By Mama A. Touray
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has held a press conference to brief the populace about its achievements and recommendations on its activity report.
Speaking at a press conference held at the NHRC conference Hall on Tuesday, Emmanuel Daniel Joof, Chairman of National Human Rights Commission disclosed that it “is the second time we holding a press conference this year. February we held one in which we discuss the works that we did in 2020 and the challenges that we encountered and also the way forward. Having said that we felt that this is the right time to also call you to the second press conference to update the media and the general public on the work that we have been doing and the activities that we have carried since the last conference but also to discuss emerging trends in human rights.”
”Since our last meeting as NHRC, we have launched key documents and tools to help us in our work. One of the key documents was the strategic plan last time when we met we talked about the finalization of the strategic plan (already) launched and it is a five year strategic plan with a result mobilization and implementation plans which will help the NHRC to carry out its mandate efficiently and effectively. That was launched in May 2021 together with our website and it can be accessed,” he disclosed.
Among other activities, he said NHRC also launched some documents that carried out studies on behalf of the National Human Rights Commission and one of them is the Gambia as a Bastion of Human Rights Advocacy Africa 1965 to 1994. They also conducted and published a research document on sexual harassment in work places; they are all tools which they have launched since the last meeting. “But importantly also is the printing publication and gazetting of our 2020 activities of human rights commission and the activity report of NHRC,” he added.
It is a requirement that every year under our establishment Act Section 33 states that NHRC must handover our reports to the National Assembly detailing its activities.
Dr Saikou Kawsu Gassama NHRC Executive Secretary alluded to the words of the chairman saying it is the second time of holding a press conference this year.
He dilated on the objective of the press conference which was meant to inform media by extension the general public about the national human rights commission’s activities, achievements, challenges, lessons learned and upcoming events.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is an independent National Human Rights Institution established by the NHRC Act 2017 and guided in its work by the United Nations Principles Relating to the Status of National Human Rights Institutions referred to as the ‘Paris Principles’. It is a member of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) as well as the Network of National Human Rights Institutions for West Africa (NNHRI-WA).