Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help the Gambian government to improve that country's human rights record.

The UK is the only EU Member State to have a resident Ambassador in The Gambia. We therefore have a leading role in pressing for improved respect for human rights in The Gambia, and in ensuring that the issue remains prominent on the EU’s agenda. We raised our concerns when The Gambia’s human rights record was evaluated at the United Nations last October during the Universal Periodic Review and set out recommendations for action by The Gambia. We will reiterate our concerns during the follow-up sessions in Geneva later this month.

The British Ambassador in Banjul also regularly raises human rights with senior members of the Gambian Government, and our Embassy provides funds that support human rights projects in the country. These include priorities such as women’s and children’s rights, access to justice and prisoner rights.