Reflections on Advocacy in Action

Br. Abu Kargbo, West Africa Mission Coordinator, reflects on his time in Geneva:

My two-week stay with the Christian Brothers community in Geneva, while participating in the UPR Pre-Session for Sierra Leone, was a profoundly enriching experience marked by fraternity, dedication and shared mission. From the very beginning, the journey was shaped by generous accompaniment—most especially through Br. Tino, who first shared with me the funding opportunity circulated by UPR-Info and walked with me faithfully throughout the entire process after my acceptance.

Together, we worked tirelessly to prepare my statement, develop supporting fact sheets and engage Permanent Missions for advocacy meetings ahead of the formal delivery of recommendations. The Pre-Session itself became a crucial advocacy space, providing me with the opportunity to interact directly with representatives of Permanent Missions in both group settings and focused one-on-one meetings in Geneva.

In these engagements, I presented and actively lobbied for the key recommendations contained in our joint submissions with ERI and VIVAT International for Sierra Leone’s UPR, clarifying concerns, responding to questions and encouraging diplomatic representatives to take ownership of specific recommendations during the review.

These exchanges strengthened the visibility of our issues and ensured that the lived realities of our communities were directly communicated within international decision-making spaces. The ERI team offered constant guidance, encouragement and practical support, embodying the collaborative spirit that defines the advocacy work of ERI.

The work undertaken by the ERI team in Geneva requires perseverance, intellectual rigour and continual attentiveness to evolving human rights mechanisms. Far from routine, it is a mission rooted in justice—ensuring that the voices of people made poor are heard within global structures of decision-making. I leave Geneva deeply grateful and spiritually renewed. The fraternity I encountered, the dedication to advocacy I witnessed and the quiet fidelity of daily community life together formed a living testimony of dignity, justice and compassionate service. This experience has not only enriched my personal journey but has also strengthened my commitment to mission, carrying forward the same spirit of solidarity and hope to the communities we accompany in Sierra Leone and beyond.