The endemization of Covid-19 with its different waves in Africa has not facilitated the regular implementation of the second edition of the Local Initiative for Justice (LIFJ). Nevertheless, activities are being maintained and are progressing slowly but surely.
Benin reopened the second edition of the Local Initiative for Justice (LIFJ) program last February. The organization "Voix et Actions Citoyennes" held a workshop in Cotonou on the mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) in the face of restrictions on civic space in the digital age. It is now the turn of the Republic of Guinea. At least one of the organizations chosen for this project will launch this week. The association Villageois 2.0, based in Labé, will organize a workshop on August 5 with the topic: "Forum for the expression of human rights: What challenges to face for the protection of human rights in our communities? This will be an opportunity to discuss, among other issues, the mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) with regard to the protection of rights and freedoms. It will also be a question of educating all the participants on the mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights for the efficiency of the protection of human rights and public freedoms in the Republic of Guinea.
It should be noted that in the framework of this second edition of the Local Initiative for Justice program, 5 projects from different countries were selected after a call for projects out of about thirty applications. In addition to "Voix et Actions Citoyennes" (Benin) and Villageois 2.0 (Guinea), other organizations will have to develop their project. These are the Association des Blogueurs de Guinée - ABLOGUI, the Centre d'Éducation aux Droits de l'Homme et des Peuples (CEDHOP) (Niger), and the Association des Blogueurs Centrafricains (ABCA). They all address issues related to justice and also deal with the role and mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).
During the first edition of the Local Initiative for Justice (LIFJ), three Central African countries (Congo, Cameroon and Gabon) and two West African countries (Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso) benefited from LIFJ. Through the ICT4Justice program, AfricTivistes aims to help people better understand the missions, roles and work of the Commission. It also aims to establish a framework for dialogue, exchange, discussion and debate on human and peoples' rights issues. In addition, it reinforces the independence and integrity of the ACHPR in the face of threats from the Executive Council of the African Union.