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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (the Centre) is pleased to invite interested persons to express their interest to participate in a two-day election symposium on 10 - 11 November 2022 at the University of Pretoria. 

In 2019, the Centre commissioned a study, with the support of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Commission) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa. The objective of the study was to assess South Africa’s compliance with the African Commission’s Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa (the Guidelines) during the 2019 national and provincial elections. The output was a report titled Proactive Disclosure of Information and Elections in South Africa’. This was a collaborative effort with select civil society organisations in South Africa and with the active involvement of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

The Guidelines is a soft law instrument developed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ (African Commission). Member States are required to give effect to the right of access to information during African elections. To this end, the Guidelines obligate state parties to take measures to ensure electoral stakeholders proactively disclose information of public interest to promote the transparency and integrity of election processes.

In this regard, the Centre aims to implement a structured and deliberate advocacy approach for the consideration and implementation of the recommendations of the South Africa elections study. As part of the advocacy project, the CHR is planning an election symposium attended by the electoral stakeholders identified in the Guidelines. At the end of the symposium, electoral stakeholders will adopt a communiqué that outlines the next steps of the project.

Participants 

This symposium is aimed at electoral stakeholders including the election management body, CSOs, media, media and internet regulatory bodies, election observers and monitors, government officials, parliamentarians, and law enforcement, as well as academics, activists, researchers  and other persons who are interested in access to information and elections in South Africa. 

Symposium format

The symposium will be held in a hybrid format. There will be both physical and online attendance.
Online attendance will be offered on Zoom.

Fees

There are no participation fees.Successful applicants who wish to attend in-person are however requested to cater for their transportation to and from the venue. 

Application procedure

Interested applicants are requested to submit the below documents to marystella.simiyu@up.ac.za and hlengiwe.dube@up.ac.za by 2 November 2022.

  • Brief curriculum vitae maximum 3 pages.
  • Brief letter of motivation of not more than 250 words.

For more information, please contact:

Hlengiwe Dube
Manager:
Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 4199
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
hlengiwe.dube@up.ac.za

Marystella Auma Simiyu
Tutor: HRDA
Project Officer: Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 3810
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
marystella.simiyu@up.ac.za

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