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The Vera Chirwa Human Rights award recognises the outstanding professional achievements of a graduate of the HRDA Masters programme, and one who epitomises the true African human rights lawyer. They would have made a significant contribution to human rights promotion and protection in Africa; they would have demonstrated a courageous and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of people in Africa; and their achievements will bear the hallmarks of dynamism, originality, and a pioneering spirit.

Following an intense nomination and selection process, two alumni were chosen as recipients of this year’s Vera Chirwa award. From anglophone to francophone Africa; from east to west, this year’s recipients mirror the diversity of the HRDA alumni network: Mr. Patrick Eba is from Cote d’Ivoire (West Africa) and graduated from the HRDA programme in 2004;  Mr. Adrian Jjuuko, from Uganda (East Africa) is an alumnus from the class of 2013.

Together, they reflect the true nature of our alumni, who work both locally and globally; within academic circles and at policy/advocacy levels – engaging with communities, defying ruthless dictators, influencing legal systems, speaking truth to power, daring to challenge status quo, and sometimes even paying with the ultimate price – their life. If human rights work is a life of sacrifice, these men are living it!

Patrick Eba

Patrick Eba received the award in recognition of his many years of consistent, dedicated and laboured efforts towards the realisation of the human right to health, especially for persons living with HIV/AIDS; and for his spirited efforts at law reform and policy development geared towards the equal treatment of sexual and gender minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS in Africa.

For the past 11 years, Patrick Eba has contributed to advancing better understanding and application of human rights in the context of HIV in Africa and globally.

Patrick started his international carrier as parliamentary legal assistant at the Parliament of Malawi where he provided support to members of the parliament on HIV-related legal and human rights issues. He also worked as the head of the AIDS and Human Rights Research Unit at the University of Pretoria where he contributed to the development of the Model Law on HIV in Southern Africa. The model law was adopted by the Parliamentary Forum of the Southern African Development Community in November 2008 and is till today regarded as a positive example of rights-based and evidence-informed standard setting on HIV.

Since October 2009, Patrick has been working as human rights and Law Adviser with UNAIDS in Geneva. In his capacity, he has helped develop country action plans and directly supported civil society and parliamentarians in several West and Central African countries to amend national HIV laws that were based on the N’Djamena Model. These efforts led to the removal of measures such as: criminalisation of mother to child transmission of HIV in Sierra Leone, prohibition of HIV education for children in Guinea, and mandatory HIV testing for sex workers in Togo.

Patrick has used his position at UNAIDS to support a strong collaboration between UNAIDS and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. He has facilitated and supported trainings and sensitisation meetings for members of the African Commission on HIV. He has also played key roles in the adoption of Resolutions such as Resolution 141 on Access to Health and Needed Medicines in Africa and Resolution 260 on involuntary sterilisation.

Patrick is an expert member of the HIV Committee of the African Commission. In 2015, he co-led the first ever joint dialogue between the African Commission, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN Human Rights System on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Adrian Jjuuko

Adrian received the Vera Chirwa award in recognition of his courageous work to advance the human rights of sexual and gender minorities in Uganda, through legal challenges and law reform; and, despite threats to his safety, for his vision and industry in establishing the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, a respected catalyst in the struggle against institutionalised discrimination, repression and violence against LGBTI persons in Uganda and Africa.

Adrian has stood out as a strong figure in protecting and promoting the human rights of LGBTI persons in Uganda, through his work with Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (an organization he founded) and his work with the of the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law (Coalition), which is a group of over 50 organisations.

Adrian chaired the legal committee of the Coalition and in this role he spearheaded and coordinated the legal strategy and the legal team that saw the Anti-Homosexuality Act nullified by the Constitutional Court of Uganda on 1st August 2014.

Adrian’s work with the Coalition attracted the attention of the United States’ State Department, and the then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, conferred him with the 2011 Human Rights Defenders Award.

He also led HRAPF to challenge the passing of the Act with its most oppressive provisions at the East African Court of Justice. This case has already set precedents in the area of amicus curiae and is the first case challenging legislation criminalising LGBTI people within the African regional framework. For this role in challenging the Anti-Homosexuality Act in court, he has been recognised by the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) in its 30 remarkable AJWS leaders initiative.

His organisation till today remains the first and only organisation providing specialised legal aid clinic services to LGBTI persons in Uganda. The clinic has been running since 2010 and has handled over 1000 cases involving LGBTI persons, persevering in spite of the turbulent and hostile anti-gay clime in Uganda.

Adrian has also so far spearheaded 10 cases challenging various aspects of the criminalisation of same sex relations in Uganda including the case that challenged a newspaper’s actions calling for LGBTI persons to be hanged. He also challenged the discriminative Section 15(6)(d) of the Equal Opportunities Commission Act 2010, which excludes LGBTI persons and other minorities from accessing the Equal Opportunities Commission.

As a pro-LGBTI activist in Uganda, he has been variously threatened, attacked, his offices invaded and has had to personally relocate three times. Through all these, he has remained steadfast in the face of great opposition.

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