By MUHAMMED S. BAH
A 3 day National Stakeholder conference concluded at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi. The three-day National Stakeholders Conference on Justice and Human right is organised by the Ministry of Justice of The Gambia in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), The Institute of Human Rights Development in Africa (IHRDA) and UNICEF.
The conference seeks to create a forum for consultation and dialogue as a prelude to fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms which will strengthen the rule of law and protection of human rights in the Gambia. The Conference identifies challenges and gaps in the justice system and ultimately generate a roadmap and action plan for the reform of the justice system in The Gambia, and allowed discussions concerning the design of a transitional justice strategy and establishment of applicable transitional justice mechanisms for the Gambia moving forward.
The Gambia is faced with numerous pressing challenges after 22 years of virtual dictatorship and the administration of justice is one of the major challenges.
A statement given by Mrs. Ade Lekoetje United Nation Represent Coordinator spoke of the relevance of the 3 day conference, and further thanked the Ministry for coming up with this initiative. She noted that the real work starts after the conference, saying that the Ministry should ensure that all recommendations are worked on.
In her remarks Mrs. Jeng Sallah Njie Chairperson Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (I H R D A)commended the Minister of Justice for what she refer to as laudable and ground-breaking initiative, which, she said to them, depicts the commitment of the new government towards the promotion of human rights and justice in The Gambia. As human rights defenders, this means a lot to them at IHRDA, and even more so as a leading Pan-African human rights organization based in The Gambia.
She disclosed that since the political transition, IHRDA has received several invitations from various actors and stakeholders (including government institutions, domestic civil society organizations as well as international organizations) for collaboration in implementing initiatives to strengthen human rights and justice in The Gambia.
As a Pan-African human rights organization, she said they are equally very much concerned about the promotion of human rights in The Gambia.
“I want to reassure the new government that, as long as it continues to strive towards meeting internationally acceptable human rights standards, IHRDA will continue to be a partner to support the government towards this drive” The IHRDA Chairperson Asserted.
Andrea Ori on behalf of the office of the high commission on human rights, expressed the thorough participation of international and national experts, national stakeholders and moreover by the Gambian people to discuss and exchange on Transitional Justice mechanisms, Constitutional Reform, Institutional Reform, Criminal Justice and media law reform.
Mr. Ori said express delight on the commitment and the will by the Gambian authorities to setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
“TRCs are the most well-known mechanisms of transitional justice. In order for The Gambia to move on and ensure non-recurrence, it must deal with the past and this should include its own leaders. A TRC can, indeed, contribute profoundly to this process by its truth seeking function and recommendations” He underscored.
He further stated that A TRC can contribute profoundly to this process by its truth seeking function and recommendations.
In his closing statement Abubacarr Tembedou Minister of Justice thanked all participants and the partners of the conference.
The Justice Minister and Attorney General said, the conference is the beginning of a continuous process of National consultation that will ultimately lead to the designing of a fitting transitional justice model that will suite the particular context of the Gambia of this period in time.
He urged all partners and stakeholders to give the ministry of justice and the entire government a full support adding that they cannot achieve much without the support of various National stakeholders including the Civil Society organisation.