BANJUL, Gambia – 15 May 2026 – FAWE participated in the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, held in Banjul under the theme: *“Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”* The organization was represented by Dr. Koly Fall, Knowledge Management Officer, and Ms. Yadicon Njie-Eribo, National Chapter Coordinator of FAWE Gambia.
During the session, FAWE delivered a formal statement emphasizing that access to clean water and safe sanitation is essential to the realization of girls’ right to education. The intervention highlighted how climate change, conflict, harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and displacement continue to disrupt learning across the African continent, disproportionately affecting adolescent girls and young women.
FAWE further called on Member States and relevant bodies of the African Union to strengthen their commitment toward the implementation of gender-responsive education policies, the protection of adolescent girls from all forms of violence and discrimination, and the advancement of inclusive and safe learning environments across Africa. The organization underscored that without deliberate investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructures within and around schools, progress toward gender equality in education would remain severely compromised.
On the sidelines of the session, FAWE held a productive working meeting with colleagues from FAWE Gambia to deepen collaboration on girls’ education, advocacy against FGM, adolescent rights, and the development of strategic partnerships at national and regional levels. The meeting reaffirmed the importance of coordinated advocacy and grassroots engagement in translating continental human rights frameworks into tangible improvements for girls and young women in The Gambia and beyond.
FAWE’s presence at the 87th Ordinary Session demonstrated the organization’s ongoing commitment to positioning girls’ education within broader human rights and development agendas, ensuring that the voices of African girls are heard in the continent’s most important policy forums.