Karamba,

This is just supplementary information to what Pa Samba Jaw has already said
about the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS).

The Center was created by a bill of the Gambia parliament in June 1989 in
accordance with Article 25 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples'
Rights, which says:

"States parties to the (African) Charter shall have the duty to promote and
ensure through teaching, education and publication, the respect of the
rights and freedoms contained in the Charter and to see to it that these
freedoms and rights as well as corresponding obligations and duties are
understood."

The said parliamentary bill gave the Center the 'independence' to elect its
own governing council (of which Joseph Joof was a member) and to recruit
staff locally and from other African countries. The present Solicitor
General, Raymond Sock was the Center's first Executive-Director.  His
successor Zoe Tembo, who sadly passed away last week, was from Zambia if I'm
correct.

Often confused for the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the
Center has been categorized in some human rights literature as a GONGO:
Government-Owned Non-Governmental Organization.  This may indeed sound
contradictory for many of us. There has been a muted debate as to whether
the ACDHRS should continue to receive government subvention and still claim
the status of an NGO.  The recent donation of 1million dalasis and the
construction of a new site in Kerr Serign by the APRC government is a clear
indication that the ACDHRS is more of a government entity than otherwise
claimed.  I suggest that President Jammeh and his colleagues study human
rights and democracy at the Center.

The gist of the matter is that most governments in developing countries use
such human rights organizations to boost their image and attract funds. The
creation of national human rights commissions and ombudsman offices are
often a frantic effort by governments whose human rights records are at a
low ebb to justify their requests for loans, funding programs and debt
cancellations. In other words, human rights has essentially become the
litmus test used by Western countries to transfer essential capital to
developing nations.

For more information on the ACDHRS:

http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/africa/ACOHRS.htm

I hope this helps.

Hamadi.
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