HIGHLIGHTS OF RESULTS SUPPORTING KEY TRANSITION PROCESSES IN A NEW DEMOCRACY IN THE GAMBIA In 2017, after 22 years of dictatorship in the Gambia, the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), approved US$3.1 million in essential financing to assist with the country’s transition to democracy. From 28 to 31 May, partners of the Fund, including Belgium, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Ireland, Japan and the United Kingdom, visited the Gambia to evaluate the initial impact of this support. The PBF partners also sought to identify additional peacebuilding needs that had arisen during the transition process. In late 2018, the PBF allocated an additional US$450,000 to enable UN Human Rights and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the establishment of transitional justice processes and human rights mechanisms to promote reconciliation and sustainable peace. From the beginning, UN Human Rights supported nationwide consultations to set up the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), helped to develop a Comprehensive National Strategy for Transitional Justice and facilitated the functional establishment of the TRRC, in October 2018. Moreover, UN Human Rights built the capacity of the TRRC members and staff regarding the rule of law, human rights and gender equality and the practical aspects of the proceedings. In reflecting on the past year, the TRRC staff shared moments of success and various challenges, including in relation to the quality of investigations, the low number of testimonies received from women, the payment of reparations, the design of an effective framework and fundraising. Since commencing its public hearings, in January 2019, the Commission registered 941 victims and received the testimonies of 188 witnesses, including 23 that were delivered via video link from witnesses living outside of the country, during 10 Victims shared their personal stories with Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, member of the Peacebuilding Fund Advisory Group (right) in May 2019. © UN Peacebuilding Fund three-week sessions that were completed by the end of the year. In addition, the Commission held one closed hearing and two hearings during which the identities of witnesses were concealed. Among these testimonies before the Commission, 35 were delivered by alleged perpetrators. Furthermore, the Office and UNDP worked together to provide technical assistance for the operationalization of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and contributed to the increased capacity of key stakeholders to participate in transitional justice processes. During the swearing-in ceremony of the five commissioners, in February, the ViceChair of the NHRC, Mrs. Jainba Johm, recognized that the Fund had enabled the Commission to begin its work. The Fund also supported the NHRC to participate in the country’s third UPR cycle by submitting an alternative report to the UPR Working Group and to organize a live streaming, in the Gambia, of the review process that was held in Geneva, in November. Finally, the Fund supported and facilitated the NHRC’s programmes to promote the work of the Commission, including through participation at the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions annual conference, in March; exchange visits to the Ghanaian Human Rights Commission; trainings for CSOs and law enforcement officers; meetings of regional stakeholders in all five regions; and monitoring missions to Mile II, Old Jeshwang and Janjanbureh prisons and to three police detention centres. This story is based on the feature article published on the UN Peacebuilding Fund’s Exposure platform: https:// unpeacebuildingfund.exposure.co/supporting-keytransition-processes-in-a-new-democracy UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2019 39