Gambia: Politics and Government

(asked on 14th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Gambian counterpart on help the UK Government can provide to assist with the transitional justice process in the Gambia.


Answered by
James Duddridge Portrait
James Duddridge
This question was answered on 22nd July 2020

The UK Government welcomes the commitment of President Barrow and the Government of The Gambia to embrace change by drafting a new Gambian Constitution which has a human rights based approach to development, with freedom of expression, freedom of association and media freedom at its heart. We regularly discuss the transitional justice process with the Government of The Gambia and through a DFID programme, delivered by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, we are working to transform the National Assembly of The Gambia into a robust institution. This includes a particular focus on increasing government accountability and enhancing political inclusion among marginalised groups. Furthermore the UK Government provided funding to the Bingham Centre For The Rule of Law to conduct a comprehensive review of the draft constitution and provide recommendations in line with international best practice to the Constitutional Review Commission. We have also provided strategic-level support to the Gambian Ministry of Justice by funding a Special Adviser who co-chairs the transitional justice process, including the implementation of judicial and constitutional reforms necessary to underpin the broader democratic reform agenda. We will continue to support The Gambia to resolve the challenges still to be addressed so that the human rights of all its citizens are respected and protected.

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