The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) participated in the 8th National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) Forum organised by the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), the National Human Rights Commission of The Gambia, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission). The forum, held under the theme “Human Rights and Development in Africa: Pathways to Dignity, Accountability and Inclusion’’, took place from October 18 – 20, 2025, in Banjul, The Gambia.
The key objective of the Forum was to strengthen the role of African NHRIs in advancing a Human Rights-Based Approach to Development (HRBA) that prevents torture and ill-treatment, combats corruption and discrimination in access to education and health, promotes responsible business conduct, and advances the ratification of the African Court Protocol and acceptance of Article 34(6).
EHRC participated in four panel discussions during the Forum, by sharing its experience on diverse topics, namely: the African human rights framework on business and human rights; the nexus between torture and African developmental agendas; NHRIs’ experience sharing on torture prevention; and enhancing human rights approaches in climate change and environmental governance in Africa.
EHRC also participated in the public proceedings of the African Commission’s 85th Ordinary Session held in Banjul, The Gambia, from October 21 – 30,2025. The African Commission, a quasi-judicial body established under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter) to promote and protect human and peoples’ rights across the continent, convenes ordinary sessions that brings together State Parties, NHRIs, civil society organisations (CSOs), and other stakeholders. As an NHRI with affiliate status before the African Commission, EHRC has been participating regularly in the Commissions’ sessions since 2020.
During the Session, the African Commission commemorated African Human Rights Day which falls on 21 October, and EHRC delivered a statement on the general human rights situation in Ethiopia for the reporting period of May to October 2025, highlighting key positive developments, concerns and recommendations. In addition, EHRC presented statements on the activity reports of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa; Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa; Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Africa; and Special Rapporteur on Prisons, Conditions of Detention and Policing in Africa, and under Agenda Item 7: Activity Reports of Members of the Commission and Special Mechanisms.
In addition to participating in the African Commission’s Session, EHRC also took part in several side events organised on its margins that addressed various human rights issues in Africa.