4–6 December 2013, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, in cooperation with the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF) and the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), organised the workshop Strengthening Police Oversight and Accountability in Southern Africa, with financial support from Swedish Development Cooperation. The workshop was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was attended by parliamentarians from southern Africa, representatives of the SADC PF Secretariat, civil society organisations with an interest in police oversight and human rights, and national human rights institutions from the region as well as other experts on police oversight.
The workshop provided a forum for practice-oriented discussions on police oversight, and aimed at stimulating the increased involvement of regional and national stakeholders in promoting policing in southern Africa that is accountable and meets international human rights standards. The workshop concluded with the development of a draft plan of action to strengthen parliamentary oversight of police at the national and regional levels.
This report is a joint publication developed by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and APCOF. It serves to summarise the workshop deliberations, and to present the recommendations stemming from the workshop. The report is available in a three language version; English, French and Portuguese.