United Nations Resident Coordinator
By Landing Ceesay
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Seraphine Wakana, Tuesday called for the implementation of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission’s (TRRC) Recommendations.
She stressed that it’s important to implement the TRRC recommendations to ensure redress for victims and to ensure adherence to rule of law and respect for human rights.
“The TRRC has submitted its final report and we also have a Government White Paper as response to the recommendations contained in the TRRC report. The NHRC plays a pivotal role in monitoring the implementation of the recommendations. In many jurisdictions, for various reasons, the implementation of recommendations from truth bodies are either partially, or not implemented. It is important that the TRRC recommendations are implemented to ensure redress is provided to victims for violations suffered, to ensure adherence to rule of law and respect for human rights,” Ms. Wakana said.
The UN Resident Coordinator said the Government of the Gambia has embarked on an “impressive” transitional justice process.
She cited that the establishment of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) is a testament to the Government’s willingness to investigate and establish an impartial historical record of the nature, causes and extent of violations as well as abuses of human rights committed from 22 July 1994 to 19 January 2017.
Ms. Wakana continued that the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, the state organ with the mandate to promote and protect the rights of people in The Gambia, also shows the Government’s willingness to ensure human rights remains at the forefront of the transitional justice agenda.
Ms. Seraphine Wakana made these remarks at the opening of the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) and Open Society Foundations’ or Federation’s stakeholders engagement on the Government White Paper on TRRC recommendations.
She told the gathering that the UN has provided technical and financial support to the TRRC and the NHRC
The UN Resident Coordinator added that both institutions were supported through the Peace Building Funded Transitional Justice and Human Rights Project that jointly implemented by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Ms. Wakana said following the completion of the TRRC and submission of its final report, the NHRC and other stakeholders including the Government and civil society, receive support through a new post TRRC PBF project, also implemented by OHCHR and UNDP.
“The UN has also provided additional support in the form of technical advice via recommendations to both institutions from the UN Human Rights Council Special Procedures. In 2019, the Special Rapporteur on Truth, Reparations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence visited the Gambia.
“Also in 2019, the Gambia underwent the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and some of the UPR recommendations included ensuring the necessary support to the TRRC, following through on the TRRC recommendations and the need to take measures to ensure the strengthening of the NHRC,” she told the stakeholders.