A/HRC/43/6 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its thirty-fourth session from 4 to 15 November 2019. The review of the Gambia was held at the 3rd meeting, on 5 November 2019. The delegation of the Gambia was headed by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacarr M. Tambadou. At its 10th meeting, held on 8 November 2019, the Working Group adopted the report on the Gambia. 2. On 15 January 2019, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of the Gambia: Bulgaria, Philippines and Togo. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to Council resolution 16/21, the following documents were issued for the review of the Gambia: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/34/GMB/1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/34/GMB/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/34/GMB/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, Portugal, on behalf of the Group of Friends on national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America was transmitted to the Gambia through the troika. These questions are available on the website of the universal periodic review. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. On behalf of the President of the Gambia, the Government and the people of the Gambia, the delegation expressed its appreciation to the Human Rights Council and welcomed the opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue on the situation of human rights in the Gambia. 6. The national report had been prepared in consultation with all stakeholders, including relevant ministries and government departments, the Commonwealth Secretariat and civil society and non-governmental organizations. The report should be assessed with full appreciation for the nature and magnitude of the challenges with which the Government was confronted, following more than two decades of dictatorship. Despite those challenges, many of the recommendations from the previous review had been implemented over the previous three years. 7. Great emphasis was being placed on governance in the transition from dictatorship to democracy. The root causes of conflict were the decades of authoritarian rule characterized by gross human rights violations, a society deeply polarized on the basis of ethnic and political considerations, ethnic hatred manifested through hateful propaganda targeted at certain ethnic communities, political persecution, impunity and poverty. 8. Consequently, the first and most pressing challenge for the Government was sustaining peace in the country amid a real risk of intercommunal clashes motivated by ethnic and political considerations that had simmered beneath the façade of peaceful coexistence for over two decades. That required reassurances from all sides of the ethnic and political divide that there would be no witch-hunt against any person or community for the excesses of the previous administration, as well as reassurances for victims and their families that justice would be dispensed through due process of law. A balance needed to 2