective understanding of the concepts, processes and tools of atrocity prevention, and shared the lessons learned for the promotion of national mechanisms in Ghana. It was the first time the Africa Working Group led activities in Ghana.
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• On 5 and 8 December, the African Coordination of Human Rights (CADHA) held a series of awareness-raising events in Côte d’Ivoire: a session before the National Assembly and meetings with civil servants of various ministries. GAAMAC was showcased as an example of good practice in engaging and supporting national efforts of atrocity prevention.
  Read more

• On 5-6 and 8-9 December, Blessed Aid and La Coalition des Volontaires pour la Paix et le Développement organized two workshops on anti-hate speech in the province of North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In total, 50 civil society activists were trained. As a result of these trainings, five groups, made up of seven community leaders each, will be formed to fight hate speech in the Masisi territory and in the city of Goma.

• On 5-6 and 8-9 December, Blessed Aid and La Coalition des Volontaires pour la Paix et le Développement organized two workshops on anti-hate speech in the province of North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In total, 50 civil society activists were trained. As a result of these trainings, five groups, made up of seven community leaders each, will be formed to fight hate speech in the Masisi territory and in the city of Goma.

In total, 211 people participated to the Africa Working Group’s activities.
30% women / 70% men
53% CSO / 47% States

Governance

The group is led by a Chair and Vice-Chair who are advised by an honorary Patron.

Minister Liberata Mulamula

Patron