JPTi Submits Rights-Based Analysis to UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism Ahead of Visit to Côte d’Ivoire
- Sharof
- Nov 11, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 27
On 11 November 2024, Justice pour Tous Internationale (JPTi) submitted a comprehensive human rights report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, in advance of the Rapporteur’s official country visit to Côte d’Ivoire, scheduled from 29 November to 9 December 2024.
The submission, grounded in field consultations, regional legal assessments, and comparative international practice, evaluates Côte d’Ivoire’s evolving counter-terrorism framework. It examines the legal, institutional, and social dimensions of the country’s strategy in responding to terrorist threats and violent extremism, with particular focus on the protection of vulnerable populations—especially women, children, and internally displaced persons.
JPTi welcomed Côte d’Ivoire’s increasing engagement with international partners and acknowledged the positive role played by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), including its 2016 Programme for the Prevention of Violent Extremism, which helped shape more inclusive, non-militarised approaches to national security. The submission commended Côte d’Ivoire’s efforts to pursue not only regional security cooperation through mechanisms such as SECUNORD and the International Academy for the Fight against Terrorism, but also community-based initiatives aimed at resilience-building and prevention.
Nonetheless, the report raised serious concerns regarding persistent gaps in due process, overly broad legislative provisions, insufficient judicial oversight, and the lack of gender- and child-sensitive safeguards. It called for urgent reforms to align Côte d’Ivoire’s counter-terrorism laws and practices with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). JPTi’s recommendations included the creation of independent oversight bodies, legal aid guarantees for terrorism suspects, and structured participation of civil society in monitoring reintegration programmes.
This submission reflects JPTi’s broader commitment to embedding human rights protections within national security frameworks and to supporting constructive engagement between UN mechanisms and States. JPTi reaffirms its readiness to cooperate with all stakeholders to promote effective, legitimate, and rights-respecting counter-terrorism responses in Côte d’Ivoire and across West Africa.
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