After 25 years, The Gambia has submitted its first official report on the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights to the African Commission as well as its initial report on the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol).
The reports were submitted at the 64th ordinary session of the Commission in Sharm El Shaikh, Egypt.
Described by officials as historic milestone, the reports were presented by the Gambian Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacarr Tambadou, who headed a six-man government delegation on Thursday.
This is the first time since 1994 the West African nation that hosts African Commission on Human And People’s Rights, African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) and the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) will submit the reports.
Pursuant to article 62 of the African Charter, all State Parties are expected to submit a report of their human rights situation to the Commission every two years.
Since The Gambia has not submitted any report over the past 25 years, this report constituted a combined report for all the previous 12 reports due for submission.
However, Tambadou highlighted the human rights challenges of The Gambia since 1994, which provided the backdrop and context of the 25-year-old backlog of its reporting obligations to the Commission.
He explained the key constitutional and legislative, institutional and policy reforms currently being undertaken by the government of The Gambia headed by President Adama Barrow.
Attorney General Tambadou also provided a progress report of the key achievements and challenges of the Gambia’s civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights situation as well as the rights and welfare of women.
In reaction to the report, the Commissioners of the African Commission unanimously expressed satisfaction with Gambia’s report, in both its content and conformity with the Commission’s guidelines.
They also applauded the new leadership of The Gambia for the courage displayed in confronting the country’s human rights challenge and putting in place mechanisms to deal with the past and laying a solid foundation for its human rights architecture.
The Commissioners also raised a number of issues and questions which the delegation will respond later.
