COTONOU, Benin - In anticipation of Human Rights Day, the United States Government is supporting the Benin Human Rights Commission (BHRC) to engage and educate youth in Benin on human rights and their responsibilities as Beninese citizens. 

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States is assisting the BHRC in developing its Youth, Civic Engagement, and Human Rights Education activities to:

• Educate Beninese youth on civics and human rights by developing educational resources and delivering three workshops in Cotonou, Parakou, and Bohicon in 2021. These workshops will be designed with feedback gathered from focus groups with young leaders in each city. 

• Support research to inform BHRC’s national youth outreach strategy to further engage young people on human rights and civic education.

In supporting the BHRC, the United States is advancing young people’s leadership, learning, and participation in human rights activities in Benin. By educating Benin’s rapidly growing youth population and engaging its future leaders, the United States is helping the BHRC fulfil its mandate of human rights promotion and protection. 

“As an increasingly important and growing demographic group in Benin, the rights of young people, including economic and social rights, as well as their engagement on priority issues for the governance of Benin, are key concerns for the BHRC,” said Carl Anderson, Country Representative for USAID in Benin, at an introductory meeting of key stakeholders from the BHRC and civil society on October 23.

The United States is promoting democratic governance to advance a more peaceful and prosperous world. This Youth, Civic Engagement, and Human Rights Education activity marks an important component of American support to human rights in Benin.