Report of the Symposium in Dakar
Dakar (Senegal) – 12 – 14 November 2012
To fight for the abolition of the death penalty in Africa, and to strengthen the capacities of its members, FIACAT has decided to consult all the members of its network in Africa in order to identify their needs and jointly define strategies in support of the abolition of the death penalty in this continent.
To this end, FIACAT decided to organise two regional workshops to reflect the particular geographical, cultural and organisational needs of each ACAT.
The aim of these workshops was to strengthen ACATs’ capacities in the fight to abolish the death penalty, and to define joint strategies and establish an action plan in support of the abolition of the death penalty in Sub -Saharan Africa. These workshops were organised with financial support from the foreign ministries of Germany and Luxembourg.
The regional seminar on the abolition of the death penalty in West Africa took place in Dakar (Senegal) from 12 -14 November 2012. This workshop brought together nineteen ACAT members affiliated to FIACAT. It was therefore possible for each of the nine West African ACATs[[Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo]] to be represented by two participants (with the exception of Senegal, which was represented by three members).
Participants at the workshop attended lectures and had the opportunity to develop national action plans for achieving abolition in their countries. According to feedback received at the end of the seminar, attendees found the practical nature of the lectures, and the opportunity to network with other ACATs and learn from the experiences of other participants, particularly beneficial.
This document is a collection of all of the lectures from the Dakar seminar, as well as international and African texts relating to the death penalty. It is intended as a practical tool to assist us as we progress towards abolition in Sub -Saharan Africa.
