Cooperation between OHCHR and OIF

I. Background: Cooperation Agreement and Road Maps

Cooperation between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) was formalised for the first time on 8 September 1997, in Geneva, with the signing of a Framework Agreement for Cooperation between the two organisations. The latter was signed with the aim of strengthening consultation, cooperation and mutual information efforts between the OHCHR and the OIF, and to enable the implementation of joint projects in favour of human rights, the rule of law, democracy and peace. A Joint Commission, whose members are appointed by the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General of La Francophonie, was then set up to coordinate and harmonize the interventions of both parties and to ensure the follow-up of ongoing programmes.

Since 2007, OHCHR and OIF have renewed this cooperation agreement every two years, each time establishing a Road Map and a calendar of activities and actions to be implemented jointly over the given period.

This roadmap was signed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Michelle Bachelet and the Secretary General of the OIF, Ms Louise Mushikiwabo. Cooperation between OHCHR and the OIF was thus renewed and refocused on two major themes: UN human rights mechanisms and diversity and the fight against all forms of discrimination - promotion and protection of migrants' rights. The projects identified in connection with the two above-mentioned themes must meet the objective of strengthening the capacities of Member States, in particular the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

These two roadmaps (2016-2017 and 2018-2019) were signed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and the Secretary General of the OIF, Ms Michaëlle Jean. Cooperation between the OHCHR and the OIF was thus renewed twice around three major themes: the promotion of diversity and the fight against all forms of discrimination, support for UN human rights mechanisms and the promotion and protection of migrants' rights. This last axis was introduced in 2016-2017, in the light of the importance given to this theme by both organisations.
The following projects have been implemented within the framework of these roadmaps.

• Workshop on the UPR for French-speaking parliamentarians (part 1) June
• Workshop on the UPR for Francophone parliamentarians (Stream 2) December
• Business and human rights
• Gender, human rights and migrants: workshop for West Africa
• Training of Women Human Rights Defenders, Guinea

These three roadmaps (2010-2011, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015) were signed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay, and the Secretary-General of La Francophonie, Mr Abdou Diouf. During these periods, emphasis was placed on support for human rights instruments and mechanisms, the promotion of human rights in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and the promotion of diversity and the fight against all forms of discrimination.

21 projects have been implemented in the framework of these roadmaps:

• Seminar on the Involvement of Civil Society Organisations in a Reconciliation Process: Issues, Challenges and Perspectives, Conakry, Guinea, 2012.  
• Colloquium on Women Victims of Enforced Disappearances organised by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
• High Level Panel on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
• Training workshops on human rights and elections for civil society organisations in Madagascar, Mahajanga, Madagascar, 2012
• Workshop on the follow-up to the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review report of Niger, Niamey, Niger, 2012
• Training Seminar on the Justiciability of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2011
• Report and declaration of the participants
• Advocacy for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  Mali, 2010 and Senegal, 2010 
• Advocacy for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Francophone seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, Rabat, Morocco, 2010

On 25 September 2007, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour, and the Secretary-General of La Francophonie, Mr. Abdou Diouf, signed a Roadmap at the Joint Commission meeting in Geneva. For the first time, OHCHR and OIF were provided with a calendar of activities and actions to be implemented jointly over a period of several years. Cooperation was then structured around three main areas: the implementation of the main international human rights instruments, the prevention and resolution of crises and conflicts, and the fight against discrimination and the promotion of diversity.

Both sides stressed the importance of closely involving civil society both as partners and beneficiaries of their joint activities. The projects implemented under the roadmaps will also have to fully integrate the gender mainstreaming and gender equality policies of both organisations, both in their concept and in their implementation.

3 projects have been implemented in the framework of this roadmap:

• Conference on Treaty Bodies and the Role of National Human Rights Institutions on Migration Issues in West Africa, Bamako, Mali, 2009
• Regional Seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, Dakar, Senegal, 2009
• Sub-regional seminar on the follow-up to the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child for West African States, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2007

Enforced disappearances

• Colloquium on Women Victims of Enforced Disappearances organised by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012  
• Commemoration on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2010

Economic, social and cultural rights

• Training Seminar on the Justiciability of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2011
  Report and declaration of the participants
• Advocacy for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  Mali, 2010 and Senegal, 2010 

Elections

• Training workshops on human rights and elections for civil society organisations in Madagascar, Mahajanga, Madagascar, 2012

Business and human rights

• Business and human rights, 2018
• Business and human rights, review of cooperation 2013-2019

Women (equality, gender, violence against women)

• Gender, human rights and migrants: workshop for West Africa
• Training of Women Human Rights Defenders, Guinea
• Colloquium on Women Victims of Enforced Disappearances organised by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
• High Level Panel on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012

Migration

• Gender, human rights and migrants: workshop for West Africa
• Conference on Treaty Bodies and the Role of National Human Rights Institutions on Migration Issues in West Africa, Bamako, Mali, 2009

Parliamentarians

• Workshop on the UPR for Francophone parliamentarians (Stream 1) June 2019
• Workshop on the UPR for Francophone parliamentarians (Stream 2) December 2019

Civil society / NGOs

• Seminar on the Involvement of Civil Society Organisations in a Reconciliation Process: Issues, Challenges and Perspectives, Conakry, Guinea, 2012
• Training workshops on human rights and elections for civil society organisations in Madagascar, Mahajanga, Madagascar, 2012

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

• Workshop on the UPR for Francophone parliamentarians (Stream 1) June 2019
• Workshop on the UPR for Francophone parliamentarians (Stream 2) December 2019
• Francophone Seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, 5th, Dakar, Senegal 2018
• Francophone Seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, 4th, Chisinau, Moldova, 2014
• Workshop on the follow-up to the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review report of Niger, Niamey, Niger, 2012
• Francophone Seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, 3rd, Tunis, 2011
• Francophone seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, Rabat, Morocco, 2010
• Regional Seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, Dakar, Senegal, 2009

Human rights treaty bodies

• High-level Panel on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
• Advocacy for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Mali, 2010 and Senegal, 2010 
• Conference on Treaty Bodies and the Role of National Human Rights Institutions on Migration Issues in West Africa, Bamako, Mali, 2009
• Sub-regional seminar on the follow-up to the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child for West African States, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2007

Special procedures

• Business and human rights, 2019
• Colloquium on Women Victims of Enforced Disappearances organised by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
• Commemoration on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2010

Burkina Faso

• Training Seminar on the Justiciability of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2011, Report and statement by participants

Cameroon

• Business and human rights, 2019

Gabon

• Business and human rights, 2019

Guinea

• Training of Women Human Rights Defenders, Guinea
• Seminar on the Involvement of Civil Society Organisations in a Reconciliation Process: Issues, Challenges and Perspectives, Conakry, Guinea, 2012  

Madagascar

• Training workshops on human rights and elections for civil society organisations in Madagascar, Mahajanga, Madagascar, 2012

Mali

• Advocacy for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Mali, 2010

Morocco

• Francophone seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, Rabat, Morocco, 2010

Niger

• Workshop on the follow-up to the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review report of Niger, Niamey, Niger, 2012

Senegal

• Gender, human rights and migrants: workshop for West Africa
• Advocacy for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Senegal, 2010

Switzerland (OHCHR Headquarters)

• Workshop on the role of Francophone parliamentarians in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process
• Seminar on Strengthening International Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland, 2013
• Colloquium on Women Victims of Enforced Disappearances organised by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012  
• High Level Panel on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Geneva, Switzerland, 2012
• Commemoration on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Geneva, Switzerland, 2010

Central Africa

• Business and human rights, 2018
• Business and human rights, review of cooperation 2013-2019

West Africa

• Gender, human rights and migrants: workshop for West Africa
• Training of women human rights defenders in techniques for monitoring human rights violations
• Conference on Treaty Bodies and the Role of National Human Rights Institutions on Migration Issues in West Africa, Bamako, Mali, 2009

• Regional Seminar on the Universal Periodic Review, Dakar, Senegal, 2009
• Sub-regional seminar on the follow-up to the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child for West African States, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2007