The NGOs Forum is the civil society gathering that runs immediately before each ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. It is convened by the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, a pan-African human rights organisation based in The Gambia that holds observer status with the Commission.
The October 2026 edition runs 8–10 October in Dakar, Senegal, ahead of the Commission’s 89th Ordinary Session. Its theme is sustainable water availability and safe sanitation as a route to the goals of Agenda 2063.
Three days of panels, special interest group meetings and side events close with declarations and resolutions that are formally presented to the Commission for its session. Delegates come from African and international NGOs, human rights defenders, women’s and youth organisations, researchers, media and government stakeholders.
Benefits & funding
- Three days of panels and networking with African and international civil society, timed to the Commission’s 89th Ordinary Session in Dakar.
- Forum declarations and resolutions are formally presented to the African Commission during its session.
- Sessions run in English and French with simultaneous interpretation.
- The registration fee contributes towards the conference package, and ACDHRS distributes negotiated hotel room rates to participants.
- Participants are expected to arrange their own visas before travelling. Where Senegal has no diplomatic representation in a participant’s country of residence, ACDHRS says it will endeavour to facilitate a visa on arrival, provided it is told well in advance and given the information it needs.
- No travel funding is offered: participants pay their own international and domestic travel, visas, accommodation and local transport.
- Every participant pays a subsidised registration fee of US$150, in cash at the registration desk. An approved panel costs the organising partner US$300; an approved side event costs US$500.
Eligibility
- Open to representatives of African civil society organisations and NGOs.
- Open to international NGOs from Africa and beyond working on youth, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
- Human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, researchers and academics, journalists and media organisations, women’s and youth organisations, community-based organisations, regional and international bodies, and government stakeholders may all register.
- No nationality or residency requirement is stated.
- No degree, age or work-experience requirement is stated.
- Attendance is in person in Dakar; no online route is offered.
- Organisations proposing a panel or a side event submit a separate form for it, by the same deadline.
Can you apply?
Open to all applicants
No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Choose the route: general participation, a panel proposal, or a side event proposal.
- 2Complete the matching online registration form linked from the call page — participants, panels and side events each have their own form.
- 3Submit by 18 September 2026; the deadline is the same for all three routes.
- 4Wait for ACDHRS to confirm. Panel and side event requests are approved first, and the partner contribution follows approval.
- 5Arrange travel and accommodation independently, using the negotiated room rates ACDHRS circulates, and start any visa process early.
- 6Bring the registration fee in cash and pay it at the registration desk in Dakar.
Program timeline
Deadline for participant registration, panel proposals and side event proposals
Sep 18, 2026
Forum opens in Dakar, Senegal
Oct 8, 2026
Forum closes; declarations and resolutions go to the African Commission
Oct 10, 2026