The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) is pleased to announce the forthcoming October 2026 NGOs Forum, scheduled to take place from 8–10 October 2026 in Dakar, Senegal, ahead of the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
The NGOs Forum is a major civil society platform that brings together human rights organisations, human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, researchers, journalists, women and youth organisations, community-based organisations and other stakeholders from across Africa to discuss critical human rights and governance issues affecting the continent.
The Forum provides an important opportunity for civil society to consolidate its collective voice, strengthen engagement with the African human rights system and ensure that the concerns of communities and human rights defenders are reflected in the deliberations of the African Commission.
Why the NGOs Forum Matters
Across Africa, civil society organisations and human rights defenders continue to confront challenges including restrictions on civic space, threats to human rights defenders, discrimination and inequality, conflicts, displacement and migration, attacks on freedom of expression, women’s and children’s rights violations, climate-related challenges and limited access to justice.
The NGOs Forum provides a dedicated space for civil society to collectively examine these challenges and develop practical recommendations for addressing them.
Importantly, the Forum is not simply a conference for information sharing. It is a strategic advocacy and coordination platform through which civil society can:
- Bring emerging human rights concerns to the attention of the African Commission;
- Present evidence and experiences from communities across the continent;
- Coordinate advocacy positions among African civil society organisations;
- Develop joint recommendations and advocacy messages;
- Identify issues requiring urgent attention by African human rights mechanisms;
- Strengthen collaboration between organisations working on similar issues; and
- Influence discussions and decisions within the African human rights system.
The Forum therefore serves as a bridge between grassroots realities, civil society advocacy and continental human rights mechanisms.
Key Objectives
The October 2026 NGOs Forum will seek to:
- Assess the human rights situation in Africa and identify emerging and persistent violations requiring urgent attention.
- Strengthen civil society participation in the African human rights system and promote meaningful engagement with the ACHPR.
- Create a platform for dialogue and experience-sharing among NGOs, human rights defenders, experts and other stakeholders.
- Develop coordinated civil society recommendations addressing key human rights concerns and priorities.
- Amplify the voices of marginalised and vulnerable communities, ensuring that their experiences inform continental human rights advocacy.
- Strengthen networking and partnerships among civil society organisations across countries and regions.
- Promote strategic advocacy by equipping participants with common messages and evidence to engage the African Commission and other relevant stakeholders.
Key Issues for Consideration
Discussions at the Forum are expected to address major human rights priorities affecting the continent, including, among others:
- Democracy, governance and civic space;
- Protection of human rights defenders;
- Freedom of expression and access to information;
- Women’s rights and gender equality;
- Children’s rights;
- Youth participation and leadership;
- Migration, refugees and internally displaced persons;
- Climate change and environmental justice;
- Business and human rights;
- Access to justice and accountability;
- Conflict, peace and security;
- Digital rights and emerging technologies;
- Rights of marginalised and vulnerable groups; and
- Strengthening national, regional and continental human rights mechanisms.
The Forum will also provide opportunities to highlight country-specific and regional human rights concerns that require greater visibility and collective action.
Expected Outcomes
The October 2026 NGOs Forum is expected to produce concrete outcomes that contribute to stronger civil society advocacy before and during the ACHPR Ordinary Session.
1. Consolidated Civil Society Recommendations
Participants will develop and adopt key recommendations addressing priority human rights concerns. These recommendations can serve as a collective advocacy document for engagement with the African Commission and other relevant stakeholders.
2. Stronger Civil Society Advocacy
The Forum will enable organisations to develop coordinated advocacy messages and strategies, helping civil society speak with a stronger and more coherent voice on critical human rights issues.
3. Increased Visibility of Human Rights Concerns
The Forum will provide an opportunity to bring emerging and underreported human rights situations to continental attention, particularly concerns affecting vulnerable and marginalised communities.
4. Enhanced Engagement with the ACHPR
The Forum will strengthen civil society’s understanding of and engagement with the African human rights system, including the mechanisms and opportunities available for influencing the work of the African Commission.
5. Strengthened Partnerships and Networks
Participants will establish and strengthen relationships with organisations, experts and human rights defenders working across different countries and thematic areas.
6. Identification of Emerging Human Rights Trends
Through discussions and evidence-sharing, the Forum will help identify new and emerging threats to human rights, democracy and civic space that require early intervention and coordinated responses.
7. Greater Participation of Grassroots and Marginalised Voices
The Forum will seek to ensure that discussions are informed by experiences from communities and groups whose rights are most affected, strengthening the relevance and legitimacy of civil society recommendations.
Why Organisations Should Participate
Participation in the NGOs Forum provides organisations with an opportunity to move beyond working individually and become part of a continental civil society advocacy process.
For participating organisations, the Forum offers an opportunity to:
- Present human rights concerns from their countries and communities;
- Learn from experiences and strategies used by organisations across Africa;
- Build partnerships and potential collaborations;
- Engage directly with other human rights actors;
- Contribute to collective recommendations;
- Strengthen their knowledge of the ACHPR and African human rights mechanisms;
- Increase the visibility of their human rights advocacy; and
- Contribute to shaping the continental human rights agenda.
Organisations are therefore encouraged to come prepared with evidence, reports, recommendations, advocacy priorities and concrete cases or experiences that can contribute meaningfully to the discussions.
A Call for Meaningful Participation
ACDHRS encourages civil society organisations, human rights defenders and other stakeholders to approach the Forum as a platform for dialogue, solidarity, advocacy and collective action.
The effectiveness of the Forum will depend on the quality of participation and the willingness of stakeholders to move from discussion to concrete recommendations and coordinated advocacy.
The October 2026 NGOs Forum is therefore an important opportunity for African civil society to reflect on the state of human rights on the continent, amplify the voices of affected communities and collectively influence the African human rights agenda.
ACDHRS looks forward to welcoming civil society organisations and partners to Dakar for three days of meaningful dialogue, strategic engagement and collective action.
Forum Details
Event: October 2026 NGOs Forum
Dates: 8–10 October 2026
Venue: Dakar, Senegal
Convened by: African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)
In connection with: 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)
For registration, participation and further information, please visit: www.acdhrs.org/ngosforum
