WINDHOEK: The European Union (EU) has allocated N.dollars 6 million for a three-year project aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of the San communities in Namibia.

The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), which will be implementing the project, held a two-day workshop in Windhoek last week, marking the beginning of the project to advance the rights and empowerment of San communities.

The workshop was attended by San people from across the country, as well as government officials and civil society organisations.

The project will focus on empowering the San communities by providing them with the necessary legal tools and knowledge to assert their rights and engage more effectively with legal and governmental institutions.

LAC Director, Toni Hancox, explained the critical importance of the project on Monday in addressing long-standing challenges faced by the San people in accessing justice and safeguarding their human rights.

‘This project will focus on providing the tools to claim and access the rights
to which the San are entitled. In doing so, it promotes sustainability. It is not for us to ‘give’ rights, but rather to provide the tools for the San to ‘claim’ their rights,’ Hancox said in a statement on Monday.

EU Programme Manager, Silke Hofs, emphasised the EU’s unwavering commitment to supporting initiatives that promote human rights and equality in Namibia.

‘The European Union is committed to promoting and protecting the rights of marginalised people, inclusive of development, cultural preservation, and combating discrimination. We believe that through partnerships and collaborative efforts, we can improve the conditions of marginalised people in Namibia – and elsewhere – in the medium to long term,’ Hofs said in a joint statement.

Deputy Minister of Marginalised Communities, Royal Kao /Ui/o/oo, noted the critical role of his department and the civil organisations in advancing Namibia’s vision of inclusivity.

He said that civil society is ideally positioned to be independent, critical, transparent
, and radical in driving sustainable change with the involvement of multiple stakeholders.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency