By Kebba AF Touray
Dawda A Jallow, the Minister of Justice, has reaffirmed the commitment of the Gambia to the African Charter and called for a united fight against human rights abuses across the continent. Minister Jallow made this declaration on Thursday, 22nd May 2025, during the closing of the 83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR).
He expressed that the deliberations throughout the session were both rigorous and productive, commending the Commission and its dedicated members for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding human dignity and freedoms.
“The adoption of key resolutions, robust dialogues on pressing challenges, and shared strategies to address systemic inequities reflect our collective resolve to uphold the principles of the African Charter,” he said.
Minister Jallow stated that despite progress, African nations must confront sobering realities. “Human rights violations persist in many forms in our continent — from conflict-driven atrocities to systemic discrimination. These challenges demand renewed urgency,” he emphasized.
He reaffirmed The Gambia’s steadfast commitment to the African Charter and pledged to work alongside the Commission, Member States, and civil society to translate the Charter’s principles into tangible protections for all Africans.
“Continued collaboration remains our greatest strength. Governments, civil society, national institutions, and individuals must unite to strengthen legal frameworks, promote human rights education, and foster inclusive dialogue,” Minister Jallow urged.
He called on all stakeholders to empower marginalized voices, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure accountability for violations. “As we depart, let us carry forward the spirit of this session: a shared vision of an Africa where every individual—regardless of ethnicity, faith, or creed—lives with dignity, equality, and justice,” he added.
Dr. Litha Musyimi-Ogana, a Commissioner, who read the communique at the session’s close, reported that members presented their intersessional reports, highlighting activities undertaken in their capacities as commissioners.
“Presentation of these reports generated reactions, contributions, and questions from state parties, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs). The commission also reviewed its report on relations with NGOs and NHRIs. During private sessions, the commission assessed the public segment’s proceedings,” she explained.
Dr. Musyimi-Ogana added that the commission granted observer status to seven NGOs during the private sessions. These include Afrobarometer, Safe Generation Organization, Community Health Initiative, Women in Mining in Nigeria, and Association De Victim De Torture, Togo, among others.
“This brings the total number of NGOs with observer status with the commission to 586,” she said. The commission’s decisions followed resolution ACPR 572 OF 2023, which sets criteria for granting observer status to NGOs working on human and people’s rights in Africa.
During the private sessions, the commission also considered and adopted several reports and documents. These included the report on benchmarking visits to the Inter-American Commission on Human and People’s Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as follow-up actions from the 82nd session.
Dr. Musyimi-Ogana noted that the commission took note of updates on complementarity between the commission and the African Court, the audit of merit decisions, the ACHPR data based on promotion, and the African Union’s accountability framework for eliminating harmful practices.
She highlighted that the commission’s fact-finding mission on Sudan conducted several consultations during the session and deliberated on the draft report of the mission.
The commission adopted six administrative and thematic resolutions, which are as follows:
- Resolution on developing general comments on the protection and promotion of the right to a healthy environment in Africa;
- Resolution on extractive industries and the elimination of all forms of exploitation in Africa’s international economic relations;
- Resolution on extending the mandate of the joint fact-finding mission on human rights situations in Sudan;
- Resolution on extending the deadline for conducting the study on prisons and conditions of detention in Africa;
- Resolution on extending the deadline for conducting a study on integrating economic, social, and cultural rights into national development planning in Africa;
- Resolution on the deadline for completing a study assessing the compliance of national legislations with guidelines on freedom of assembly in Africa.
Dr. Litha Musyimi-Ogana also stated that the resolution regarding the commission’s contribution to implementing the African Union’s 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” which originated from a panel discussion held on 10th May 2025 during the 83rd session, was deferred to the 84th session.
