AACC Participates in 11th Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training Held in Dakar

The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) joined faith-based advocates from four continents for the 11th Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training in Dakar, Senegal, from 19 to 23 October 2026. Held in Africa for the first time after ten years in Geneva, the training ran alongside the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).

Under the theme, “Strengthening Women’s Rights Through Advocacy, Partnership, Equality and Collective Action,” the training was organized by the Lutheran World Federation, World Council of Churches, AACC, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Finn Church Aid. AACC was represented by Ann Kioi, Director for Gender, Women, Youth and Sustainable Population, and Gabriel Tamba Johnbull, a youth leader from the Methodist Church Sierra Leone.

Through presentations, dialogue and practical exercises, participants explored African and global human rights mechanisms, practiced advocacy writing and developed action plans. They also engaged Commissioner Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie, ACHPR Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, and Hannah Forster, Executive Director of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. Discussions highlighted opportunities for faith actors to contribute evidence, strengthen accountability and counter resistance to women’s rights.

“Women’s rights are facing an organized backlash,” said Kioi during her presentation. “That is exactly why the voice of the church matters.”

Johnbull described the training as “educational, inspiring and transformative,” emphasizing that women’s rights advocacy requires moving beyond sympathy to becoming active agents of change.

Building on the training, AACC will continue equipping women and youth from member churches to engage human rights mechanisms, advocate for ratification and domestication of the Maputo Protocol and the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and amplify African women’s experiences on global platforms.

Photo: Participants in the Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training after attending the ACHPR session in Senegal on 18 October 2026. Credit: Philippa Hitchen/LWF.