By Haddy Touray
A high-level Gambian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sering Modou Njie has presented the country’s voluntary review report at the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) in New York.
Minister Njie who is in charge of International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, led the team that presented the report on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).
The submission reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safe, orderly and regular migration, and to addressing emerging migration challenges through inclusive and evidence-based policies.
The Gambia, recognized as a GCM Champion Country, was among 164 United Nations Member States that adopted the Global Compact for Migration on 19 December 2018, reaffirming its commitment to multilateral cooperation, human rights protection and strengthened migration governance.
Since the adoption of the compact, the country has recorded progress in key areas including remittances, diaspora engagement, public awareness, border management, migrant protection, and return and reintegration.
According to the report, improvements in remittance systems supported by financial innovation and digital solutions have enhanced the developmental impact of migration on households and the national economy.
It added that reintegration programmes continued to support returnees through livelihood assistance, skills development and psychosocial services.
The report further noted that public awareness campaigns had strengthened understanding of migration risks and opportunities, particularly among young people and high-migration communities.
It stated that The Gambia had mainstreamed migration into its Recovery-Focused National Development Plan (2023–2027) and was developing a National Migration Strategy to align migration governance with socio-economic priorities.
The document also highlighted increased participation of civil society, the private sector, the media and diaspora actors in migration governance, contributing to improved service delivery and innovation.
It said lessons learned had informed efforts to strengthen data systems, institutional coordination, regular migration pathways and national capacity building, while progress had also been made in combating trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling through enhanced border coordination and legal reforms.
The report was prepared through a consultative process coordinated by the National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) on Migration, with technical support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Network on Migration in The Gambia.
Multi-stakeholder consultations were held in March and April 2026 with government institutions, UN agencies, civil society groups, media, academia, private sector actors, trade unions, human rights bodies and organizations representing persons with disabilities, including the Gambia Federation of the Disabled (GFD).
Regional consultations were also conducted across selected local government areas to capture sub-national migration dynamics.
On the margins of the forum, The Gambia co-chaired a high-level side event titled “Saving Lives and Missing Migrants: From Recommendations to Results” on Tuesday, 5 May.
The event was co-organized with Ecuador and the United Nations Network on Migration, with participation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Speaking at the event, Minister Njie said each migration statistic represented a human life and stressed that migrant deaths and disappearances were preventable and required urgent collective action.
The Government of The Gambia reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening national, regional and global partnerships to ensure safe, orderly and beneficial migration, and to advance the objectives of the Global Compact for Migration.-
