Kakuma refugee camp, in Northern Kenya, where LWF has been working for more than 40 years. Photo: LWF/ Albin Hillert
LWF supports implementation of human rights recommendations
(LWI) - Equal access to education, access to legal representation and socio-economic integration into the hosting community: LWF, for decades, has successfully advocated for the rights of refugees in Kenya.
To achieve this, LWF actively engages with international accountability mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In partnership with local and regional actors, LWF is contributing to national dialogues on how UPR recommendations can enhance the rights of refugees and host communities.
Sustained dialogue
A recent example of this commitment was the multi-stakeholder forum held in Nairobi, organized by the LWF Kenya-Somalia program alongside the East African Center for Human Rights (EACHRights) and UPR-Kenya. Bringing together 60 diverse participants, from civil society, refugee-led organizations, government institutions, and diplomatic missions, the gathering reflected a broad, ongoing engagement.
The UPR mechanism, overseen by the United Nations Human Rights Council, offers countries an opportunity to assess and improve their human rights record. For LWF, it is one of the mechanisms used to raise issues affecting marginalized communities, especially refugees, women, and people with disabilities.
The UPR process, along with mechanisms like CEDAW and the African Charter, help amplify those voices and convert dialogue into policy change.
Rebecca Duerst, LWF Rights-Based Approach Coordinator
“LWF is dedicated to uplifting the voices of the marginalized,” said Rebecca Duerst, Rights-Based Approach Coordinator at LWF. “The UPR process, along with mechanisms like the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the African Charter, help amplify those voices and convert dialogue into policy change.”
Participants in the Nairobi forum identified ongoing challenges in implementing the UPR recommendations made at the UN Human Rights Council and other human rights recommendations, particularly in refugee-hosting areas. Yet they also highlighted good practices and collaborative advocacy efforts between civil society and government institutions. The forum featured voices like Said Abukar from refugee-led KADANA, a longtime partner of LWF in Kenya, and representatives from national human rights institutions, faith leaders, and grassroots organizations.
"In countries like Kenya, where displacement challenges are ever-evolving, LWF stands alongside communities, amplifying their voices through policy work, advancing legal empowerment, and championing their rights through advocacy grounded in dignity and justice," Duerst concluded.
The event was supported by key ecumenical partners, including Bread for the World, the Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS), and ACT Church of Sweden (ACT CoS).
