The Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and People’s Right ( ACHPR), as part of its promotional activities and financial support from Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), last Thursday, concluded a three days human rights training workshop for West African journalists at the Paradise Suites Hotel in  Kololi, The Gambia.

According to a press release sent to this paper,  The theme of the workshop “an understanding of the African Human Rights System” was centered on issues such as freedom of expression under the charter, civil and criminal prosecutions against journalists, human rights issues, ethical issues, factor’s affecting the contribution of the media towards  promoting and protecting human right,  media and good governance, the role of the African Commission, among others.

The  release further stated that the workshop, which was a training-of-trainers meeting would deal mainly with human rights journalism, focusing on the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the work of the African Commission. It would also explore ways in which human right journalists in the subregion could use their skills and knowledge to publicise the work of the African Commission in their respective countries, on how journalists could monitor, report on and ensure the implementation of the charter.
 
“The secretariat of the African Commission is hoping to increase an international recognition of the commission’s proactive role in the field of human rights promotion and also to disseminate, among others issues, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the declaration of principles on freedom of expression in Africa” the release concluded.

Certificates were presented to participants at the end of the training.