Florence Eniayehou, Regional Director for Monitoring and Evaluation at the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD), is leading a high-level delegation from RFLD to Harare, Zimbabwe, from October 20-24, to participate in the Annual Meeting of the CHARM Africa Consortium. This gathering represents a critical moment for coordinating continental strategies to protect civic space and advance human rights across Africa.
About CHARM Africa Consortium
CHARM Africa operates as a strategic alliance of seven distinguished member organizations working collectively to strengthen civic freedoms and human rights protections across the African continent. The consortium brings together:
- DefendDefenders (DD)
- Civil Rights Defenders (CRD)
- CIVICUS
- Fojo Media
- Magamba Network
- Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD)
- Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ)
Established in October 2019, CHARM was formed to promote and protect human rights and media freedoms and to defend civic space in SSA. By leveraging shared values and deep local knowledge, CHARM has strengthened African democracies by supporting a vibrant civil society and promoting the use of a free and active media. The unique composition of our consortium brings together organisations specialising in leveraging digital technologies for democratisation and human rights protection with those that strengthen the leadership of women, young people, and grassroots social movements—ensuring broad-based representation and impact.
The CHARM African program is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
RFLD’s influence extends beyond the CHARM Africa partnership through its membership in the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Working Group on Human Rights Defenders. Led by Hon. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, this Working Group serves as Africa’s premier mechanism for protecting human rights defenders and maintaining civic space.
Exclusive Continental Partnership
RFLD holds a position within an exclusive 13-member Support Group that shapes continental human rights discourse alongside influential partners including:
- International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA)
- Regional networks:
- East and Horn Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (EHAHRD-Net)
- Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD)
- Central African Human Rights Defenders Network (REDHAC)
- Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA)
- Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SAHRDN)
- West Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (ROADDH/WAHRDN)
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIDH) – North Africa
- Lusophone regional networks
Through its Working Group engagement, RFLD implements coordinated strategies specifically designed to address the escalating threats facing human rights defenders, with particular emphasis on women defenders who encounter heightened risks due to their intersectional advocacy work. Our organization’s multi-faceted approach includes disseminating critical information on civic space restrictions and documenting patterns of reprisals against women human rights defenders across diverse African contexts. RFLD also proposes targeted protection frameworks that address the specific vulnerabilities of women activists, considering varying cultural, legal, and political environments across the continent.
Furthermore, RFLD ensures that continental strategies incorporate gender-sensitive perspectives that recognize the unique challenges faced by women defenders, particularly in Francophone and Lusophone contexts where cultural, legal, and political frameworks may present distinct obstacles to women’s rights advocacy. Our organization systematically records threats, attacks, and restrictions faced by women human rights defenders to inform evidence-based policy recommendations at continental and national levels, creating a comprehensive documentation system that strengthens advocacy efforts and protection mechanisms for women activists across Africa.
RFLD’s participation in both CHARM Africa and the ACHPR Working Group creates synergies that amplify the organization’s impact beyond its immediate network. This dual positioning enables RFLD to influence continental human rights protection standards, build sustainable partnerships that enhance security for women human rights defenders, bridge linguistic and cultural divides within African human rights movements, translate continental frameworks into practical protections at regional and national levels, and ensure that the experiences and perspectives of Francophone and Lusophone women defenders inform broader continental strategies.
The Harare meeting represents more than a routine gathering—it symbolizes the continued commitment of African civil society organizations to defend shrinking civic spaces and protect those who risk their lives advocating for human rights. As civic space continues to face restrictions across multiple African countries, the coordinated work of consortia like CHARM Africa and institutional mechanisms like the ACHPR Working Group becomes increasingly vital.
RFLD’s positioning at the intersection of these efforts ensures that the voices, experiences, and needs of women human rights defenders—particularly from Francophone and Lusophone Africa—remain central to continental protection strategies. The outcomes from this week-long meeting will shape collaborative efforts to safeguard civic freedoms and protect human rights defenders across the continent in the months ahead.
For more information about RFLD’s human rights work, visit our Human Rights Portfolio: https://rflgd.org/espace-civique-droits-de-lhomme/
