By Omar Bah
As part of events marking International Human Rights Day, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), will host the Moot Court Competition attracting brilliant young legal minds from across the continent, including finalists from the University of Benin (Nigeria) and Africa Nazarene University (Kenya).
In a statement shared with The Standard, the NHRC chairperson Emmanuel Joof said: “As part of the national commemoration of this important day, the NHRC is proud to host the finals of the 6th edition of the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Human Rights Moot Court Competition at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre.”
Joof disclosed that this year’s event will be hosted under the theme “Climate Change and Human Rights in Africa could not be timelier”.
He said climate change is “no longer a distant environmental problem; It is a daily human rights issue affecting access to food, water, health, education, security, and livelihood”.
African communities, he added, despite contributing the least to global emissions, bear some of the heaviest burdens including rising sea levels, floods, droughts, displacement, and threats to life and dignity.
“The Gambia is no exception.”
Commenting on the hosting of the Moot competition, Joof said it is envisaged that the visiting legal minds’ advocacy, research, and creativity will offer hope that the next generation of African lawyers will carry forward the legacy of Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara and strengthen the African human rights system.
“They remind us that human rights education remains one of the most powerful tools for change. As we celebrate this day, let us renew our collective commitment to uphold the dignity and rights of all persons in The Gambia and across our continent.
Let us remember that human rights are everyone’s business—government, communities, institutions, and individuals alike. And let us continue building a society where human rights truly are our everyday essentials.”
He added that as the world marks International Human Rights Day under the theme “Our Everyday Essentials”, “We are reminded that human rights are not lofty concepts reserved for textbooks, treaties, or courtrooms”.
“They are the simple but profound necessities that shape our daily lives including things as basic as having a safe home to sleep in, access to food and clean water, living in peace, speaking freely, and being treated with dignity and fairness.”
