Fight Against Transnational Organized Crime: With support from the European Union and the United Nations, The Gambia adopts a roadmap to mainstream Gender and Human Rights considerations
Banjul, 17-18 June 2025. In a major stride toward rights-based criminal justice reform, The Gambia has officially adopted a pioneering Roadmap to mainstream human rights and gender into the fight against transnational organized crime and validated two robust operational tools to prevent and prohibit torture.
From 17 to 18 June 2025, the two high-level validation workshops, organized by the European Union, UNODC and co-hosted with OHCHR and UNDP, marked a turning point in The Gambia’s efforts to embed human rights and gender into its security and justice responses. The events were organized in the framework of the European Union’s Global Illicit Flows Programme (CRIMJUST III) and the UN Peacebuilding Fund project. The latter aims at sustaining The Gambia’s peaceful transition by supporting the implementation of the Security Sector Reform Strategy.
These workshops served as a strategic convergence of national expertise and leadership on torture prevention. With the active participation of 23 key stakeholders, including 14 women, the events brought together representatives from law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, civil society, and the National Human Rights Commission.
Opening statements were delivered by the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Karl Frederick Paul, followed by keynote statements from the EU Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Raphaël Brigandi and the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Lamin Gassama. The opening speech was made by the Solicitor General and Legal Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Hussein Thomasi. Their words underscored The Gambia’s unwavering commitment to rule of law, accountability, and justice.
The validated roadmap outlines an ambitious, rights-based approach across four strategic pillars: Legal and Institutional Framework; Investigations and Prosecutions; International and Regional Cooperation; and Detention Conditions and Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty. It is the result of an intensive consultative process initiated in November 2023 by UNODC CRIMJUST under its Global Programme on Criminal Network Disruption (GPCD), in collaboration with national authorities including the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG), The Gambia Police Force, Prison Services, the Ministry of Justice and the National Human Rights Commission.
Equally significant was the validation of the Standard Operating Procedures for law enforcement and Guidelines on Torture Prevention and Prohibition. These are practical, user-friendly instruments designed to operationalize The Gambia’s Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act (2023) in line with international standards, including the Istanbul Protocol and Mandela Rules. These documents reflect the core recommendations emerging from the March 2024 Training of Trainers organized by UNODC CRIMJUST with support from the European Union. That milestone event laid the groundwork for the development of these tools and confirmed the urgent need for practical, action-oriented guidance tailored to frontline actors.
Together, these documents represent not only policy milestones, but strong instruments of change, reinforcing The Gambia’s leadership in advancing transitional justice, safeguarding dignity, and building a criminal justice system grounded in human rights.