By Binta Fatty
The International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) in collaboration with the National Youth Council (NYP), hosted a two-day conference on Youth Participation in Transitional Justice Processes, Peacebuilding and Governance at the Sir Dawda Jawara Conference.
The conference brought together youth delegates from Sierra leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, Rwanda and across the seven regions of The Gambia to dialogue, share ideas and strategies to contribute to transformative and impactful transitions in the continent and their respective countries.
Didier Gberg, head of programme at ICTJ, noted that the conference is supported by the “Empowering Gambian Youth to Voice their Demands to Duty Bearers on Issues of Governance, Reconciliation and Prevention Project.”
“The project is a contribution to The Gambia’s transitional justice and reconciliation agenda, established after the dictatorship in 2017 and this includes the TRRC final report and recommendations, the government’s white paper on the implementation of the TRRC recommendations and the National Development Plan 2023 – 2027 which prioritises and articulates a vision to empower youth,” he said.
Alagie Jarju, executive director, National Youth Council, said the experiences shared, success stories and challenges will enhance youth participation in addressing gaps that hinder their participation in transitional justice processes.
“This convergence will help us address the issue of the knowledge gap, which has been identified as among the key barriers to youth participation in transitional justice processes,” he added.
Abdoulie Koley, registrar general at the Ministry of Justice, highlighted the importance of the regional youth conference as not merely a gathering but a call to action and an opportunity for the voices of young people to be heard.
“This gathering marks a critical moment in our collective journey towards shaping the future for justice, peace and governance across the continent.”
