"The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations call on the African Commission to assume its responsibilities. The FIDH and a dozen of its member organisations will be present at the 34th ordinary session of the African Commission of Human and People's Rights, which will take place in Banjul from 6th to 20th November 2003. The FIDH and its member organisations are expecting that this session will see some major progress such as: the adoption of a regional structure for the protection of human rights defenders; the mobilization of African states in favour of the fight against impunity, in particular with the launch of the African Court on Human Rights and the ratification process by States of the International Criminal Court; the inclusion of human rights at the very core of NEPAD mechanisms; respecting the process of democratic elections."

Gambian health experts are warning that more Gambian children are dying from malaria despite an intensive campaign against the disease and the provision of heavily subsidised anti-malaria drugs by the government.

Africa's many coups have led some countries on the continent to devise other ways of engaging their armed forces. The aim is to make the military more productive and relevant to society, instead of toppling elected governments. In The Gambia, the army men and women are being provided with various skills including farming.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the October 17 arson attack on the offices of the private, biweekly Independent newspaper, located in a suburb of the capital, Banjul.

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, leading journalists and media executives, has expressed its concern at the disappearance of Abdoulie Sey, the editor-in-chief of the bi-weekly Independent newspaper.

The Gambia has became the first member state of the African Union to sign the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People Rights relating to the right of women in Africa. The Permanent Representative of the Gambia to the African Union, Dr. Oma A. Touray, signed the Protocol on behalf of his Government.

In a joint protest, the Media Foundation for West Africa and ARTICLE 19 reiterated their concerns over the Enforcement of the Act establishing the National Media Commission of The Gambia. A letter by the groups calls on media and human rights organisations to support the Gambia Press Union in their boycott of the Media Commission until the present Act is repealed. Radical revisions need to be made in order for the legislation to meet international press freedom standards and to ensure media freedom in The Gambia, they say.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA) have issued a joint statement in which they say they are "gravely concerned about the continued illegal and arbitrary closure" of Citizen FM radio station in Banjul, The Gambia. For more than two years, the government of President Yahya Jammeh has stopped Citizen FM from broadcasting on a false claim that the station's owner, Baboucar M. Gaye, has not paid his taxes and licence fees. MISA and MFWA believe this accusation to be a blatant fabrication. Citizen FM has not been charged in court, nor has it been ordered by any court to cease broadcasting based on the authorities' accusations.

Earlier this month, Gambian police assaulted Buya Jammeh, a reporter for the English-language biweekly The Independent, near the newspaper's offices in the capital, Banjul. According to sources familiar with the incident, on August 9, two police officers stationed a short distance from the newspaper stopped Jammeh on his way to a radio station where he works part-time.

The situation of human rights in The Gambia remains a "damning indictment" of the government, which is claiming a complete return to democracy and the rule of law, according to Amnesty International. Amnesty International held that the country's human rights record under President Jammeh's leadership had never remarkably recovered since upheavals in 1994.

Nominated Member of the National assembly Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay has reiterated the strides government has made in empowering Gambian women, citing the adoption and ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) as an example of progress.

Concern Universal (CU) requires a Project Co-ordinator to ensure the effective management and implementation of its conflict prevention and enterprise development programme.

Editor-in-Chief Abdoulie Sey and Managing Editor Alagi Yorro Jallow, both of the Banjul daily Independent newspaper have received a series of death threats from unknown persons, who vow to eliminate them in retaliation for reports published by the paper.

One Gambian was killed while another was rendered lame for life after they were beaten in two separate incidents in Sweden, where immigrants, especially Africans are reportedly being subjected to racist attacks that are said to have received overt approval from right wing politicians.

A survey in The Gambia in October found that acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months was 11.2 percent, which was above the 10 percent ceiling used in African countries to indicate an alarming situation, the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme said on Tuesday.

Research two decades ago showed that malaria infection in pregnant Gambian women increased the health risks for mother and baby. A new study by the Medical Research Council Laboratories in Fajara shows that the situation has not improved. Why have policy-makers failed to implement strategies to protect pregnant women?

Women are 75 times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa than in developed regions. Reducing maternal mortality is therefore high on the international health agenda. But how effective are current efforts to improve maternal health in developing countries?

The French Technical Assistance, represented in The Gambia by Le project d'Appui pour la diffusion et l'Emseignement du François, known as PADEF, last week donated a brand new computer, with a French keyboard and a UPS to The Independent to aid its weekly French publication.

There has been an intellectual row over the New Partnership for African Development (Nepad) by African NGOs participating at the NGO Forum preceding the 32nd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights at the Kairaba Beach Hotel. NGOs from all over the continent participating at the forum have strongly expressed mixed feelings over the way the new African development initiative was being driven by African heads of states. Many believed that the initiative had not involved the participation of ordinary Africans.

Despite international outcry, The Gambia has become the first country in Africa to sign an agreement with the United States, which ensures that Americans are exempted from International Criminal Court prosecution over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.