High-level human rights conference begins Friday

A high-level three-day conference on the promotion of justice and reconciliation in Africa is due to begin on Friday at the International Conference Centre in Arusha, Tanzania; one of the conference organisers, The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Wednesday.

"The focus on the relationship between justice and reconciliation and the challenges for human rights in Africa is timely in light of the ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting regional integration and strengthening the role of the African people in this regard," it stated.

Organised in collaboration with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the meeting will be the second in a series of consultations on the issues of justice and reconciliation on the continent. The high commissioner’s office convened the first of meeting in November 2001 on human rights, the African Union and the New African Initiative.

Participants at Friday’s conference will deliberate on issues such as clarification of concepts; justice and reconciliation as tools of national reconstruction; the role of regional and subregional organisations in strengthening judicial systems; the role of the international community in promoting justice and reconciliation in Africa; and balancing economic development and accountability: impact on human rights.

The conference will bring together at least 100 African human rights specialists, policy makers, judges, parliamentarians and civil society representatives from at least 30 African countries. Representatives of the UN and international experts will participate as observers.

The provisional agenda of the conference is available on the ICTR website at www.ictr.org. Those wishing to attend the conference must complete and return a form found under the media alert section of the ICTR website by fax or e-mail only. Accreditation will begin on Friday from 08:00 or may be obtained in advance from the ICTR Press and Public Affairs Unit.