The headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat of the African Network of National Mechanisms for the Prevention of Torture was officially inaugurated on Thursday, December 18 in Rabat.

The inauguration of the secretariat of the African Network Against Torture in Rabat took place in the presence of members of the Steering Committee representing, in particular, Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Cape Verde, Madagascar, Mauritania and Mozambique.

Housed by the National Human Rights Council of Morocco (CNDH), the new premises of the Permanent Secretariat mark a key step in strengthening African cooperation in the prevention of torture and the promotion of human rights.

Speaking on this occasion, the president of the CNDH, Amina Bouayach, stressed that national prevention mechanisms and African human rights institutions have unanimously recognized the strategic importance of establishing the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Network in Rabat.

This network, which brings together the national prevention mechanisms of 16 African countries, aims to become a fully African framework for knowledge sharing, concerted action and joint reflection on the prevention of torture and respect for human rights, added Ms. Bouayach, noting that this inauguration coincides with the 23rd anniversary of the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture (OPCAT), giving the event a universal and symbolic dimension.

The opening of the headquarters also illustrates the growing commitment of African countries and, more broadly, of countries in the Global South, to the effective implementation of international human rights standards, she added.

Chris Nissen, Chairman of the South African Human Rights Commission and Vice-Chair of the Network, indicated that the idea of creating an African network was launched jointly by Morocco and South Africa in 2019 in Kigali, as part of a joint commitment to an African platform dedicated to national prevention mechanisms.

Officially announced in June 2023 following the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration, the creation of the Network is now being consolidated with the establishment of its permanent Secretariat in Morocco.