THE GAMBIA: DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS FUND FY2006

UNCLAS BANJUL 000777 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/EX, AND AF/RA DEPT ALSO FOR USAID - AFR/SD/DG AND J. MARINDA HARPOLE ACCRA FOR USAID - DEBORAH GRIESER, JAMES GULTRY, AND SYLVIA QUAYE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID KDEM PGOV GA SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS FUND FY2006 ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ¶1. Embassy Banjul is pleased to submit below its Annual Status Report on DHRFII for FY2006. -------------- ¶A. PRIOR FISCAL YEAR -------------- ¶2. All prior years' project activities have been completed and closed out following the DHRF/SSH Specialist review visit to Post in October. -------------- ¶B. CURRENT FISCAL (FY2006) -------------- ¶3. Embassy Banjul received $31,000 to fund Democracy and Human Rights projects. Post obligated the entire amount to fund two projects. Amount Unliquidated DHRF Number Obligated Balance -------------- -------------- -------------- IAA DHRF-635-06-001 $25,000 $25,000 Status: Activity has begun. The West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP) set up a Civil Society Coalition on election observation. 50 observers were trained and deployed on Election Day (September 22, 2006) for the presidential polls. WANEP, the coordinating body for the coalition, organized a press conference, wrote a press release, and submitted a report on behalf of the Coalition. WANEP has received the final advance to train 50 additional observers to reach its target of establishing a pool of 100 domestic observers to be deployed on election day for the parliamentary polls scheduled to take place on January 27, ¶2007. Amount Unliquidated DHRF Number Obligated Balance -------------- -------------- -------------- IAA DHRF-635-06-002 $6,000 $6,000 Status: Preparations are well underway for the Gambia Press Union's January training to prepare journalists to report on elections. The three-day workshop will be held for 30 participants from both the print and electronic media working for public, private, and community publications. Led by a subject expert to be flown in from Ghana, the issues covered will include professional good practice, election modalities and technicalities, planning election coverage, and ethics in reporting elections. It is expected that the training will enable the participants to conduct effective election-related journalism to promote good governance and democracy. Awaiting final advance request. -------------- FY2005 SUCCESS STORY -------------- ¶4. The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is an association of practicing journalists that came together to defend their interest and promote freedom of the press in The Gambia. The GPU currently has about 200 members, predominantly from the independent media. The independent press in The Gambia is faced with a number of challenges, which include the lack of access to adequate printing facilities. This issue was brought to the Ambassador's attention at a meeting with members of the independent media. The Ambassador responded to the GPU plea by providing a Kord 64 printing machine through the Ambassador's DHRF. The printing press was handed over to the GPU at a widely-publicized ceremony attended by a large group of media practitioners as well as a representative of the Gambian Department of State for Communications. The printing press is now running and providing services to journalists who used to pay high prices to publish on A4 paper. Currently, the printing press has had a direct impact in terms of facilitating the work of the independent media by reducing the cost of printing and allowing one newspaper, formerly a weekly publication, to publish on a biweekly basis. In addition to providing printing services to GPU members, the printing press has proven to be a good source of income for the GPU, which was formerly plagued by financial constraints. STAFFORD