Alpha Fall

organization overview

While international human rights law possesses the potential to effect social change, it is often difficult to enforce. Presently, human rights advocates do not employ litigation frequently. While there are many reasons for this, there are two reasons that wield the greatest significance: the lack of understanding of the procedures, and the inaccessibility of international tribunals. The Institute for Human Rights & Development (IHRDA) in Africa is a pan-African human rights organization with its headquarters in Banjul, the Gambia. IHRDA specializes in the African regional human rights system, including impact litigation in national and international fora based on African human rights treaties, training and research, and publication in the procedures of African treaty mechanisms. While IHRDA offers three unique program areas (capacity building, litigation and research and publication), all of the program areas work towards a single goal: the advancement of human rights in Africa through the implementation of African human rights treaties.

Personal Bio

Alpha Fall was co-founder of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) and served as its Executive Director from 2003 to 2005. A graduate of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, he held an LLM from the University of Notre Dame. Before co-founding IHRDA, Alpha worked at the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights. He also worked with the International Centre for Transitional Justice in Kinshasa, and was Head of the Transitional Justice Unit at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bujumbura.

Alpha passed away in April 2011.