Justice Minister and Keeper of the Seals Moussa Sarr met in Dakar on Tuesday with Ayeda Robert Kotchani, West Africa Regional Representative for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to reinforce bilateral institutional cooperation and advance key human rights protection mechanisms across the country.
The discussions, which included senior UN delegates alongside Senegal’s Deputy Director of Human Rights and Director-General of Judicial and Social Protection, focused heavily on child protection strategies, the pending adoption of the Children’s Code, and safeguards for migrants’ rights. Both parties also addressed capacity-building initiatives for the Directorate of Human Rights, corporate social responsibility frameworks, and the formal appointment process for commissioners serving on the National Human Rights Commission.
Reaffirming Senegal’s commitment to international human rights standards, Minister Sarr outlined several impending regulatory and institutional reforms aimed at strengthening national oversight. The justice ministry announced the upcoming finalization of a comprehensive national criminal policy circular alongside the creation of a national criminal policy committee by ministerial decree, with an operational emphasis on curbing violence against women and children. Furthermore, Senegal plans to launch a permanent dialogue framework with civil society and human rights organizations on October 21, 2026, while working concurrently with OHCHR technical teams to finalize the overarching national human rights strategy.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA