As part of his deliberations in Geneva, representing The Gambia at the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU summit, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly Seedy Njie yesterday called on the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Martin Chungong.
This visit, the second in this year alone, was an opportunity to thank the SG personally for the IPU’s support to The Gambia’s National Assembly earlier this year, following the attempt to reverse the ban on FGM through a Private Member’s Bill.
“The IPU’s intervention, in support of a member country upholding fundamental rights and democratic values, aligns with its core mandate as a global parliamentary body,” Njie said during his meeting with SG Chungong.
He further disclosed that in March this year, his office held a bilateral meeting with the IPU through Mr Chungong, during which both of them agreed to collaborate in promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls in The Gambia which the IPU implemented promptly.
He informed Chungong that the president and the government of The Gambia are committed to the welfare and protection of girls and women, good governance and democracy and human rights.”It is in that spirit and with the encouragement and support of all our partners that we succeeded in voting down all the clauses of the proposed bill,” Njie told the IPU Secretary General.
On his part, Secretary General Chungong commended the Deputy Speaker and expressed his gratitude to President Adama Barrow, the National Assembly, and the people of The Gambia for maintaining the ban on FGM.
The deputy speaker was accompanied by NAMs. Kebba Jallow, Assan Touray, Musa Cham, and Sainey Konteh of the National Assembly, and Pa Malick Nyassy from The Gambia Embassy in Switzerland.
