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In 2021, the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission in the Gambia, which enjoys a 90 per cent public approval rating, according to a 2021 survey, completed its three-year mandate. It submitted a 17-volume final report to the President in November 2021, which was made public on 24 December. During its tenure, the Commission held 23 public hearings and received more than 2,500 statements with support from a $4.7 million project implemented by UNDP and OHCHR. In 2022, the Fund will support the Government in implementing the Commission’s recommendations, and it welcomes the Government’s commitment to transparent and responsive justice. In the lead-up to the 2021 presidential election, a $2.2 million project of UNFPA, UNDP and UNESCO established youth-led early warning response centres, while a $1.6 million effort of UNDP and UNICEF supported inter-party dialogue. A national stakeholders’ forum organized by the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel and Inter-Party Committee of the Gambia included high-level participation from the Office, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. During the forum, 18 political parties signed a pledge for peaceful elections free of hate speech. Other Fund investments are aimed at addressing mental health and security needs. As Gambians displaced by previous hardships return home, a $2.3 million project of IOM, the International Trade Centre and UNFPA has enabled 1,700 people to gain access to mental health support and provided space for dialogue between returnees and host communities to reduce the stigma of return. A $1.6 million project of UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA has increased the reporting of incidents of sexual and gender-based violence by 82 per cent compared with in 2020.
