A one-day validation workshop on the review of existing media and human rights related laws for the support of an independent and vibrant media in The Gambia, recently ended at the Paradise Suites Hotel.

Organised by the African Centre for Democracy Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS), the workshop came as a result of the collaborative efforts of the ACDHRS, the UNDP-Gambia and ActionAid the Gambia, who are jointly implementing a two-year capacity building project for mass media and civil society organisations in The Gambia. The objective of this project is to enhance popular civil participation in matters affecting people's lives.

In her welcoming remakes, Hanna Forster, executive director of the ACDHRS, welcomed the participants and called on them to participate fully, to ensure a vibrant and independent media in The Gambia. Basirou Garba Jahumpa, programme specialist, Governance and Human Rights at the UNDP Gambia Office, said this project is under the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), adding that the project seeks to ensure a vibrant and independent media, as well as the full participation of Civil Society Organisations in decision making processes.

For his part, Dr Henry Carrol, solicitor general, who represented the secretary of state for Justice, expressed gratitude to the ACDHRS for the initiative. He underscored the importance of the media and civil society participation in the country's development process and encouraged the participants to fully participate to ensure that the aim of this project is achieved.

Dr Carrol also outlined The Gambia government's commitment to providing the necessary laws to protect the rights of its citizens, but was quick to say those rights go with responsibilities. Almami Fanding Taal, director of Legal and Business Development at the Real Time Consulting give a brief summary of the draft report.

The validation workshop was attended by media practitioners and representatives from the Department of State for Communication, Information and Information Technology, among others.