Pemba, 29 October 2025 — The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) today inaugurated its first Provincial Delegation in the city of Pemba — a milestone in the decentralization and strengthening of efforts to promote and protect human rights across Mozambique.

The new Delegation will bring the CNDH’s services closer to communities, enhancing mechanisms for monitoring, awareness, and response to potential human rights violations in Cabo Delgado — a province that has faced multiple humanitarian and social challenges in recent years.

During the ceremony, CNDH President Albachir Macassar highlighted that the presence of the Delegation “will strengthen the promotion of human rights, build capacities, raise awareness, and foster constructive dialogue between the State and society, preventing small conflicts from escalating into major violations.” 

He further emphasized that this new space will be “where complaints will be heard with empathy and where the law will be applied with firmness,” recalling that “the defense of human rights begins with each of us — in respecting our neighbor’s rights, fulfilling our civic duties, and having the courage to report violations.”

Speaking on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Mozambique, Samuel Akera, Head of UNDP Sub-Office Pemba, noted that the opening of the Delegation “demonstrates our shared commitment to justice, gender equality, human dignity, and the strengthening of institutions that serve the people.”He reaffirmed that “UNDP remains committed to supporting the Commission through institutional strengthening, capacity development, and the integration of human rights into stabilization and reconstruction efforts, ensuring that no one is left behind.”

The inauguration of the Provincial Delegation is the result of cooperation between the CNDH and its strategic partners, including the European Union in Mozambique, UNDP Mozambique, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique, and the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD), working in close coordination with local authorities and civil society organizations in the province.

With this new Delegation, the CNDH takes an important step toward ensuring that all citizens — especially the most vulnerable — have access to justice, protection, and respect for their fundamental rights, contributing to a more just, peaceful, and inclusive Mozambique.

About UNDP 

UNDP is the United Nations’ lead agency on international development. Working in more than 170 countries and territories, UNDP helps nations to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and build resilience so that progress can be sustained. In Mozambique, UNDP supports national and local partners to advance peace, recovery, and sustainable development—empowering communities and institutions to build a more inclusive and resilient future for all. Learn more at www.undp.org or follow us at www.undp.org/mozambique.

For more information, contact: 

Manuel Mabuiangue, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Communication

manuel.mabuiangue@undp.org