Following the adoption of the Network’s visual identity in Praia, Cabo Verde, in June last year, the African National Preventive Mechanisms Network (ANPMN) has officially opened its Permanent Secretariat in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

On Thursday, December 18, 2025, the ANPMN inaugurated its Permanent Secretariat on the second floor of the headquarters of Morocco’s national human rights institution, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), in Rabat.

This development marks a significant milestone in strengthening collective African efforts to prevent torture and protect human dignity. It was highlighted during the inaugural meeting of the Network’s Steering Committee, which convened at the newly established Secretariat. The Committee is composed of representatives from Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Cabo Verde, Mauritania, Mozambique, and Madagascar.

In a statement delivered on the occasion, Ms. Amina Bouayach, Chair of the ANPMN and Chairperson of the CNDH, emphasized that the Network is a fully African-led initiative. Its primary objective is to strengthen the capacities of National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) through African expertise and to establish a shared operational framework that fosters sustained and mutually reinforcing cooperation between National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and NPMs across the continent.

“The overarching aim of this collective effort is to achieve a ‘Torture-Free Africa’ and to safeguard human dignity,” stressed the ANPMN Chair.
 

To date, the ANPMN brings together all NPMs established in 16 African countries, reflecting growing continental momentum toward building effective institutional frameworks for the prevention of torture and ill-treatment. These efforts are aligned with international standards, particularly the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT).

The official opening of the Permanent Secretariat represents the culmination of a process launched in Marrakech, Morocco, in June 2023, when the Network was formally established following the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration on Torture Prevention in Africa.

This initiative constitutes a pivotal institutional step in operationalizing the Network, enabling it to effectively fulfill its coordination, capacity-building, and technical support mandates, while reinforcing its presence across Africa in line with its vision of a “Zero Torture” continent.

Rabat Hosts the Permanent Secretariat of the African NPMs Network