By Aminata Kuyateh
In a significant stride towards bolstering the understanding and capacity of human rights defenders and environmental actors, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday commenced a two-day capacity building workshop.
The training brought together 30 internal staff from the NHRC, five external research participants, and representatives from the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) alongside key external partners, including the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR).
Held at Ocean Bay hotel in Bakau, the workshop aims to deepen the integration of environmental protection within the human rights framework, particularly in the face of increasing climate change challenges affecting vulnerable communities across The Gambia.
Officially opened by the NHRC vice chairperson, the event underscores the Commission’s growing commitment to addressing the intersection of environmental and human rights issues.
In her opening remarks, NHRC vice chair Jainaba Johm, emphasised the pressing need to build institutional knowledge on how environmental degradation and climate change are contributing to new forms of human rights risks and violations.
“Rising sea levels threaten our coastal communities, erratic rainfall patterns jeopardise food security and extreme weather events endanger lives and livelihoods. We have seen loss yield in crop farmers, loss of livestock as results of drought and general loss of livelihoods in small cash crop productions and subsistence farming.”
She said floods and rain-related disasters also continue to hit victims during the summer in Banjul, KM and all the regions.
“All these incidents have human rights implications and as such, require our attention and action,” she said.
Vice chairperson Johm stated that as the national institution mandated to promote and protect human rights, the NHRC has a critical role to play in ensuring that climate action is grounded in justice, equity and accountability.
The two-day workshop is designed to provide participants with a nuanced understanding of the legal, policy, and practical implications of environmental human rights.
With support and technical input from DIHR, sessions will explore international standards, case studies, and practical tools for integrating environmental dimensions into the Commission’s mandates and operations.
Representatives from the Ministry of Environment lauded the initiative, calling it “a welcome collaboration that highlights the indivisibility of human rights and environmental justice.” They reiterated the government’s commitment to climate adaptation and mitigation strategies that are people-centred and rights-based.
For DIHR and its partners, the workshop is part of a broader effort to support national human rights institutions across the Global South in mainstreaming environmental governance into their work. A DIHR delegate described the initiative as part of a long-term collaboration to build resilient, informed institutions that can respond to the climate crisis through a human rights lens.
Participants are expected to leave the training with practical tools to monitor, document, and advocate for environmental rights, as well as a stronger inter-agency network for collaborative action.
As The Gambia continues to experience the multidimensional impacts of climate change—ranging from coastal erosion to erratic rainfall patterns-this workshop represents a proactive step in ensuring that human rights remain central in environmental discourse and policy development.
