UPR Info supports National consultation in Namibia

UPR Info held a training session in Windhoek, Namibia on Tuesday June 7, on the UPR process, advocacy strategies, CSOs submissions, national report, and general engagement with the mechanism at all stages. The training lasted a full day and was attended by four civil society representatives from Namibia, the Ombudsman, and over ten representatives from various Ministries such as Justice, Health and Defense.
 
The training was organised thanks to the support of the Permanent Mission of Namibia in Geneva in preparation for the UPR of Namibia that will take place at the UN in Geneva in January 2016.

The aim of the training was to have all the stakeholders meet and openly discuss the UPR mechanism, paving the way for a fruitful cooperation among the different actors involved in the process, and also creating the basis for an effective engagement with the UPR and its follow-up activities.

The session was also designed to make the participants more aware about the UPR process and how to engage with it in the most effective way. CSOs submissions were analysed, underlining best practices and information that need to be included in the reports to be sent to the OHCHR office.

The draft national report of Namibia was presented by a representative of the Ministry of Justice: Ombudsman and CSOs inputs were taken into consideration and included in the new draft of the report. Advocacy strategies and follow-up activities were also discussed in order for the participants to have a clear picture of all the different stages of the UPR mechanism and how to work and engage with it.

CSOs, Ombudsman and Government representatives were in the end able to openly address the human rights situation in the country, and discuss ways to cooperate together in order to achieve the objectives they have set for Namibia.
 
All the stakeholders that participated in the training demonstrated the willingness to engage and to learn more about the UPR process, but most importantly they demonstrated the will to collaborate all together (i.e CSOs, Ombudsman and Government representatives) to have an effective and inclusive UPR process, and to pave the way for an effective implementation of UPR recommendations.