Ordo Iuris Africa – Our Representation in Arusha, the African Capital of Human Rights

Ordo Iuris

• The Ordo Iuris Institute co-organized the 2nd Pan-African Conference on Family Values in Nairobi and was invited to take part in the Kenyan government’s celebration of International Day of Families. The conference brought together representatives from more than 20 African countries, along with delegates from partner organizations in Europe, the US, and South America.

• Adopted at the conclusion of the conference, the Nairobi Declaration affirms the importance of the family as the foundation of society, calls for the protection of life from conception, defends parental rights, and rejects ideological pressure from foreign organizations.

• The event promoted the Ordo Iuris handbook—published in English, French, and Swahili—for NGOs seeking to play a more significant role in shaping international law at the UN and in other international and supranational forums.

• Representatives of the Ordo Iuris Institute visited the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, Tanzania, and announced the establishment of an Ordo Iuris representative office in that city, under the name Ordo Iuris Africa.

2nd Pan-African Conference on Family Values

The Ordo Iuris Institute co-organized the 2nd Pan-African Conference on Family Values, which took place last week in Nairobi. The event’s motto was “Promoting and Protecting Family Values in Difficult Times.” During the visit to Africa, the Ordo Iuris Institute announced the establishment of Ordo Iuris Africa. It has already initiated partnerships with organizations and lawyers in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Malawi, and South Africa, supporting their local initiatives and efforts to obtain consultative status in international and supranational organizations—currently dominated by leftist organizations and pro-abortion, gender ideologues.

The conference, led by the Kenya Christian Professionals Forum and the Africa Christian Professionals Forum, gathered representatives of African governments, civil society organizations, academic institutions, religious communities, and international partners to defend the family as the cornerstone of society.

At the organizers’ request, the Ordo Iuris Institute presented a diagnosis of the threats posed by international organizations and institutions undermining natural law, the right to life, and the family’s societal role. Ordo Iuris experts also outlined concrete plans of action to mobilize citizens across Africa and organize effective resistance to the ideological colonization of the continent.

Delegates received a guidebook prepared by the Institute, discussing the role of supranational organizations in protecting life, family, freedom, and sovereignty. It also provided methods for African NGOs to amplify their influence and voice in international law-making processes, commensurate with the continent’s global significance. The guide, available in Polish, English, French, and Swahili, can be found on the website of Ordo Iuris’ international program Citizens Against Global Governance (caggforum.org).

Africa Must Influence International Standards and Human Rights

The head of the Ordo Iuris delegation, attorney Jerzy Kwaśniewski, opened the conference with remarks underscoring the indispensable role of natural law and the family in maintaining free societies:

Without natural law, there is neither human dignity, nor freedom, nor family, nor society. It is not an ideology, but the foundation of any civilization, said the Ordo Iuris Institute’s president.

He explained how global liberal elites exploit international double standards to attack countries that defend life and the family—countries such as those in Africa, South America, and in Europe (e.g., Poland and Hungary), which remain committed to the natural order and to life and family rights. He highlighted the deliberate erosion of human dignity and state sovereignty through the development of standards and policies that, in fact, violate binding international human rights treaties recognizing the inalienable dignity of the human person and affirming the family as the basic societal unit. Finally, he proposed a concrete strategy for systematic resistance and called for a united effort to shape the international legal order.

Seven Principles for Building Successful Organizations

Attorney Rafał Dorosiński, the Ordo Iuris Institute’s second speaker, outlined seven principles for building organizations that effectively advocate for natural law, the family, and human dignity. He emphasized that strong national development is the foundation for international impact, including engagement with the UN. Presenting Ordo Iuris as a proven, adaptable model, he offered specific support to African organizations striving to resist ideological colonization promoted by certain Western governments, international institutions, and their affiliated "non-governmental" organizations.

Nairobi Declaration: Family, Life, Education

The Nairobi Declaration on Family Values, adopted unanimously at the end of the conference, echoes the Ordo Iuris Institute’s diagnosis of the threats and closely follows the action plan proposed by Ordo Iuris. It reflects the determination of African leaders to protect the family as “the natural and fundamental unit of society,” as affirmed in Article 16(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 45 of the Constitution of Kenya. The Declaration also upholds parents’ primary right to direct the moral and religious upbringing of their children, as protected under Article 18(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The declaration identifies seven key threats to the family:

• ideologically motivated foreign policy interventions
• the harmful effects of digital media on youth
• the promotion of comprehensive sex education (CSE) without parental consent
• “gender identity” ideology
• the promotion of abortion
• the erosion of parental rights
• external manipulation of legislative processes

In response, the delegates pledged to:

• protect life from conception
• strengthen pro-family platforms
• promote parental rights
• counter digital exploitation
• reject foreign values imposed through development aid or international agreements

The declaration urges African governments, the African Union, and national parliaments to actively engage in transnational forums, align national laws with constitutional family protections, reject donor conditions that erode cultural values, invest in civic education, and support institutions upholding family integrity. This strong position affirms the family as central to Africa’s survival, peace, and development.

Ordo Iuris Representation in Africa’s Human Rights Capital

During the conference, Ordo Iuris representatives announced the establishment of a branch in Arusha, Tanzania—the seat of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. This new office will support our work with the AfCHPR and our regional cooperation. Prior to the announcement, our representatives held a foundational meeting in Arusha with esteemed attorney Colman Ngalo—former president of the East Africa Law Society, international arbitrator, and long-time legal advocate for Tanzania’s Catholic community. Ngalo will soon assume leadership of Ordo Iuris Africa.

The Arusha delegation will support African NGOs in defending human rights—particularly life, family, and fundamental freedoms—in the proceedings of supranational organizations such as the UN, WHO, and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR).

Jerzy Kwaśniewski and Director of International Development Zbigniew Przybyłowski visited the Court, where they discussed opportunities for cooperation and sharing Ordo Iuris’ research contributions in the field.

Future Plans

The Nairobi conference, the newly established delegation, and the developing network across Africa are all part of a strategic initiative to support African partners in defending fundamental human rights at local and international levels.

“In the process of creating and applying international law, the organizations of the world’s youngest civil society—Africa—remain underrepresented. To date, their voices have gone unheard at the UN, WHO, and in international tribunals. African peoples must gain a proportionate role in shaping policies and human rights, especially in key areas such as family, life protection, parental rights in education, freedom of expression, and national sovereignty.

We will support our partners in this with unwavering commitment—that is why we are establishing our representative office in Arusha, the human rights capital of Africa. This is also why we are expanding our network of cooperation with legal professionals, civil society organizations, and politicians across more African nations.

Strengthening the global influence of African organizations—advocates of natural law, faith, and common sense—is a source of great hope and opportunity for defenders of inalienable human rights in Europe,” concluded Jerzy Kwaśniewski.