KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican civil society organisations are now better equipped to engage with international human rights processes following a United Nations-supported workshop that strengthened their understanding of global human rights mechanisms and how to participate in them.

Representatives from 18 civil society organisations participated in the capacity-building workshop at the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS) National Volunteer Centre recently, where they received practical training on how to contribute to United Nations human rights reviews, submit independent reports and raise concerns affecting vulnerable communities through internationally recognised accountability mechanisms.

The workshop was jointly hosted by CVSS, the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (UN RCO) Jamaica Multi-Country Office, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The training formed part of an official mission to Jamaica by the OHCHR Caricom Regional Office, based in Nassau, The Bahamas.