The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and the United Nations Human Rights Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA) are organizing a regional workshop on strengthening national legislative guarantees to combat and prohibit torture and ill-treatment. This workshop will take place on November 19 and 20, 2024, starting at 9:00 am at the Kenzi Tower Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco.

The workshop aims to review international standards on the absolute prohibition and prevention of torture and ill-treatment, identify legislative guarantees and protocols to be adopted to achieve their comprehensive prohibition, and share relevant best practices, etc.

The proceedings of this regional workshop will focus on key themes, including: International standards related to the absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment; UN mechanisms and efforts to combat and prevent such practices; Jurisprudence of international and regional treaty bodies and national legislation; Case studies on national legislation addressing torture and ill-treatment; etc.

Representatives from member States of the League of Arab States, regional and national governmental organizations and bodies, National Human Rights Institutions, national bodies for the prevention of torture, Arab parliaments, and NGOs will participate in this event.

Participants will explore best practices through working groups regarding: accession to international instruments related to the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment and acceptance of their bodies’ mandate; incorporation of international standards into national legislation; legislative guarantees for the criminalization of torture and ill-treatment; the institutional framework for the prevention of torture and ill-treatment; etc.
Ms. Amina Bouayach, CNDH Chairperson, will chair the opening session.

Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Mohamed Dkhissi, Judicial Police Central Director at the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) in Morocco, Mr. Mazen Shaqoura, Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Ms. Suzanne Jabbour, Chairperson of the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture will take part in this event.