From findings to action
When the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) submitted its Final Report in November 2021, it brought an important phase of The Gambia’s transitional justice process to a close. But the work of addressing the legacy of past human rights violations was far from complete.
The Report contained 265 recommendations covering a wide range of issues, including criminal accountability, reparations, institutional reform, memorialisation and the prevention of future violations. In its White Paper of May 2022, the Government accepted 263 recommendations for implementation.
The next challenge was to determine how those commitments would be carried out: which institutions would be responsible, what actions would be required, how progress would be monitored, and how victims and other stakeholders would remain engaged.
What is the Implementation Plan?
Published in May 2023, the Implementation Plan to the Government’s White Paper provides a framework for coordinating the implementation of the accepted TRRC recommendations. It identifies actions, responsible institutions and the arrangements through which progress can be followed and assessed.
The Plan is important because recommendations do not implement themselves. A commitment may require new legislation, an institutional mandate, financial resources, trained personnel, administrative procedures or cooperation between several institutions. In many cases, more than one of these requirements must be met before a recommendation can be fully implemented.
Implementation is therefore a process, not a single event.
“Recommendations do not implement themselves. Implementation is therefore a process, not a single event.”
Who is responsible?
Implementation involves a range of government institutions and other stakeholders, each with responsibilities arising from the recommendations and the applicable legal and policy frameworks.
The Post-TRRC Unit (PTU), within the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice, serves as the Secretariat to the Steering Committee responsible for coordinating the process. It supports coordination, information-sharing, reporting and engagement through the mechanisms established under the Plan.
These include the Steering Committee, Victim Townhall meetings, the Civil Society and Media Platform, and the Partnership Platform. Each provides a different channel for institutional coordination, public engagement or dialogue with stakeholders.
The PTU’s coordination role does not replace the mandates of the institutions responsible for individual recommendations. Those institutions remain accountable for the actions assigned to them.
How should progress be understood?
Progress cannot be measured solely by the number of meetings held, laws passed or institutions announced. These may be important milestones, but their significance depends on whether they contribute to the intended result.
A law may establish an institution, for example, but the institution may still require staff, funding, procedures and operational capacity before it can carry out its mandate effectively. Similarly, a policy may be adopted while implementation of its measures remains ongoing.
The National Human Rights Commission has a monitoring role and publishes reports on the status of implementation. These reports provide an important basis for assessing what has been completed, what remains underway and where further action is required.
“Progress cannot be measured solely by the number of meetings held or laws passed. Significance depends on whether they contribute to the intended result.”
Why does the Plan matter?
The Implementation Plan connects the TRRC’s findings to the practical work of addressing past violations. It provides a framework through which commitments can be translated into institutional responsibilities and assessed over time.
For victims, this process concerns whether commitments to justice, reparation and recognition are fulfilled. For public institutions, it concerns the responsibility to act on the findings and recommendations. For the wider public, it provides a means of understanding what has been promised, what has changed and what remains outstanding.
The significance of the Plan ultimately lies not in its existence alone, but in its implementation.
The TRRC established an important record of the past. The Implementation Plan provides a framework for acting on its recommendations. The measure of success is whether those commitments lead to meaningful and lasting change.
“The TRRC established an important record of the past. The measure of success is whether those commitments lead to meaningful and lasting change.”
The TRRC established an important record of the past. The Implementation Plan provides a framework for acting on its recommendations. The measure of success is whether those commitments lead to meaningful and lasting change.