Africa Group for Justice and Accountability strategic meeting, 20 May 2023, Nairobi
Click here for the pictures of the AGJA meeting.
On 20 May 2023, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) held a strategic meeting at the Fairview Hotel, Nairobi. Established in 2015, the ten-member AGJA consists of eminent experts in international criminal law and human rights from the African continent. AGJA supports efforts to strengthen justice and accountability measures in Africa through domestic and regional capacity building, advice and outreach, and enhancing co-operation between Africa and the International Criminal Court.
The meeting, which had been convened to discuss strategy and plan upcoming group activities, was formally opened by AGJA chairperson, Fatiha Serour, who took the opportunity to welcome members, both old and new. Two new members have joined AGJA’s ranks in recent months, namely: Fatou Bensouda, former ICC prosecutor and Gambia High Commissioner to the United Kingdom; and Aïchatou Mindaoudou, former United Nations Special Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, former Acting Joint UN/AU Special Representative in Sudan Darfur, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Niger. Other members attending the meeting included Mohamed Chande Othman (AGJA member on hiatus), Navi Pillay and Betty Murungi, all of whom participated in person, and Richard Goldstone and Hassan Jallow, who participated online.
The AGJA meeting marked the culmination of a series of events held during the preceding week in Nairobi. These included an expert meeting on the Documentation of international crimes and human rights violations for future accountability purposes, held by the Wayamo Foundation from 17-18 May 2023. During the expert meeting, AGJA members took part in a special session, in which they devoted time to explaining the role of UN commissions of inquiry and national human rights commissions in the collection and preservation of evidence, and discussed how open-source information might contribute to future investigative panels and commissions of inquiry. AGJA members also featured prominently in an international justice symposium held on 19 May 2023, on the theme of “Transition from where? Transition to what? Exploring transitional justice efforts in an ever-changing world”, which was co-organised by the Wayamo Foundation, AGJA and the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communication. During these events, AGJA members shared their expertise and knowledge with a diverse audience drawn from Sudanese and Kenyan civil society organisations, the Kenya Bar Association, media representatives from Kenya and the Sudanese diaspora, the diplomatic corps, and students from various Nairobi universities.
With an eye on current events in Sudan, the Wayamo Foundation hosted a series of events from 17-20 May 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya.
