Gambia commits to implementing best practices in refugee integration

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Author: Pa Modou Cham

 Mr. Seyaka Sonko, Minister of Interior, during the ongoing 74th executive committee (EXCOM) meeting of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, revealed that the Gambia continue to learn and implement best practices in refugee integration in our region.

Speaking at Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland during the occasion from 9-13october 2023, the minister added that this was the impetus for their study tour to Guinea Bissau in May 2023, with a view to understand and replicate their commendable integration of former Senegalese refugees.

“It is pivotal to underscore the heightened vulnerabilities experienced by specific demographic cohorts, such as women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, during episodes of forced displacement. In this regard, The Gambia calls for increased support and technical assistance from the UNHCR and its partners for Member States with limited resources, who continue to host these vulnerable groups,” he stated. 

He continued that the Gambia Government, in its quest to fulfil its GRF pledges, is committed to reforming the provisions of the 1997 Constitution concerning refugees and aliens. Minister Sonko further reiterated that a point of focus is the necessity to ensure that the Refugee Identity Card is recognized as valid proof of residence during the naturalization process.

“We aim to eradicate statelessness in The Gambia. In this regard, we have completed a comprehensive study on statelessness and we solicit the continued support of our partners in the realization of this mission.”

In cognizance of the importance of a robust civil registration mechanism, he explained that the government of The Gambia has taken monumental strides toward digitizing birth registration. He added that the fruition of this initiative was evident in the mass electronic birth registration and National Health Insurance Scheme Enrolment Campaign between August 2022 and February 2023.

“The Gambia remain short of refugees and persons of concern from the ECOWAS sub-region. Out of a total of 4,178, 3,751 are refugees and 427 asylum seekers. A majority of this group is domiciled in our rural communities, blending harmoniously with local communities and playing a pivotal role in developmental activities,” he stated while adding that the influx of an estimated 1117 displaced persons from the southern Casamance region of Senegal in January 2022 underscores the dynamic nature of displacement patterns and reinforces our plea for enhanced support from the international community.

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