UN Human Rights in Chad

Profile

The Human Rights Advisor Unit was established in 2011 within the UN Country Team in Chad. In September 2016, the Government Chad and OHCHR agreed to establish a Country Office in Chad. The Chad Country Office, which is functional since 2018, advises and assists the Chadian Government in the development and implementation of human rights and gender policies, strategies, programs and measures to promote and protect human rights. It also provides consultancy services and technical assistance to the government and partners for the implementation of both regional and international human rights standards and monitors the human rights situation throughout the country. 

OHCHR expects to scale-up the Country Office (that will continue to be based in N’Djamena), by setting-up three sub-offices in Bol (West), Abeché (East) and Moundou (South-West) between 2019 and 2021. The Country Office will continue to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to the Government of Chad and relevant stakeholders, advocate for the promotion and protection of human rights, and conduct human rights monitoring activities. 

In addition, OHCHR will be deploying a G5 Sahel team composed of six staff to support the implementation of the compliance framework, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution 2391 of 8 December 2017 and the Technical Arrangement between the G5 Sahel, UN and the European Commission of 23 February 2018 that will be embedded in the Chad Country Office. The compliance framework represents a new form of engagement by OHCHR to reduce the risks of harm to civilians that could be committed by the G5 Sahel Joint force (FC-G5S) during the conduct of its operations in all G5 Sahel countries, including Chad. The work of the country office and of the G5 Sahel team will be mutually supporting.

Achievements

The Chad Country Office:

• Provided capacity-building support to the Chadian Government for the promulgation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Reform in accordance with the Paris principles. The law on the reform of the NHRC was adopted by the Chad National Assembly on 29 October 2018.
• Contributed through several advocacy actions to the ratification by Chad of the Convention against Torture (CAT), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
• Supported the Government of Chad in the process of ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. The Country Office continues its support through several advocacy actions for the ratification by Chad of the Convention against Torture (CAT), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).Supported the government of Chad for drafting and submitting periodic reports to the UN Human Rights mechanisms, including reports on the CEDAW, the CAT, the ESCR, the ICCPR, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Core Common Document, as well as reports to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).
• Supported the civil society in drafting shadow reports on ACHPR, ESCR and CRC.
• Provided technical expertise to the government, national institutions and civil society organizations through workshop, fora for discussions and consultations, for the elaboration of the first, second and third reports to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the alternative report of  civil society. It also offered its support for the development of a follow-up action plan for the implementation of the second UPR cycle recommendations.
• Organised and facilitated the field missions of two United Nations Special Procedures mandate holders, i.e. the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice (A/HRC/38/46/Add.2), and the Working Group on the use of mercenaries (forthcoming report).
• Conducted monitoring and reporting activities in Chad including in the Lake region were terrorist attacks continue to be reported.
• Conducted several prisons visits and  participatated to the release of more than 612 detainees including 212 minors, 140 women and 260 men
• Organised training on human rights and, in particular, on UN treaty bodies, CEDAW, special procedures, gender-based and sexual violence, national human rights institutions, for more than 1280 people including 340 women, judges, civil society representatives and UN staff,
• Mainstreamed gender and human rights aspects in the Chad 2017-2021 UNDAF document.
• The Chad County Office leads the UN inter-agencies Gender and Human Rights thematic group.

Partners and Donors

Partners and donors: Government of Chad, civil society, international and national human rights NGOs, UN Agencies, European Union, Norway, G5 Sahel, Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF), National Human Rights Institutions Forum.

UN Human Rights Focus Areas

Last reviewed: August 2020