The report of the troika (outcome report), which constitutes the outcome of the review, includes 171 recommendations for consideration by The Gambia, 93 of which were supported and 78 noted by The Gambia, according to the troika. It also consists of the questions, comments and recommendations made by States to the country under review. The following countries made observations at the session on the report of the troika: Kuwait, Libya, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Botswana, China, Cuba and Ghana. NGOs such as Article 19, Amnesty International and RHADDO also made observations. At the end of the 28 minute session the outcome of the universal periodic review of The Gambia was adopted. The session was initially scheduled to place on 18 March 2015 at 2 pm but according to the troika such a session could only take place if The Gambia responds to the recommendations contained in the report. However, the chairperson informed the session that by 18 March no response to the recommendations was received from The Gambia which led to the postponement of the session; that this was followed by a series of formal and informal exchanges between the office of the high commissioner of human rights and The Gambia, which led The Gambia to take a position on 24 March 2015 on all the recommendations. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. It provides an opportunity for all States to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. The ultimate goal of UPR is the improvement of the human rights situation in every country with significant consequences for people around the globe. The review of the Gambia’s human rights situation was held on 28 October 2014. The delegation of the Gambia was headed by Basiru V.P. Mahoney, Attorney General and Minister of Justice. At its 10th meeting held on 31 October 2014, the Working Group (the troika) adopted the report on the Gambia. On 15 January 2014, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of the Gambia: France, Kenya and Maldives. The following documents were issued for the review of the Gambia: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (c) A summary prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights OHCHR (d) A list of questions prepared in advance by the Czech Republic, Germany, Liechtenstein, Mexico, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to the Gambia through the troika.]]>
