By Aminata Kuyateh
The United Nations recently organised a two days training for Gambian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) designed to improve their engagements with its regional treaty bodies and special mechanisms.
Held at the UN Project office in Kololi, the training is envisaged to strengthen the capacity of CSOs to advocate for human rights, contribute to reporting processes, and hold government accountable to international obligations.
Facilitators delivered sessions on the mandates of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), and the mechanisms available to CSOs to influence policy and decision-making processes at both regional and international levels.
Essential topics such as submitting shadow reports to treaty bodies, engaging with UN Special Rapporteurs, and leveraging on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) processes to highlight human rights violations were also covered.
It also focused on improving the CSOs’ knowledge on how to utilise communications procedures of regional mechanisms, including the ACHPR, and the Ecowas Court of Justice.
A representative of the NHRC, Mansour Jobe, emphasised the crucial role CSOs’ play in bridging the gap between communities and global human rights frameworks.
Jobe described the civil society as the backbone of accountability, adding that strengthening their engagement with these mechanisms ensures voices from the grassroots are heard at the highest levels. He urged Gambian CSOs to at all times maintain impartiality in their advocacy and engagement efforts, emphasising the importance of fairness and objectivity in fostering a just society.
One of the key highlights of the training was a practical exercise where participants simulated a UN treaty body review session. This hands-on approach allowed them to understand the procedural and substantive aspects of engaging with international mechanisms effectively.
Alieu Manneh and Mariam Ceesay, both participants from the Women’s Association of Victims’ Empowerment (WAVE) and the Edward Francis Small Center for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ), shared that they have gained a deeper understanding on the workings, reporting mechanisms and other working engagements of UN and other international bodies.
