Seraphine Wakana, United Nations Resident Coordinator in The Gambia at the Donor Round Table Meeting of The NHRC

The Executive Director of the NHRC, UN Colleagues, Government Officials present, The media and other invited guest. I am happy to be here today and deliver these remarks on behalf of the UN family.

Human rights are reflected in the United Nations (UN) Charter as one of the core purposes of the organization. The duties and responsibilities for upholding these universal human rights, values and principles allocated to me as the Resident Coordinators and the Gambia UN Country Team (UNCT) has a significant bearing on the UN’s impact in The Gambia.

The three pillars of the UN system,  human rights, development, and peace and security are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and we continue to promote all three pillars built squarely and explicitly on the principles set out in the UN Charter and the international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The new Gambia has set a path intended to respect and promote human rights. One of our key partners is the NHRC. Established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2017, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is a permanent and independent body whose functions include:

● the promotion and protection of human rights in The Gambia;

● monitoring, receiving, investigating, and considering complaints of human rights violations;

● recommending appropriate remedial action to the Government and seeking appropriate redress on behalf of victims;

● increasing public awareness and education to promote a culture of human rights in The Gambia; and

 ● assisting the Government in the formulation of appropriate policies and laws to guarantee human rights.

It is therefore imperative that the UN in The Gambia supports and collaborates with the NHRC in the pursuit of a Gambia that upholds its international and national human rights obligations.

The establishment of the NHRC came out of many recommendations from regional and universal human rights mechanisms which advised the government to establish an independent NHRI to ensure the effective promotion and protection of human rights in The Gambia.

We applaud the management and leadership of the NHRC for the strides taken to create a niche as the primary state human rights institution in The Gambia with the mandate to promote and protect human rights and to restore a culture of respect for human rights, within a short period. The NHRC’s collaboration with the UNCT in various activities, including advocating for the rights of PwDs and migrants and other vulnerable communities, to ensure no one is left behind.

The UNCT has contributed significantly to the work of the NHRC through partnership and technical support. This includes support to the transitional justice reform initiatives. With financial support from the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), OHCHR and UNDP Transitional Justice and Human Rights Project provided technical, substantive, and financial support to the NHRC. Inform that this support is part of the ongoing country allocation from PBF which confirms the commitment of the UN SG to accompany the Gambia in its transition process. We worked closely with the NHRC to support advocacy efforts in advancing the rights of persons living with disabilities and migrants amongst others.

I want to seize this opportunity and urge all UN agencies who continue to reach out to the NHRC to ensure continued collaboration for the respect and promotion of human rights. I thank the NHRC for organizing this donor event to update development partners of their work is a good step towards accountability and transparency.

I Reaffirm the UN’s commitment to continue supporting the NHRC in ensuring its mandate is realized to ensure the Gambia upholds its human rights obligations, including the transition agenda which includes the promotion and protection of human rights principles and the fact that the NHRC is a key institution in the process.

In conclusion, I wish you a successful donor round table event and wish you the best during the rest of the sessions.