The Gambia Commission for Refugees (GCR), in collaboration with The Gambia Immigration Department and the Ghana Town community, concluded a significant week-long assessment on statelessness in Brufut. 

The initiative, supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), seeks to address the longstanding challenges faced by stateless individuals in the country.

Ebriama Manneh, Commissioner for GCR, emphasized that the assessment is a follow-up to recommendations from the World Refugee Forum’s executive meeting in Geneva, where he and The Gambia’s Minister of Interior, Abdoulie Sanyang, represented the nation.

He highlighted that the exercise is an important step in fulfilling the vision of the ‘I-Belong Campaign,’ a global effort to eradicate statelessness, which calls on countries to uphold the principles of the 1954 and 1961 Conventions on Statelessness.

“This initiative has both symbolic and historical significance for The Gambia,” Commissioner Manneh said. 

“It reflects our strong commitment to addressing statelessness and aligning with international efforts to reduce or eliminate it within our borders.”

He urged the Ghana Town community to cooperate fully with the data collection process, which will help identify those at risk of statelessness.

“We understand the challenges that come with being stateless or facing the threat of statelessness,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba