Deadline: 28-Apr-23

The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, cordially invites you to apply for its Capacity Building Workshop on Strategic Litigation and Advocacy for human rights defenders working on the promotion and protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other non-binary and gender-nonconforming persons in Africa.

The LGBTIQ+ Human Rights Defenders in Africa Capacity Building Workshop is an annual event aimed at empowering selected LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders in Africa on designing and conducting strategic litigation and advocacy. Due to public health restrictions on events and international travel in South Africa, the eighth edition of the workshop will take place at the University of Pretoria.

Against this background, the Centre for Human Rights will be conducting a five-day capacity building workshop for LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders in Africa. The workshop is designed to assist activists in Africa to effectively promote and protect LGBTIQ+ rights through domestic, regional, and international level strategic litigation and advocacy using African-specific approaches.

The workshop is targeted at experienced activists in Africa who want to build on their capacity, develop their skills, and network with activists from other parts of Africa. It will include a combination of expert presentations delivered by experienced human rights defenders on advocacy and litigation opportunities. It will also include interactive advocacy and litigation exercises at regional and international levels.

The workshop seeks to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations in Africa so that they can better pursue legal challenges and advocate on behalf of LGBTIQ+ individuals at risk of or have suffered serious violations of human rights under domestic African laws. The workshop also aims to have participants think through and develop autochthonous, African-specific ways of advocacy and strategic litigation, and learn from each other about the challenges of filing cases at domestic courts.

Funding Information

• Limited funding for international travel, travel within South Africa, and accommodation is available to support a few participants who will be selected for the workshop.
• Due to limited funding, selected applicants will be required to take care of costs for visas and COVID-19 tests/vaccinations in their respective countries, as well as airport transfer costs at their ports of departure. Self-funding participants are encouraged to apply as well.

Eligibility Criteria

• The workshop sessions will bring together activists, scholars, practitioners, advocates for law reform, and notable LGBTIQ+ individuals from across Africa to address the issues of strategic advocacy and litigation.
• This workshop is directed at experienced human rights defenders in non-governmental organisations, with existing advocacy experience at the national level and some prior knowledge of the international human rights system. Participants should commit to attending all five days of the workshop. Certificates of participation will be issued by the Centre for Human Rights for the successful completion of the workshop.

For more information, visit Centre for Human Rights.