The general public is hereby informed that, as part of a periodic review of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation in The Gambia, the Government of The Gambia under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs constituted a delegation to present the country’s third Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the 2025 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York. This year’s HLPF saw presentations from thirty-five countries, with The Gambia’s 2025 VNR successfully presented by Honourable Seedy Keita, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, on July 22, 2025, who was joined on the high table by Honourable Doctor Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Minister of Health and Honourable Fatou Kinteh, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare. The Gambia’s presentation was in the form of a video and PowerPoint highlighting progress and challenges on SDG implementation since the last presentation in 2022 focusing on the SDGs under review this year, namely SDGs 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing, 5 – Gender Equality, 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, 14 – Life Below Water, and 17 – Partnerships for the Goals. At the Ministerial Segment of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum on the 21st July 2025, Honourable Fatou Kinteh delivered a statement on behalf of The Gambia at the General Debate.
The HLPF serves as a platform to share experiences about SDG actions and initiatives by participating States, including the VNR countries, UN system and a wide range of other stakeholders. It allows VNR countries to highlight successes and challenges in SDG implementation and to learn best practices through peer review, thereby accelerating SDG implementation over the remaining years.
Following the country presentation, Senegal, Croatia, Finland, and the Stakeholder Group for Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent questioned Honourable Keita on mechanisms adopted to combat Gender-Based Violence, measures to address maternal mortality, and how the country ensured that resources are effectively prioritised for the implementation of the SDGs through the Government’s long and medium-term plans. The responses were adequately provided by the Honourable Ministers of Gender, Health and Finance as they relate to their respective sector.
