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Cameroon - Eighteenth Periodic Reports of States Parties due in 2006 - Reports submitted by States Parties under Article 9 of the Convention [2009] UNCERDSPR 1; CERD/C/CMR/15-18 (10 March 2009)

  • Paragraphs Page
  • B. The prohibition of discrimination in politics
  • Trend in mother and child health indicators

  • UNITED NATIONS

    CERD
    G094128800.jpg
    International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
    of Racial Discrimination
    Distr.
    GENERAL
    CERD/C/CMR/15-18
    11 MARCH 2009
    ENGLISH
    Original: FRENCH

    COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION

    OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

    REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 9

    OF THE CONVENTION

    Eighteenth periodic reports of States Parties due in 2006*

    CAMEROON**

    [11 November 2008]

    * This report incorporates in a single document the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth periodic reports of Cameroon due on 24 July 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 respectively. For the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth periodic reports of Cameroon and the summary records of the Committee's meetings at which the report was considered, see CERD/C/298/Add.3 and Corr.1, CERD/C/1265, 1266, 1267 and 1273.

    ** In accordance with the information transmitted to States parties regarding the processing of their reports, the present document was not edited before being sent to the United Nations translation services.

    GE.09-41288 (EXT)

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Paragraphs Page

    Abbreviations and acronyms 4

    INTRODUCTION 1 - 4 5

    I. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR

    PROMOTING AND PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS 5 - 28 5

    A. Legal framework 6 - 10 5

    B. Institutional framework 11 - 28 9

    II. INFORMATION RELATING TO ARTICLES 2 to 7 OF THE

    CONVENTION 29 - 215 12

    ARTICLE 2 29 - 115 12

    A. The prohibition of discrimination in education 34 - 46 12

    B. The prohibition of discrimination in politics 47 - 70 16

    C. The prohibition of discrimination in the social field 71 - 115 19

    ARTICLE 3 116 - 121 29

    ARTICLE 4 122 - 130 29

    ARTICLE 5 131 31

    A. The right to equal treatment before the law and the courts 131 - 137 31

    B. The right to security of person and protection by the State 138 - 139 31

    C. The right to take part in the conduct of public affairs 140 - 141 32

    D. The right to freedom of movement 142 32

    E. The right to marry and to inherit 143 - 145 32

    F. The right to work and to form and join a trade union 146 - 173 33

    G. The right to housing 174 - 184 39

    H. The right to social security 185 - 193 41

    I. The right to medical care 194 - 201 43

    ARTICLE 6 202 44

    ARTICLE 7 203 - 215 45

    A. Public authority activities 208 46

    B. Activities carried out in cooperation with civil society 209 - 215 46

    ANNEXES

    Page

    I. The extent of women’s participation in the different elections. 49

    II. Extent to which the ministries take account of gender 55

    III. List of trade unions registered in Cameroon in 2006 57

    IV. Trend in mother and child health indicators 61

    ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

    CEMAC: Economic Community of Central African States

    CNPS: Caisse nationale de prévoyance sociale (National Social Welfare Fund)

    CPP: Code de procédure pénale (Code of Criminal Procedure)

    EVF: Education à la vie familiale (Education in family life)

    FNE: Fonds national de l’emploi (National Employment Fund)

    IAI: Institut africain d’informatique (African Information Technology Institute)

    IRIC: Institut des relations internationales du Cameroun (Cameroon Institute of International Relations)

    MINAS: Ministry of Social Affairs

    MINCOMMERCE: Ministry of Commerce

    MINDAF: Ministry of Property and Land Affairs

    MINDUH: Ministry of Urban Development and Housing

    MINEDUC: Ministry of Education

    MINFOPRA: Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform

    MINPROFF: Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family

    MINESUP: Ministry of Higher Education

    NCHRF: National Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms

    ONEL: Observatiore national des élections (National Elections Observatory)

    ILO: International Labour Organization

    UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

    UNICEF: United National Children’s Fund

    TPI: Tribunal de première instance (district court)

    INTRODUCTION

    1. This report is submitted pursuant to article 9 of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (“the Convention”) and covers the period between August 1997 and September 2008; it brings together the information that was to form the subject of Cameroon’s fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth reports which should have been submitted on 24 July 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 respectively.

    2. The report contains information concerning the legislative, administrative, judicial and other measures that Cameroon has taken to give effect to the relevant provisions of the Convention. It updates the earlier reports and takes account, in particular, of the comments made by the members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (“the Committee”), as well as the Compilation of Guidelines of 8 May 2006 on the form and content of the reports to be submitted by States parties to the international human rights treaties of the United Nations (HRI/GEN/2/Rev.3).

    3. The report also provides a response to the concerns, suggestions and recommendations contained in the conclusions adopted by the Committee on 20 March 1998 at its 1273rd session (CERD/C/304/Add.53), following its consideration of Cameroon’s tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth periodic reports in the form of a single document (CERD/C/298/Add.3).

    4. The information provided under paragraphs 3 and 4 of Cameroon’s earlier report remains valid. Similarly, the information provided under paragraphs 5 to 23 of the earlier report is still relevant.

    I. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR PROMOTING AND PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS

    5. In response to the recommendations the Committee made in paragraphs 15, 24 and 25 of its last concluding observations (CERD/C/304/Add.53), it is necessary to furnish the additional information contained in the following paragraphs, even though the analyses contained in paragraphs 24 to 29 of the previous report still hold good.

    A. Legal framework

    6. The legal framework for promoting and protecting human rights in Cameroon is clearly set out in the 1972 Constitution, revised by the law of 18 January 1996, which incorporated in substance both the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all the conventions pertaining to that declaration to which Cameroon is party.

    7. The preamble to the fundamental law, which article 65 of the Constitution of 18 January 1996 makes an integral part of the Constitution, actually proclaims the Cameroonian people’s commitment to the following universal values and principles:

    − All persons have equal rights and obligations

    − Every individual is guaranteed freedom and security

    − Arbitrary commands or orders are prohibited

    − The right to move about freely

    − The home and correspondence are inviolate

    − Offences and penalties must be defined by law

    − Security of the individual

    − The law cannot be retroactive

    − Every person has the right to a fair hearing [before the courts]

    − Freedom of opinion, religious belief, conscience and worship

    − Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association

    − Freedom of trade unionism and the right to strike

    − The right to a healthy environment

    − Protection of the environment

    − Protection of minorities

    − Protection of indigenous peoples.

    8. Therefore, in addition to this preamble, which brings human rights within the constitutional framework,[1] the following legal instruments further reinforce the corpus of Cameroonian human rights legislation:

    − Basel Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damage resulting from the Transboundary Movement and Disposal of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, ratified in 2000

    − Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, ratified on 11 February 2001

    − ILO Convention No. 138 (1973) concerning the minimum age for admission to employment (ratified on 13 August 2001)

    − Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, ratified on 11 February 2001

    − ILO Convention No. 182 (1999) concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour (ratified on 5 June 2002)

    − Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, ratified in 2002

    − Framework Convention on Civil Defence Assistance, ratified in 2002

    − Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, ratified in 2003

    − Statutes of the African Agency of Biotechnology ratified by Decree 2003/037 of 4 February 2003

    − Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (to the Convention on Biological Diversity), ratified on 20 February 2003

    − United Nations Convention against Corruption, ratified on 21 April 2004

    − Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, ratified on 17 May 2004

    − United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (ratified on 18 May 2004), as well as the two protocols supplementing the Convention, namely: the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (ratified on 18 May 2004) and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air

    − World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, ratified on 31 October 2005

    − UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression (accession 4 August 2006)

    − Agreement on Judicial Cooperation between the Member States of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEMAC), adopted in Brazzaville on 28 January 2004, ratified on 30 January 2006

    − Extradition Agreement between the CEMAC Member States, adopted on 28 January 2004 in Brazzaville, ratified on 30 January 2006

    − Non-aggression, Solidarity and Mutual Assistance Pact between the CEMAC Member States, signed on 28 January 2004 in Brazzaville

    − Convention governing the CEMAC Community Parliament, ratified on 25 June 2008

    − Cooperation Agreement in Matters of Criminal Police between the CEMAC Member States, ratified in 2006

    − Treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa, ratified on 18 October 2006

    − International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation, ratified on 8 December 2006

    − International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), ratified on 8 December 2006

    − UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, ratified on 22 May 2008

    − Convention on Cooperation and Mutual Legal Assistance between the Member States of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), ratified on 12 March 2008

    − Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific groups of States (ACP) on the one part, and the European Community (EC) and its Member States, on the other part (Cotonou Agreement), ratified on 12 March 2008.

    9. Many laws and regulations have gradually been introduced to enhance the rights and freedoms incorporated into the Constitution, and the above-mentioned international agreements, as part of the process of liberalization which Cameroon experienced in the 1990s. The following laws and decrees may be cited in that connection:

    − Law No. 90/047 of 19 December 1990 on the state of emergency

    − Law No. 90/052 of 19 December 1990 on the right to social communication, amended by Law No. 96/04 of 16 January 1996

    − Law No. 90/053 of 19 December 1990 on the freedom of association

    − Law No. 90/054 of 19 December 1990 on policing

    − Law No. 90/055 of 19 December 1990 concerning public assembly and demonstrations

    − Law No. 90/056 of 19 December 1990 on the political parties

    − Law No. 83/013 of 21 July 1983 on the protection of persons with disabilities and the related Implementing Decree No. 90/1516 of 16 November 1990

    − Law No. 97/009 of 10 January 1997 inserting into the Penal Code an article 132bis entitled “torture”

    − Law No. 97/010 of 10 January 1997 amending and supplementing certain provisions of the law governing extradition arrangements

    − Law No. 97/012 of 10 January 1997 governing the conditions of entry into, residence in and departure from Cameroon, and the two implementing decrees

    − Law No. 99/14 of 22 December 1999 concerning the non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

    − Law No. 2000/016 of 19 December 2000 setting up the National Elections Observatory (ONEL)[2]

    − Law No. 2004/004 of 21 April 2004 on the organization and operation of the Constitutional Council

    − Law No. 2004/005 of 21 April 2004 establishing the status of members of the Constitutional Council

    − Law No. 2004/016 of 22 July 2004 concerning the establishment, organization and operation of the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms, and Implementing Decree No. 2005/254 of 7 July 2005

    − Law No. 2005/006 of 27 July 2005 on refugee status

    − Law No. 2005/007 of 27 July 2005 on the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP)[3]

    − Law No. 2005/015 of 29 December 2005 concerning the trafficking of and trade in children

    − Law No. 2008/001 of 14 April 2008 amending and supplementing certain provisions of Law No. 96/06 of 18 January 1996 revising the Constitution of 2 June 1972

    − Decree No. 91/287 of 21 June 1991 on the organization and operation of the National Communications Council.

    10. The Constitution and a number of the national laws cited above form the institutional framework for promoting and protecting human rights in Cameroon.

    B. Institutional framework

    11. The institutional framework that secures the promotion and protection of human rights is made up of the political institutions, an independent judiciary, an emerging Constitutional Council, a national institute for human rights with enhanced powers, as well as technical authorities.

    1. The political institutions

    12. National sovereignty lies with the Cameroonian people who exercise that sovereignty either through the intermediary of the President of the Republic and the members of Parliament, or by way of the referendum process.

    13. The President of the Republic is the symbol of national unity; the President defines the policy of the nation and ensures that the Constitution is respected. He acts as the guarantor of respect for international treaties and agreements. The President appoints the Prime Minister and, on a proposal from the latter, the other members of the Government.

    14. The Prime Minister heads the Government which is answerable to the National Assembly, one of the two houses of parliament.

    15. In point of fact, under article 14, paragraph 1, of the Constitution, “[l]egislative power shall be exercised by the Parliament which shall comprise two houses: the National Assembly and the Senate”.

    16. It should be pointed out here that the establishment of the Senate has yet to take effect.

    17. Legislative initiative lies jointly with the President of the Republic and the members of parliament. To that end, article 26 of the Constitution stipulates the subjects that are a matter for legislation, including the rights and fundamental guarantees and obligations of citizens, namely:

    − Safeguarding individual freedom and security;

    − The rules governing public freedoms;

    − Labour legislation, trade union legislation and the rules governing social security and insurance;

    − The duties and obligations of citizens in respect of national defence requirements.

    2. An independent judiciary

    18. The 1996 Constitution established the judiciary, formerly called the judicial authority,[4] as the judicial power (art. 37, para. 2, of the Constitution), and judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court, the appeal courts and the lower courts. The judicial power is thus independent of both the executive and the legislature.

    19. The President of the Republic is the guarantor of the independence of the judiciary. The President appoints the judges, on the advice of the Conseil supérieur de la magistrature (Judicial Service Commission), a consultative body, made up of judges, members of parliament and independent persons.

    20. The independence of the judicial power is evident from the fact that, under article 37, second paragraph, of the Constitution, judges shall “in the discharge of their duties be governed only by the law or their conscience”.

    3. A nascent Constitutional Council

    21. Under article 46 of the Constitution, “[t]he Constitutional Council shall have jurisdiction in constitutional matters. It shall rule on the constitutionality of laws. It shall be the organ regulating the functioning of the institutions”.

    22. According to the transitional provisions of the Constitution, the Supreme Court is to exercise the functions of the Constitutional Council until the latter has been set in place. In 2007, it ruled, in that capacity, on several cases involving electoral disputes.[5] Judgement No. 81/CE/96-97 of 30 June 1997 annulling the elections held in a constituency following the elections of 17 May 1997 is a prime example. According to that judgment: “[s]ince this behaviour (acts of violence against the leaders of an opposition party) causes unjustifiable and discriminatory interference with the equality of candidates and political groups before the electoral law, and with the freedom of citizens to choose their representatives, it constitutes a clear and deliberate violation of both the text of the above-mentioned law and article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.

    23. The Constitutional Council is gradually being set in place as a result of the promulgation of Laws Nos. 2004/004 and 2004/005 of 21 April 2004 concerning the organization and operation of the Constitutional Council and determining the status of its members. The organization of its secretariat is established by Decree No. 2005/253 of 30 June 2005. The expected appointment of the Council’s members will be the last stage in bringing it effectively into operation.

    4. A national human rights body with enhanced powers: the National Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms

    24. The Paris Principles emphasize that the functions of a human rights institution include investigating alleged violations of human rights and advising the government on activities relating to human rights issues. That is one of the reasons why the National Committee of Human Rights and Freedoms, set up by Decree No. 90/1459 of 8 November 1990, has been converted into the National Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF), set up by Law No. 004/016 of 22 July 2004.

    25. This was done to enhance the capabilities of the national body responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights.

    26. Pursuant to article 1 of the 2004 law, the NCHRF is an independent institution with responsibilities involving consultation, monitoring, engaging in dialogue, cooperation and promoting and safeguarding human rights and freedoms.

    27. On that basis, among other things, the NCHRF:

    (a) Is the addressee of all claims concerning violations of human rights and freedoms;

    (b) Considers all questions pertaining to the promotion and protection of human rights;

    (c) Brings the instruments pertaining to human rights to wider public attention;

    (d) Where necessary, maintains contacts with the united nations and other institutions.

    In carrying out its responsibilities, it may summon all the parties to a hearing.

    5. The creation of a Ministry of Justice and a Directorate for Human Rights and International Cooperation

    28. The Directorate for Human Rights and International Cooperation was set in place by Decree No. 2005/122 of 15 April 2005 concerning the organization of the Ministry of Justice. The Directorate has the following responsibilities:

    (a) Monitoring human rights issues generally;

    (b) Monitoring the application of the international human rights conventions;

    (c) Providing the staff of the judicial services and the prison service with information about the rules concerning the protection of human rights and making sure they are aware of them.

    II. INFORMATION RELATING TO ARTICLES 2 TO 7 OF THE CONVENTION

    ARTICLE 2

    29. In this section, Cameroon has taken into account the recommendations which the Committee made in paragraphs 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of its last concluding observations. In order to give effect to the provisions of this article of the Convention, Cameroon has undertaken the introduction of internalization measures, most of which are contained in Law No. 96-06 of 18 January 1996 revising the 1972 Constitution.

    30. The 1996 law formally and explicitly confers constitutional status on human rights, by including in the preamble a reference to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights of the Organization of African Unity.

    31. As set out in the earlier report, Cameroon confirms its commitment to the principles contained in the different international legal instruments of relevance here (see the instruments cited in the first section of this report).

    32. Thus, the Cameroonian people “declare that the human person, without distinction as to race, religion, sex or belief, possesses inalienable and sacred rights”.

    33. Such a declaration of the principle of equality, which is founded on the assumption that all forms of discrimination are prohibited, may be reviewed in regard to education (A), the political sphere (B) and the social field (C).

    A. The prohibition of discrimination in education

    34. In recent years, Cameroon has adopted two significant measures to prohibit discrimination in education.

    35. Firstly, in accordance with the provisions of article 7 of Law No. 98/04 of 14 April 1998 on education guidelines in Cameroon, “[t]he law shall guarantee to every person equality of opportunity in regard to access to education, without distinction as to gender, political, philosophical and religious opinion, social, cultural, linguistic or geographical origin”. Law No. 2001/005 of 16 April 2001 on guidelines in higher education provides that higher education “shall contribute to promoting the rule of law by fostering a culture of respect for justice, human rights and freedoms; [...] shall contribute to the eradication of all forms of discrimination and encourage the promotion of dialogue and peace”.

    36. Secondly, by decision of the Head of State, primary education was made free of charge throughout the whole of Cameroon from the 2000/2001 school year. [This was done] pursuant to the Constitution and Law No. 98/004 of 4 April 1998 on education guidelines in Cameroon.

    37. Accordingly, primary education that is free of charge and compulsory is gradually being established as a result of a number of measures taken by the public authorities.

    38. The Government of Cameroon has taken the following measures specifically and given them general application:

    (a) Fairness in the provision of education has been guaranteed by setting up secondary education establishments in both border and land-locked areas and in major conurbations – as a result, 2,294 classrooms were built in 2007 and 1,458 have been scheduled for the 2008 financial year;

    (b) The children of refugees have been enrolled in secondary education establishments;

    (c) The signing of the joint minesec-minas texts (letter no. 34/o6/lc minesec/minas of 2 august 2006 and letter no. 283/07/lc minesec/minas of 14 august 2007) promoting education for children with a disability and the children of poor parents, as well as joint circular-letter No. 08/0006/lc/minesup/minas of 9 july 2008 further improving the conditions of reception and support for students with a disability and vulnerable students in cameroon’s state universities;

    (d) A variety of support measures for students with a disability (several forms of assistance accorded at the request of the individuals concerned);

    (e) The allocation of peace corps teachers to less-favoured areas in an effort to alleviate teacher shortages in those areas;

    (f) The recruitment, in 2007, of 18,800 general primary school teachers under contract to the civil service, and of a further 5,825 in 2008. (These primary school teachers are largely assigned to the priority education zones (zep));

    (g) The establishment of maroua’s école normale supérieure (teacher training establishment), on 9 august 2008, in the far north province where school enrolment rates are the lowest in the country,[6] and the administrative and academic organization of maroua university under decree no. 2008/281 of 9 august 2008;

    (h) The creation of additional primary education establishments;

    (i) The wearing of uniforms has been made compulsory in all grammar and secondary schools, and during formal examinations, to help reduce the numbers of students who suffer from complexes because of their social background;

    (j) The signing of cooperation agreements with specialized agencies, such as unesco, for the education of pygmy children and girls in the country’s northern provinces;

    (k) The establishment of the “école amie des filles” (“school is good for girls”) programme;

    (l) The production by the ministry of basic education of booklets on new methods for teaching girls;

    (m) The adoption of positive discrimination measures to encourage girls to embark on or continue studies (“excellence au féminine” [prizes awarded to the best female students], special assistance for girls in the scientific and technical streams and so on);

    (n) A ban on excluding girls who become pregnant from state schools, and automatic reinstatement for them after they have been absent while pregnant or having given birth;

    (o) The integration of international humanitarian law into education programmes. In this project, 18 pilot establishments are taking part in the international humanitarian law project – they include: kousseri lycée, maroua lycée classique, ambam lycée bilingue and mvomeka lycée, among others;

    (p) The creation of a council for the approval of school textbooks and teaching materials which is responsible, among other things, for undertaking a study of stereotypes that encourage discrimination;

    (q) The creation of human rights clubs in secondary education establishments (more than 30 clubs have already been set up so far);

    (r) The training of human rights educators by the nchrf – more than 100 inspectors for the humanities were trained in 2007;

    (s) The inclusion of lessons on human rights in primary education syllabuses from the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, with pilot projects in 50 schools (5 in each province);

    (t) The drafting of the human rights teaching manual for the various stages of primary education;

    (u) The inclusion of education in family life (“Education à la vie familiale” – evf) in teaching programmes;[7]

    (v) The enrolment at school of baka/bakola children accounts for 0.5 % of pupil numbers in the east province, that is to say 150 children attending school. Similarly, in cameroon’s east province, baka children are admitted to grammar and secondary schools without competition.

    39. Similarly, the education of girls has also undergone a number of developments. A distinction is drawn between formal and so-called “informal” education.

    1. The education of girls

    40. Cameroon’s education system does not accord priority to either sex. Schools and training centres are open to all, girls as well as boys. In some parts of the country, however, more boys than girls attend school – in the three northern provinces, for instance. This is the result not of Government policy but of traditions and customs that have continued to influence these regions over the years.

    41. In some cultures, a girl’s place is in the home. To combat some of these negative and discriminatory customs, the Government has created many modern primary and secondary schools, and many training centres and universities, to secure the greatest possible degree of access to education for Cameroonians generally, and girls more particularly.

    42. Pursuing that same policy approach, UNICEF assisted the Government in the process of identifying zones where the level of attendance at school by girls is very low. UNICEF subsequently decided to offer a four-wheel drive vehicle and six computers to each of the three northern provinces, and to the Littoral, South and Centre Provinces. The vehicles enable those responsible for education in these provinces to access the most remote zones in their regions to raise parents’ awareness of the need to send this target population group to school; to give encouragement to girls, who are under-represented in technical subjects; to award scholarships and prizes for excellence to the girls and women who merit them, so as to encourage them to embark on vocational training courses that will bring benefits.[8] The positive results of that awareness campaign have led the traditional authorities to emulate the Government by raising awareness and encouraging girls in their areas to attend school. This has made it possible to reduce the disparity between the number of boys and girls enrolled at primary school from 0.96% for the 2003-2004 school year to 0.93% for the 2005-2006 school year.

    2. The informal education of girls

    43. Most Cameroonian women living in rural areas are unaware of their rights. The Government is concerned about this state of affairs and, in seeking a solution to the problem, has decided to give some ministries enhanced capacities to enable them to take responsibility for the informal education of women and girls in towns and in the countryside. The ministries involved are:

    (a) The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, which has opened centres for the advancement of women in rural areas – women can meet there to compare experiences and be given a basic education in their rights;

    (b) The Ministry for Social Affairs has set up social centres for the advancement of girls;

    (c) The Ministry for Young People provides training and education for girls in community youth centres for the advancement of girls;

    (d) The Ministry for Urban Development and Housing has built advice centres for the socio-professional integration of young people with problems, including many girls;

    (e) The Ministry for Employment and Vocational Training provides training in specialist rapid training centres in secretarial and industrial skills.

    44. Furthermore, in 2005, the Government signed a partnership agreement with the l’Institut africain d’informatique (IAI) (African Information Technology Institute), Cameroon, to train 100,000 women in information and communications technologies (ICT) by 2012. This activity was stepped up in 2006 and is having a real impact in the country’s 10 provinces. Nearly 17,800 women have already been trained to use computers and are thus able to access the internet.

    45. The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family has centres for the advancement of women and a centre for appropriate technologies; these are specialist technical units which are responsible, among other things, for:

    (a) The moral, civic and intellectual training of women to secure their economic, social and cultural advancement;

    (b) Educating women in responsible parenting and protecting the health of mothers and children;

    (c) Supporting the spirit of enterprise and training in growth occupations to facilitate the socio-professional integration or reintegration of women. The support and training provided by those centres include the subjects and teaching likely to contribute to the social, economic and cultural development of women and girls (dress-making, hairdressing, catering, ICT, project-structuring, right to citizenship and so on).

    46. Similarly, the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family is working closely with the ministries responsible for educational matters (Ministry of Basic Education, Ministry of Secondary Education) and UNICEF. The resulting operational framework is designed to:

    − Combat discrimination and violence against girls at school and university

    − Reduce the numbers repeating a year or leaving school

    − Promote social mobilization to secure girls’ attendance at school

    − Encourage girls to take an interest in scientific subjects

    − Increase the numbers of girls enrolling and remaining at school

    − Promote information, education and communication activities and social mobilization.

    B. The prohibition of discrimination in politics

    47. The Government has adopted a raft of measures designed to eliminate all forms of discrimination in politics:

    (a) Ensuring that the administrative authorities are familiar with Law No. 91-20 of 16 December 1991 laying down the conditions for the election of members to the National Assembly, as amended by Law No. 97-13 of 19 March 1997 and Law No. 2006 of 29 December 2006 – in that connection, more than 500 copies have been distributed to the administrative authorities by the Ministry of Territorial Administration;

    (b) Raising awareness of Law No. 92-002 of 14 April 1992 laying down the conditions for the election of local councillors, as amended by Law No. 2006-10 of 29 December 2006. As in the case of the above-mentioned law, more than 600 copies have been distributed to the administrative authorities by the Ministry of Territorial Administration.

    48. The aim of publicizing these laws is to ensure that all elements of the population are familiar with the conditions governing elections.

    49. For that same purpose, Cameroon adopted Law No. 2000-016 of 19 December 2000, amended and supplemented by Law No. 2003-015 of 22 December 2003, establishing a National Elections Observatory (ONEL).

    50. With the promulgation of Law No. 2006/011 of 29 December 2006, Élections Cameroon (ELECAM), an independent body for the administration of elections in Cameroon, has taken over from ONEL responsibility for organizing and monitoring electoral processes. Presidential Decree No. 2008/372 of 11 November 2008 lays down the procedures for implementing some provisions of the 2006 law.

    51. In addition to the awareness-raising measures, the Government has been working to achieve the following results:

    (a) The representation of all population groups without distinction on all electoral lists ˗ and the same applies to the different elements making up the electoral districts;

    (b) The involvement of national and, indeed, ethnic minorities in the electoral process;

    (c) The participation in the elections of all properly registered political parties;

    52. There has been also been a real trend to institutionalize this kind of approach.

    1. Women as elected representatives

    53. In this section, parliament and the municipal authorities will be regarded as decision-taking bodies.

    a) Women in parliament

    54. 1997 parliament: of the 331 electoral lists drawn up overall, women accounted for 22% of candidate lists, compared with 32% of alternates. Twenty-two per cent of candidates and 32% of alternates were women (see annex I, table 1). In 1997, 2,282 individuals ran for election, 12.9% of them women.

    55. 2002 parliament: 1,612 candidates and alternates were inducted for the 2002 parliamentary elections; 219 of them were women accounting for 13.6 % the total number, compared with 1,393 men accounting for 86.41 % of the total (see annex I, tables 2, 3 and 4). These results indicate that of the 180 members elected to sit in the National Assembly just 20 are women accounting for 11.11% of candidates and 18.3% of alternates, compared with 160 men representing 88.89%.

    56. It is, generally, clear from the tables in annex I that most of the women elected are alternates. Consequently, in both 1997 and 2002, women accounted for no more than 11% of the candidates’ list and about 16% of the alternates’ list. The trend for women to be more strongly represented on the alternates’ list seems to have remained the same at both elections.

    57. 2007 parliament: during the most recent elections, 25 women were elected, representing 13.89% of all those elected to the National Assembly (see annex I, tables 12 and 13). An analysis of these tables prompts the following remarks:

    (a) There is a clear political will in regard to the empowerment of women;

    (b) Each province has at least one female representative;

    (c) Women account for 13.33 % of all members of parliament.

    58. More or less the same can be said in relation to the women elected as alternates. Since the last two parliaments, the number of women elected has doubled, increasing from 12 to 25.

    59. The participation of women in the different elections is clearly set out in tables 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 in annex I.

    b) Women in the municipalities

    60. As is the case in the National Assembly, women are actually involved in running the municipalities, though in relatively small numbers. For example, of the 10,632 local councillors, 1,651 are women (see annex I, tables 8 and 9).

    i. Increase in the number of women involved in running municipal authorities since 1982

    61. The number of women mayors increased from none in 1982 to 10 in 2002, although there was just one in 1987 and two in 1996. The number of female councillors rose from 336 to 1,302 between 1982 and 2002 (see annex I, tables 6 to 12). This handful of statistics demonstrates that women are involved in the decision-taking process. In order to evaluate Cameroon’s implementation of this provision of the Convention, it is helpful to review the position regarding women elected (a) and those appointed to senior posts within Cameroon’s administration in 2007.

    62. At the 2002 local elections, 22,636 candidates were elected, including 1,946 women accounting for 13%. The elections were held in 337 councils (annex I, tables 5 to 7).

    ii. Increase in the number of women elected to municipal authorities

    63. At national level, 9,963 councillors were elected in the 2002 local elections. One thousand, three hundred and two women, that is to say 13% of the candidates elected, sit on local councils, compared to 8,661 men representing 87 %. Ten women were elected mayor compared with 327 men, so that women account for 3% of mayors and men 96.9% (annex I, table 13).

    64. It should be noted that the post of deputy-mayor is most often given to women councillors.

    65. It should be pointed out that, in some provinces, women generally account for more than 20% of the municipal authority. This is the case in the Centre and South Provinces, whereas in the northern provinces and the East Province, women account for less than 10 %.

    66. It is also the case that there are no women councillors on 18 of the 337 local councils in which elections were held. One hundred and fifty-five local councils include three women at most, and on only 16 are there at least 10 women councillors. It is clear from the above that:

    (a) 15.53 % of the women elected sit on local councils;

    (b) That percentage represents a marked increase compared with previous elections;

    (c) Work remains to be done in this area, including in relation to women in the municipal authorities in which the leaders of 24 of the 360 local councils, that is 6.67 %, are women.

    2. Women appointed to decision-taking posts

    67. What is meant here by the expression “women appointed” is women in whom the authority to take decisions has been vested not so much as a result of the popular vote but rather by decision of the political leadership. This is the level at which it seems of interest to note the presence of women in the decision-taking process. Given the variety of positions, female ministers, female Secretaries of State, women who are directors of public companies and women who represent the State at international level only will be considered here.

    68. Since the government reshuffle of 7 September 2007, five women have held ministerial post in the Government in:

    − The Ministry of Basic Education

    − The Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation

    − The Ministry of Culture

    − The Ministry of Social Affairs

    − The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family.

    69. The Government of Cameroon includes one female Secretary of State ˗ the Secretary of State to the Minister of Secondary Education ˗ as well as a female vice-chancellor of Cameroon’s first university. Mention may also be made of women holding the post of secretary-general in the ministries and those of similar status, female directors and female personnel of similar status in the central administration and female company directors.

    70. The international plane ˗ comprising the different international institutions and organizations ˗ constitutes a sphere of decision-taking in so far as it is generally at that level that the State defines the boundaries of its international commitments. Cameroon has one woman ambassador (to the Netherlands) compared with about 30 male ambassadors.

    C. The prohibition of discrimination in the social field

    71. In its preamble, the Constitution recognizes that all Cameroonians have equal rights and duties, and states clearly that “the State shall ensure the protection of minorities and shall preserve the rights of indigenous populations in accordance with the law”.

    72. One of the prime the responsibilities assigned to the Ministry of Social Affairs is combating social exclusion and, more particularly, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes and policies pertaining to the social rights and socio-economic integration of marginal groups in the population.

    73. The Government has, consequently, adopted a number of measures for the benefit of these marginal groups in an effort to eliminate all forms of discrimination in their regard, particularly in the fields of education, health care, the supply of hydro-electricity and foodstuffs and the agro-pastoral system.

    1. Marginal population groups

    74. In addition to the traditional support measures which the specialist structures of the Ministry of Social Affairs provide on a daily basis, like the social welfare services and specialist social centres working with marginal population groups, the Journée de l’action sociale (Social Welfare Day), in both 2006 and 2007, saw these vulnerable groups accorded subsidies and other varied forms of support. The aim of this targeted assistance, accompanied by psycho-social measures, has been to empower these groups.

    75. Various national solidarity measures have been put into effect for the benefit of the marginal population groups, in collaboration with the other authorities and partners, with the aim of eliminating all forms of discrimination likely to result in their social exclusion. This is entirely in line with the policy of integrating these groups in the development process. The main focus is, therefore, to capitalize on all of the potential that collective development requires.

    76. In the context of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, other programmes incorporating the needs and aspirations of these population groups are supported. One example has been the project supporting the economic and social development of the Baka in the Djoum, Oveng and Mintom (Pades-Baka) districts.

    77. Similarly, under the Ministry of Social Affairs – World Bank partnership, the following measures in particular will be put into effect as of 2008:

    (a) The project to enhance environmental and social management capabilities in regard to major energy sector investment that impacts on marginal population groups;

    (b) The establishment of a development plan for the Pygmy peoples under the “Forest-Environment” sectoral programme.

    78. In addition, a number of programmes have been introduced with the aim of securing the socio-economic integration of these target groups. They include the National Project for Participatory Development (“Programme national de développement participatif” – PNDP) and the Mandara Mountains Development Project, an integrated project designed to improve the mountain peoples’ living conditions. The aim of all these projects is to provide basic social welfare services to the target social groups, in an effort to eliminate all forms of discrimination against them.

    79. Campaigns of civic education and education in citizenship are carried out at regular intervals by the decentralized services of Ministry of Social Affairs, with the support of the development partners (UNICEF, PLAN CAMEROON, NCHRF, ILO, World Bank); the purpose of the campaigns is to encourage [these groups] to develop a sense of belonging to the international community, through the establishment and acquisition of civil status certificates (birth, marriage and death certificates); other official documents (national identity cards, passports and driving licence); polling cards (with ballot paper and introduction of candidates) and through the payment of their taxes. These measures have happily resulted in:

    (a) The election of a Mbororo mayor to head Ngaoui Council in the Department of Mbéré, in Adamaoua province;

    (b) The election of three deputy-mayors and a number of local councillors from among the ranks of the marginal population groups throughout Cameroon, among them the first female local councillor from the Baka in Djoum.

    80. Despite these different kinds of measure which the State of Cameroon has taken in an effort to promote social justice, some problems stand in the way of the marginal population groups asserting their fundamental rights. These problems are bound up with:

    − Access to basic social welfare services

    − Access to land security

    − The protection of ecological sites and holy places

    − The need for better legal protection

    − The need to improve standards of living through vocational training

    − Recognition of and respect for the fact that these groups are different.

    81. In order to secure lasting protection for the rights of the marginal population groups, the Government has undertaken to draft a law for their protection and advancement. A call for tenders has already been launched in regard to the drafting of this bill.

    82. Mention may be made, in this connection, of the sectoral policy project for the integration of marginal population groups in Cameroon. Like other countries which have marginal population groups, on the recommendation of the UN General Assembly, Cameroon plans to establish, with the cooperation of the authorities, international organizations and civil society, a national action plan for the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, which is entirely in keeping with the resolutions adopted by the United Nations in promoting the rights of indigenous peoples and supporting them throughout the world.

    83. Moreover, on 13 September 2007, at United Nations headquarters, Cameroon adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which establishes the general framework for recognizing the rights of indigenous populations throughout the world. Consequently, 9 August 2008 saw the first official celebration of the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples of Cameroon, based on the theme of “Information et Formation” (Finding out and Learning). The public and semi-public authorities, international organizations, economic operators, civil society and the religious and traditional communities took part in the event.

    84. It is appropriate to cite, at this juncture, the measures taken for the benefit of the Pygmy peoples, including:

    (a) The support project for the economic and social development of 7,000 Pygmies in the Djoum – Oveng – Mintom region (department of Dja and Lobo), implemented with the Belgian Government for 2004-2007;

    (b) The project to improve the quality of life of the Pygmies of Lolodorf, Bipindi, Campo and Kribi. That project is being implemented with the support of an NGO called the “Cameroon Biodiversity and Conservation Society”. It will affect 3,500 individuals;

    (c) The continuing activities of the “Groupe d’Initiative Commune Alliance Cyrie et Mayos” (GICCYMA), set up in 2000 in the East Province with the support of the International Labour Office (OIT), to promote employment and the rights of the Pygmies, particularly citizenship (including the issuing of computerized national identity cards and birth certificates, access to property, management of a cooperative and collective farms). The project currently supports nearly 30 Pygmy families involving 438 individuals;

    (d) The support project for the issuing of civil status certificates to Mbororo and Pygmy children in the Northwest and East Provinces, with the active involvement of two NGOs called “Plan Cameroun” and the “Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association”. The project is intended to support 7,000 children.

    85. Generally speaking, the regulatory system has paid particular to protecting the rights of the indigenous peoples, and the Baka and Bagyéli peoples of eastern and southern Cameroon more especially: the preamble of the Constitution of 18 January 1996 affirms that all indigenous peoples are to be protected. In reality, and as regards the involvement of these peoples in forest management, it must be pointed out that whenever a project has impinged upon their rights, a compensation plan has been provided. By way of example, when the Chad-Cameroon pipeline was planned, a compensation plan was adopted and implemented in response to the deforestation the project caused.

    86. As far as the question of land tenure is concerned, the 1994 Law on the rules governing the forests authorizes the reassignment to the local Pygmy and Bantou peoples of a share of annual forest and faunal royalties equivalent to 12%.

    87. Between 14 and 16 September 2006, the Government of Cameroon hosted a sub-regional seminar in Yaoundé on the rights of Central Africa’s indigenous peoples and communities. The Government is paying close attention to the suggestions that emanated from the seminar and putting them gradually into effect.

    2. Persons with a disability

    a) Involvement of disabled persons in developing the strategies and plans

    that relate to them

    88. Disabled persons and the organizations representing them have automatically to be involved in formulating any strategy, plan or project relating to them, reflecting the well-known principle that it is essential to consult the people actually affected. This happened, in particular, when the Ministry of Social Affairs was drawing up the above-mentioned draft bill protecting and supporting disabled persons and other regulatory texts; when the National Action Plan for the support of disabled persons was being drafted and adopted in July 2006; and when the paper on occupations accessible to disabled persons was being drafted and ratified in 2008. Disabled persons are currently involved in preparing the Practical Guide on accessibility for disabled persons to public infrastructure and buildings or infrastructure and buildings open to the public; the Guide on making education accessible; the national policy document on the protection and support of disabled persons; and the collation of data on support structures for disabled persons, set under way on 30 May 2008.

    89. It should also be pointed out that the organizations for disabled people are statutory members of the National Committee for the Rehabilitation and Socio-economic Reintegration of Disabled Persons (CONRHA), a multi-sectoral consultative body established by Decree No. 96/379/PM of 14 June 1996 and responsible for providing opinions on all matters of concern to them.

    b) Participation in civil, political and cultural life

    90. The Republic’s Constitution and various electoral laws guarantee that all citizens – including disabled persons – enjoy civil and political rights, in particular the opportunity to vote and to be eligible to stand in the various national election processes and the right to set up or freely adhere to political parties.

    91. In addition, the rules in force require that the sociological make-up of the constituencies be taken into account in the electoral lists, and provide for the possibility of creating special constituencies in order to take account of minority groups.

    92. Furthermore, as part of the policy of social justice and national integration advocated by President of the Republic, Paul Biya, the Government has set in place strategies for the advancement and participation of this target group in the conduct of public affairs at all State levels, as a factor for social cohesion. The result is an environment conducive to the participation of disabled persons in the various spheres of decision-taking.

    93. As regards participation in cultural life, article 22 of above-mentioned Decree No. 90/1516 of 26 November 1990 provides that disabled persons are to be accorded reductions in price, to the minimum rate, for access to sports and cultural events. In addition, disabled craftsmen and musicians receive technical and financial support, through the Ministry of Culture, for the creation of intellectual works. The planned meeting between the Minister of Social Affairs and the Minister of Culture should help to improve that support.

    94. Generally speaking, these are measures that have been adopted to guarantee equality within society.

    c) Facilitating social and economic integration/reintegration

    95. The Government has been making ever-greater efforts to secure the economic and professional integration of disabled persons, particularly by promoting their access to education, vocational training and employment.

    96. The Government has taken various initiatives in relation to the education of disabled persons, including:

    (a) The creation and organization by Decree No. 80/380 of 13 September 1980 of the Buea “Rehabilitation Institute for the Blind” which is tasked with providing blind people and the visually impaired with educational support and vocational training in order to secure their socio-economic integration;

    (b) The implementation of the preferential measures provided for under Decree No. 90/1516 of 26 November 1990 laying down the procedures for applying Law No. 83/013 of 21 July 1983 on the protection of disabled persons, including aid for education, exemption from the age requirement, exceptionally repeating a year and financial support;

    (c) The organization, in June 2005, of the 1st Forum on National Solidarity, the recommendations of which not only made it possible to develop short-, medium- and long-term strategies for promoting the education of disabled persons but also resulted in the implementation of the following measures:

    i. The signing by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Secondary Education of two joint circulars, on 2 August 2006 and 14 August 2007 respectively, designed to ensure that disabled pupils and the children of poor disabled parents are admitted free of charge to State secondary educational establishments;

    ii. The signing by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education of Joint Circular No. 08/0006/L/MINESUP/MINAS of 9 July 2008 on further improving the conditions for receiving and supporting disabled or vulnerable students in Cameroon’s State universities, which makes provision, in particular, for: the recruitment, training or retraining of specialist staff; taking the disability factor into account in academic assessments, the building and equipping of teaching areas, sports and leisure facilities and equipment; giving disabled students priority access to student organizations, and, for the most deserving, the benefit of support for academic excellence;

    iii. The organization of two Social Action Days, on 1 February 2006 and 20 June 2007, during which subsidies and educational aids and equipment (wheelchairs, tricycles, white sticks, Braille machines, hearing aids etc) were distributed to disabled persons and their support structures;

    (d) Tax exemptions accorded to the private structures providing educational support for disabled children;

    (e) The introduction, since the beginning of the 2006-2007 academic year, in the Faculty of Education of Buea University, of a training programme called the “Special education programme”, which is open to everyone who holds the baccalauréat, lasts for three years and includes courses in sign language, Braille and the psychology of the infirm, and leads to the award of a degree in specialist education.

    97. As regards vocational training for disabled persons, the Ministry of Social Affairs (MINAS) has signed a number of conventions, particularly with the Institut africain d’informatique (IAI-Cameroun)(African Information Technology Institute), on 25 May 2005, for training disabled persons to use computers and information and communication technologies; the Association nationale des aveugles du Cameroun (ANAC) (Cameroon National Association for the Blind) and the French Association Valentin Hauy (AVH), for setting up the Information Technology Training Centre for the Visually Impaired, which has been up and running since 24 November 2005; the Caisse nationale de prévoyance sociale (CNPS) (National Social Welfare Fund), on 22 March 2006, to facilitate the social and occupational rehabilitation of disabled persons, with the support of the workshops providing an introduction to occupational activity that have been set up within the Yaoundé National Centre for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons.

    98. In terms of the employment of disabled persons, as part of the implementation of Decree No. 90/1516 of 26 November 1990 laying down the procedures for implementing Law No. 83/13 of 21 July 1983 on the protection of persons with a disability ˗ article 12 of which sets a target that 10% of employees in public and private sector undertakings should be persons with a disability ˗ the Ministry of Social Affairs has urged the other authorities to recruit suitably qualified disabled persons as part of the pilot scheme launched in January 2005. The scheme provided an opportunity to make those in charge of the various authorities aware of disabled people’s employee potential and resulted in a number of disabled persons being recruited. The drafting of the above-mentioned paper on the occupations accessible to disabled persons, structured around the different types of impairment, is, therefore, having the effect of making potential employers and development partners better aware of the abilities of these individuals, whose talents should be developed and capitalized upon as part of the development process.

    99. As regards encouraging self-employed activities, article 16 of the above-mentioned decree provides that: “State encouragement shall be provided by making technical support available; by granting aid for setting up, partial or complete tax exemptions, support subsidies where appropriate (...), loan guarantees and the technical support of public bodies that foster development, particularly in the context of studies and project monitoring”.

    100. For that purpose, on 4 August 2006, the Ministry of Social Affairs signed an agreement with the National Employment Fund (Fonds national de l’emploi ˗ FNE) for training, support for the integration and socio-professional rehabilitation of disabled persons, and job placements for individuals who have completed their training. As a result, 84 individuals benefited from financial support to engage in paid employment on the occasion of the Second Day of Social Action in 2007.

    101. The National Centre for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (CNRH) and the Centre for training women with a disability in dress-making, called the “Bobine d’Or” (“Golden Bobbin”) foster employment by improving skills through training in trade skills (shoe-repairing, joinery, dress-making and so on). Consequently, MINAS is helping beneficiaries to set up in business as a result of support from a number of partners in the public and semi-public sector, and the private sector, and through the forms of bilateral and multilateral cooperation that are involved in the socio-economic advancement of disabled persons, thereby helping to respect the rights of these individuals.

    102. Given the importance of this issue, and in order to give greater prominence to promoting employment for this vulnerable category, the Government has commissioned a study with a view to drawing up national action plans for the employment of disabled persons, with the assistance of all partners.

    103. Despite the above-mentioned measures, the ability of disabled persons to enjoy their fundamental rights could be jeopardized, if they are unable to move around and access the locations at which educational, occupational, cultural and social activities are taking place. It was in order to avert the obstacles linked to this problem of accessibility that, by Circular No.003/CAB/PM of 18 April 2008 concerning compliance with the rules governing the award, implementation and supervision of public contracts, the Prime Minister, Head of the Government, required contracting authorities and subcontractors to ensure that, at a technical level, the studies relating to plans for the construction of buildings, public buildings and roads take account of disability issues, so that proper consideration is given to the particular concerns raised by accessibility for disabled persons.

    104. The above-mentioned Practical Guide on accessibility for disabled persons to public infrastructure and buildings or infrastructure and buildings open to the public is designed to make it easier for contracting authorities and subcontractors to move in that direction. To make it easier for disabled persons to move around and communicate with others, the Ministry of Social Affairs, with the assistance of its partners, issues equipment to disabled persons annually (wheelchairs, tricycles, white sticks, hearing aids and so on). As a result, in the period between 2006 and September 2008, 834 disabled persons were provided with equipment at a total cost of 132,490,000 CFA francs.

    105. Given the mandatory requirements and measures of encouragement which it contains, as well as the support mechanism envisaged through the proposed creation of a National Solidarity Fund (currently under consideration in the Prime Minister’s department) the completion of the ongoing revision of Law No. 83/013 of 21 July 1983 on the protection of disabled persons ˗ including the (new) preliminary draft law which was the subject of a review by the latter department in November 2007 ˗ should be a further asset in the process of properly integrating this vulnerable group in Cameroonian society and securing their full participation in the national effort. All of these elements reflect the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted on 13 September 2006.

    106. Mention should also be made of the measures taken for the benefit of disabled persons, particularly the efforts which the Government has made to improve the rights of disabled persons, examples of which are as follows:

    (a) Twenty-six disabled persons have been trained in information and communications technologies by the African Information Technology Institute (IAI) under a partnership agreement between MINAS and IAI-Cameroun;

    (b) Under Government sponsorship, 20 visually-impaired individuals were enrolled at the Collège de la Retraite[9] ˗ 9 during the 2005-2006 academic year and 11 during the 2006-2007 academic year;

    (c) Financial, material and technical assistance has been given to schools for the disabled throughout Cameroon. Other gifts have taken the form of sewing machines and television sets;

    (d) Those acting on behalf of disabled persons have been accorded full representational status, enabling them to take part in the conferences between MINSUP and the national student community (the State University Students’ Forum and the Tripartite Committee following up meetings with State university students);

    (e) The participation of students with a disability in university games and all other leisure and social activities in higher education;

    (f) Taking disability into account in connection with university matters [through the provision of] other forms of assistance (the allocation of rooms in university halls of residence, aids for excellence and special assistance to combat vulnerability, the study-employment programme and vacation work experience). As a result, during the 2006/2007 academic year, for example, of the 1,422 students in receipt of aid for excellence (75,000 CFA francs for each beneficiary), 335 were disabled persons and established cases of social need;

    (g) Albinos, individuals suffering from sickle cell anaemia and students living with HIV/AIDS are taken care of at their own request or at the request of the universities’ medical and social welfare centres;

    (h) In the context of a partnership with MINAS, CERAC (Circle of Friends of Cameroon) has provided socio-economic aid to disabled women in Yaoundé, the Far North Province, the North province and Adamaoua;

    (i) The Government has made it easier for disabled persons who are interested in running small businesses to obtain a licence;

    (j) The Government has encouraged the public to demonstrate solidarity with disabled persons. This has resulted in the acquisition of two sewing machines which were then distributed to disabled persons.

    107. The following equipment has been provided to improve the mobility of disabled persons living in the different provinces:

    − 63 crutches

    − 45 tricycles

    − 2 electric wheelchairs

    − 4 mechanical wheelchairs

    − 5 hearing aids.

    108. The celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the rights of disabled people. In 2006, the theme of the day was “Access to information and communication technology: issues and challenges”. During this period, free medical consultations were arranged for disabled persons and the elderly. The population was encouraged to help them whenever necessary.

    109. Moreover, MINAS established that the applications of a number of visually impaired applicants for the École normale supérieure had been rejected. Discussions were then entered into with the Ministry of Higher Education to find a solution to the problem. In the joint circular of 9 July 2008 issued by MINAS and MINSUP, those responsible for running public university institutions were asked to “review the texts containing discriminatory provisions to enable new proposals to be put to the relevant bodies”.

    110. In another connection, on 16 and 18 September 2006, a disabled person went to MINAS to complain that his brother had inflicted physical violence upon him. The case was referred to the public prosecutor at the Ekounou district court.

    c) Refugees

    111. The entry into force of Law No. 2005/006 of 27 July 2005 on the status of refugees in Cameroon demonstrates the resolve of the Government of Cameroon to combat still more determinedly discrimination affecting refugees.

    112. Under article 9 of the law, Cameroon’s legislature accords refugees the exercise of the following fundamental rights, within the limits of the rights accorded to citizens of Cameroon:

    − Non-discrimination

    − Freedom of religious practice

    − The right to property

    − The right of association

    − The right to be a party to legal proceedings

    − The right to work

    − The right to education

    − The right to housing

    − The right to social welfare and public assistance

    − Free movement

    − The right to obtain identity documents and travel documents

    − The right to the transfer of assets

    − The right to become naturalized.

    113. This equivalence of treatment is further contained in article 10, paragraph 1, of the law, according to which: “as regards the exercise of an activity as an employed or self-employed person, and without exemption from taxes and duties, as well as in regard to the social rights linked to the exercise of such activity, persons recognized as refugees shall be accorded the same treatment as nationals.”

    114. According to paragraph 2, “they [persons recognized as refugees], shall be accorded the same treatment as nationals in relation to access to education, the right to enrol at school and university and the costs of student welfare services.”

    115. This policy of treating refugees in the same way as Cameroonian nationals reflects the absolute determination of the Government of Cameroon to eliminate any form of discrimination based on nationality. In should be pointed out in that connection that, in October 2008, the Government of Cameroon was firm in its condemnation of the incident involving Colonel Nguema Ondo from Equatorial Guinea.

    ARTICLE 3

    116. Cameroon makes real efforts to combat racial segregation and other forms of discrimination. At international level, Cameroon condemned, at the time, the practice of apartheid in South Africa, which was officially ended when equal votes for all were introduced. Similarly, Cameroon:

    (a) Acceded, on 6 October 1972, to the Convention on the Imprescriptibility of War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity;

    (b) Acceded, on 1 November 1976, to the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid;

    (c) Signed, on 1 November 2004, the instrument of accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted in New York on 6 October 1999.

    117. Cameroon has adopted the provisions of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

    118. In point of fact, Cameroon is a multi-ethnic country in which more than 230 ethnic groups (determined on the basis of dialect) and several religious groups (Christians, Muslims and Animists among others) enjoy a peaceful co-existence. This diversity is a factor of mutual enrichment. By way of illustration: the President of the Republic is a Christian Fang Béti from the south, the President of the National Assembly is a Muslim Kanuri from the far north, while the Prime Minister comes from the great Sawa ethnic group and is an English-speaking Christian.

    119. The elimination of all forms of discrimination, which is the Government’s target, requires national integration, peaceful co-existence, exchange between ethnic groups and the harmonious development of the regions.

    120. In addition, the Government has undertaken to promote the culture of democracy which underpins the ideal of tolerance and of accepting others with their differences.

    121. Cameroon has committed itself to combating racism, intolerance and xenophobia by adopting specific measures designed to encourage understanding and harmonious relations between different groups within the population.

    ARTICLE 4

    122. At paragraph 23 of its last concluding observations, the Committee asked Cameroon to provide detailed information on the implementation of articles 4 to 7 of the Convention. Generally speaking, any discriminatory practice is contrary to public policy in Cameroon. For example, any article in the press that disseminates ideas based on racial superiority or hatred or incites discrimination will be seized and the relevant media body made subject to an injunction issued by the competent court.

    123. Similarly, under the law of Cameroon, any violation of the prohibition of discriminatory practices is an offence.

    124. For that purpose, article 241 of the Penal Code which is entitled “Insulting a race or religion” provides:

    “1) Any person who engages in insulting behaviour as defined in article 152[10] against a race or religion to which a number of citizens or residents belong shall be punishable by a period of between six days and six months imprisonment and a fine of between 5,000 and 500,000 CFA francs.

    2) If the offence is committed by means of the press or radio the maximum fine is increased to 20,000,000 CFA francs.

    3) The penalties laid down in paragraphs (1) and (2) above shall be doubled if the offence is committed with the intention of stirring up hatred or contempt among citizens”.

    125. Pursuant to article 242 of the Penal Code entitled “Discrimination”: “[a]ny person who refuses another access either to premises open to the public, or to employment, because of that person’s race or religion shall be punished by a period of between one month and two years imprisonment and a fine of between 5,000 and 500,000 CFA francs”.

    126. In addition to these articles, which basically form the ordinary law provisions for the suppression of discriminatory practices under Cameroonian law, there is article 305 of the Penal Code on libel and article 36 of Law No. 88/016 of 16 December 1988 regulating advertising in Cameroon.

    127. Moreover, meeting on 4 June 2007, the National Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF) issued a press release condemning the ethnic conflicts that occurred in the Northwest Province following a dispute over land (Oku/Mbessa and Bawock/Bali).

    128. In its press release, the Commission made the following recommendations and proposed the following solutions:

    (a) Greater involvement of the prefectoral authorities;

    (b) Participation in the dialogue by the Fons of Nso and Kom and strengthening and maintaining the links of various kinds that exist between the two communities in dispute;

    (c) Improved communications with the zone of Mbessa to bring it closer to the administrative unit;

    (d) The guilt of the perpetrators should be established and they should be prosecuted in accordance with the law;

    (e) All necessary measures should be taken to avoid inciting population groups to engage in such acts.

    129. In relation to these inter-tribal disputes (Bawock and Bali Nyonga), it should be pointed out that Government dispatched to the scene the junior minister for the territorial administration, responsible for decentralization, to effect reconciliation between the traditional communities in dispute, resolve the outstanding issues and recommend measures apt to prevent breaches of public policy. A sum of 10,000,000 CFA francs was made available to cover the requirements resulting from the Bali/Bawock conflict.

    130. In addition, a commission of judicial inquiry, whose remit included identifying the victims and the property destroyed, was set in place in accordance with the decree of 3 August 1978 on the establishment of commissions for the resolution of disputes concerning the limits of administrative districts and traditional units of control.

    ARTICLE 5

    A. The right to equal treatment before the law and the courts

    131. All Cameroonian nationals and, indeed, persons involved in litigation enjoy the same protection before the law. The preamble to the Constitution lays down the principle of equality for all before the law. Similarly, article 1 of the Penal Code provides that the criminal law applies to everyone.

    132. Equality before the courts presupposes free access to justice and equal treatment before the courts. On this point, the preamble of Cameroon’s Constitution provides that everyone has the right to a fair hearing before the courts.

    133. For that purpose, a decree of 9 November 1976 lays down the procedure for providing legal aid to those who cannot otherwise afford it.

    134. According to article 59 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, “[a]ny offence may result in criminal proceedings and, depending on the circumstances, civil proceedings.”

    135. Article 71 (1) of the Code provides: “[i]t shall be open to any person or legal entity that has suffered injury to take civil proceedings arising from an offence”.

    136. Article 74 (1) recognizes the right of associations, unions and professional bodies which have suffered clear harm to bring civil proceedings, where a collective or professional interest exists.

    137. Cameroonian citizens seeking justice are also able to raise their cases with non-judicial authorities such as the National Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF).

    B. The right to security of the person and protection by the State

    138. Cameroonian law guarantees the right to security of the person. The Penal Code provides for a number of offences intended to protect either human life or the physical or moral integrity of the person. All these offences apply regardless of race, religion, gender or ethnic origin. Examples are articles 275 (murder), 276 (premeditated murder), 277 (serious injury), 278 (fatal injury), 279 (serious wounding), 280 (wounding) and 281 (minor injury).

    139. In relation to the protection which the State guarantees, the public authorities have increased the number of special police units to give citizens added protection. Mobile police stations have been created within the framework of neighbourhood and community policing to bring the police closer to citizens. Mention should also be made of the creation, within the police's General Delegation for National Security, of police units tasked to prevent and punish any lapse on the part of a police officer in the context of operations to protect citizens.

    C. The right to take part in the conduct of public affairs

    140. The right to take part in the conduct of public affairs is guaranteed to all citizens. For one thing, voting by universal direct suffrage is enshrined in Cameroon’s Constitution.

    141. The Electoral Code lays down the provisions governing election and the right to stand for election without discrimination of any kind. Women, who are often the subject of gender-based discriminatory practices, in fact take part in the conduct of public affairs on the same footing as men, as the tables mentioned above demonstrate. Table 16, annexed, summarizes the relative performance of the ministries in promoting gender equality for 2008.

    D. The right to freedom of movement

    142. Law No. 97/012 of 10 January 1997, in particular, regulates the entry to, residence in and departure of foreigners from Cameroon. Similarly, the right to leave Cameroon, and the right to return, are guaranteed by law.

    E. The right to marry and to inherit

    143. The right to marry is guaranteed to all citizens without distinction. Ordinance No. 81/02 of 29 June 1981 on civil status governs marriage, divorce, filiation and parental authority, among other matters. Under the ordinance, a young woman of 18 is able to marry without her parents’ consent. Both spouses have the same rights in relation to the commencement of divorce proceedings. This was the position in case No. HCBO/1MC/03-04 Ayeah Merciful v. Ayeah Richard, in which the Boyo regional court granted a divorce and the custody of the three children to the wife as plaintiff, against her former husband’s wishes. The court handed down a similar judgement in case No. HCBO/05-06 Tufoin Thomas v. Wenu Jacinta.

    144. The right to inherit and the right to property more generally are also guaranteed by law. Accordingly, the statutes in force dealing with the ownership and acquisition of land are not discriminatory, including as regards women. The reality, however, is markedly different in certain regions of the country where, as a result of certain traditions and beliefs, women are relegated to secondary roles. To remedy this situation, in 2006, the Government focused its action on setting in place machinery to help women exercise and benefit from their property rights. Programmes and projects were carried out to improve the position of women, including:

    (a) A “Fairness and Equality between the Sexes” project, carried out with the support of the United Nations Population Fund.

    (b) A project on “Poverty reduction and measures to support women in the Far North Province” (PREPAFEN) with the financial support of the African Development Bank (ADB);

    (c) Micro-projects generating income for women, financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA);

    (d) Projects to provide support arrangements for women in the centres for the advancement of women;

    (e) A Project to Strengthen the Capacity of Women's Networks to Combat Poverty in the Republic of Cameroon (CAREF), with assistance from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF).

    145. As for the protection of the right to property, in Cameroon there is neither primogeniture, nor male privilege in relation to the acquisition of property. The Supreme Court had occasion to rule on this principle in cases including that of Ebanda Njoh v. Eyoum Bwa Njoh Isaac. In that case, for example, the right of a woman to inherit from her parents was upheld, contrary to custom, which is discriminatory in this area.[11]

    F. The right to work and to form and join a trade union

    146. As a State party to virtually all of the ILO’s conventions[12] and the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, Cameroon has committed itself to promoting and protecting the right to work throughout its territory. This commitment has been further put into effect recently with the launch of a programme entitled the Support project for the implementation of the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (PAMODEC), the aim of which is to promote and protect people's rights in the workplace.

    147. We would remind the Committee that Decree No. 2004/320 of 8 December 2004 on the organization of the Government created three ministries charged with dealing with problems linked to employment and social security. These are the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

    148. The National Employment Fund, the National Monitoring Service for Employment and Vocational Training and the National Consultative Labour Commission were set up specifically to facilitate access to employment.

    149. The aim of these reforms undertaken by the Government is to resolve the problems arising from the economic crisis of the 1990s, which had serious consequences for employment. According to an analysis by the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, the economic recession caused an increase in the unemployment rate, particularly among young people and women.[13] In addition, economic activity in the informal sector declined, and employers became reluctant to observe health and safety requirements, grant leave to employees, encourage the creation of unions and promote the right to strike.[14]

    150. By Law No. 92/007 of 14 August 1992, the Government revised the Employment Code in order to relaunch the economy and reduce unemployment. It liberalized the private sector, created the export processing zone, professionalized the education system and liberalized the labour unions.

    151. In addition, and despite the effects of the crisis, the Government pursued a policy of promoting employment. Institutions for vocational training, such as the National School of Administration and the Judiciary, the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the École Normale Supérieure, the Cameroon Institute of International Relations, the Joint Forces Military College and the School of Posts and Telecommunications, among others, continued to recruit students to train for future employment, where appropriate in the public service.

    152. This commitment to recruitment in the public sector is, in part, a result of the fact that in developing countries the State is the principal employer, by contrast with developed countries, where the private sector is the pivot of economic growth and this is directly reflected in social policy on employment.

    153. For example, the Government has set itself the objective of fostering job creation and, consequently, reducing the rate of unemployment, which stands at 17%. Measures have consequently been adopted to facilitate and promote the right to work (1) and a project to develop a national employment policy is being considered (2).

    1. Promoting and facilitating employment

    154. Under the heading of the promotion and facilitation of employment, the development of sectoral projects, recruitment to the public services and the activities of the National Employment Fund will be addressed.

    a) The development of sectoral projects

    155. The various problems arising from the prevailing weakness in the supply of paid jobs and from unemployment have prompted the Government to mount a range of programmes comprising sectoral projects:

    (a) In the field of employment, the National Monitoring Service for Employment and Professional Training (ONEFOP) has been created to collect information on the labour market;

    (b) In the field of primary and secondary legislation, the Government has:

    i. Revised the Employment Code,

    ii. Promulgated the Investment Charter,

    iii. Created the export processing zones, and

    iv. Adopted a law on vocational guidance in schools which opens up broad opportunities for partnership between the private sector and the vocational education system;

    (c) At the structural level, the National Employment Fund (FNE) has continued its programmes of support with the following results:

    i. 214,848 persons enrolled, counselled and assessed,

    ii. 112,485 young people placed in the productive economy,

    iii. 46,651 young people trained in various trades,

    iv. 25,009 young people financed and placed within micro-businesses, and

    v. The creation by various projects of 37,922 jobs;

    (d) Other intensive projects on the workforce are in progress, such as the Priority Programme for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (PPPP), which has specific sub-programmes for young people, women and those with a disability.

    b) Recruitment to the public services

    156. The figures below for recruitment recorded by the public services for 2006 reflect a strongly pro-active policy on the part of the Government towards the promotion of employment:

    − 10,300 contracted teachers

    − 3,000 temporary teachers

    − 100 secondary-level technical teachers

    − 100 veterinary nurses

    − 10 IT engineers (Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform)

    − 20 eco-wardens

    − 19 researchers (Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation).

    157. The following statistics show the position on students admitted to advanced vocational schools during 2006/2007 with a view to employment in the public services:

    – Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

    Medicine: 90

    Biomedical and public health studies:

    Level 1 (Bachelor's degree): 20

    Level 4 (Master's): 28

    Specialisms: 46

    – School of Public Works

    - Advanced civil engineering technician: 99

    - Civil engineering project engineer: 635

    - Advanced agricultural engineering technician: 56

    - Agricultural engineer: 259

    - Advanced topographical technician: 117

    – National Institute for Youth and Sport

    - Sports and physical education teacher: 60

    - Senior sports and youth counsellor: 44

    - Youth and leadership counsellor: 60

    École nationale supérieure polytechnique (engineering school of the University of Yaoundé): 566

    École normale supérieure (teacher training, Yaoundé campus and Bambili annex): 1,935

    École normale supérieure d’enseignement technique (technical teacher training): 544 diplomas.

    École nationale supérieure des Postes et Télécommunications

    Course for technical and communications staff: 50

    Course for postal operations staff: 50

    c) The role of the National Employment Fund

    158. During 2005-2006, the National Employment Fund facilitated the employment of 13,470 job-seekers, and trained 1,582 people from that category for self-employment, as well as an additional 276 young people with a view to possible recruitment. It also financed 837 micro-projects.[15]

    159. In parallel, through special Government finance, the Fund succeeded in placing a number of young people in the active economy under the auspices of agreements signed with the Ministry of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises, Social Enterprise and Handicrafts (MINPMEESA) and the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (MINEFI). In the context of measures to combat unemployment, underemployment and poverty, the Fund thus placed 54% of 12,000 job-seekers in paid employment, funded 63% of 1,375 project applications and set up in self-employment 64% of 2,132 applicants. Its activities complement action by decentralized services in locations not served by the Fund's own activities. Through these channels, the Government has succeeded in placing individuals directly with about 1,000 small, medium-sized and large enterprises.

    2. Proposal to develop a national policy for employment

    160. In 2006, the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training prepared a draft Declaration on National Policy on Employment (DPNE). This was prompted by a socio-economic context characterized by high unemployment and a worrying level of underemployment, in which the lack of a coherent and well-articulated document on national policy on employment appeared to hamper the decisive deployment of resources in the interests of employment and better coordination of related activities. This declaration, which has already been approved at interministerial level and by the National Consultative Labour Commission, sets out future national policy on employment, covering, among other things;

    (a) Underlying principles;

    (b) Context and justification;

    (c) Objectives;

    (d) The commitments that the Government intends to undertake;

    (e) The strategy that the Government proposes to adopt; and

    (f) Arrangements for identifying key participants and providing monitoring and evaluation procedures for the National Policy on Employment (PNE).

    161. Through the Declaration on National Policy on Employment, in accordance with the ILO Employment Policy Convention, ILO Convention No. 122, 1964, the Government is committing itself to develop a National Policy on Employment designed to promote full, productive and freely-chosen employment.

    162. Specifically, the PNE will be designed among other things to:

    (a) Stimulate growth and economic development;

    (b) Raise the standard of living of the population;

    (c) Develop human resources to meet manpower requirements; and

    (d) Resolve the problem of unemployment and underemployment.

    163. Strategy for the PNE is based on strategic principles and themes. It is designed to promote productive investment which will generate decent jobs in all sectors and branches of the economy. It is guided by the following principles:

    (a) That employment is a question of national interest on which the sustainable development of Cameroon depends and which imperatively requires the attention of each and every citizen;

    (b) That the rate at which decent jobs which value the individual develop and are created is a performance indicator for the national economy, and thus good governance;

    (c) That employment should be considered not only to be a result of economic growth, but also and above all a causal factor in that growth;

    (d) The promotion of decent jobs for all as a strategic theme in the struggle to combat poverty and exclusion, and as an indispensable condition of harmonious and sustainable development which can guarantee social peace and social justice; and

    (e) That the character and significance of employment, at once cross-cutting and central, should be taken into account in every question of social and economic policy.

    164. A number of development initiatives are in place in relation to the promotion of employment for certain specific groups including the young, for whom an employment plan has been in existence since late 2006. Other development initiatives have been launched in relation to women, people with disabilities, vulnerable groups and the long-term unemployed. Employment plans for these groups are in course of preparation, as is the Priority Investment Programme for Employment (PIPE). Support for the implementation of this programme is provided by studies carried out in partnership by Cameroon and the International Labour Office in 2005 and by the National Policy on Employment, which is under revision.

    165. Since 2007, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing has been running a major programme for training young people in difficulty in trade skills for the urban sector, including the manufacture and laying of cobblestones, and urban horticulture.

    166. Alongside these training programmes, the Government is continuing to promote employment in the informal economy via the PIAASI project and some National Employment Fund programmes. Specifically in relation to this project, the number of applications for support from the country as a whole rose from 3,765 in 2005 to 4,000 in 2006. Of these 4,000 applications, 2,020 came within the ambit of PIAASI, and sums of the order of 6.99 million CFA francs, or 71 million CFA francs [sic] per province, were allocated. The branches of the economy for which applications were made were, in decreasing order of popularity: agriculture, commerce, the clothing industry, craft skills and animal husbandry.

    3. The right to form and join a trade union

    167. The specific rights linked to trade union rights are the right to form and join trade unions and the right to strike.

    168. The freedom to form and join trade unions is guaranteed by the Constitution. Parameters for the exercise of this freedom are set by the Employment Code and by Law No. 68/LF/19 of 18 November 1968. Under the Employment Code, workers and employers have the right, without restrictions of any sort and without prior authorization, to set up unions and join them. The 1968 law recognizes the same right on the part of personnel coming within the scope of the general statute governing the public services (see list of professional trade unions for accredited public servants at annex III to this report).

    169. The State ensures that heads of undertakings respect the freedom to establish and join unions and do not interfere with union affairs. In the event of conflict between tendencies within a union, the State remains neutral. In this context, promotional activity takes the form of social dialogue instigated by the departmental head and advice to the social partners: this advice is provided by employment inspectors on the ground. During the period covered by the present report, activities to protect the rights of organization and collective bargaining have taken the form of the revision of certain collective bargaining agreements under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

    170. The legal recognition which confers civil capacity on unions is subject to only one formal requirement: registration by the registrar of unions for those unions coming under the Employment Code, and approval by the Minister for Territorial Administration for public service unions; the only restrictions apply to the police, armed forces and judiciary.

    171. Unions have the right to form federations or confederations and to join international union organizations. Subject to respecting current law, union organizations have the right to make administrative rules based on their governing documents, to choose their representatives freely and to organize their own management without interference from the public authorities.

    172. The freedom to form and join unions is protected in all its aspects. Employers are expressly forbidden to take a union action into account to dismiss an employee. Where this prohibition is breached, the dismissal is declared unlawful. An illustration of this is the celebrated case of Mboa Isaac v State of Cameroon (MPTS): Supreme Court, Judgement No. 64/04/04-05 of 23 March 2005. The person concerned had worked at the Sofitel Hotel, Mount Fébé for 12 years before being elected as a staff representative. In the course of union activity, he called for an investigation into the staff insurance fund. Annoyed by this attitude, his employer applied to the employment inspector for authority to dismiss him, but the inspectorate refused. By Decision No. 6675/MTPS/SG/SIOP of 22 December 1989, the Minister of Labour authorized the dismissal of Mboa Isaac for insubordination; the latter took the case to the Supreme Court, which overturned the ministerial decision.

    173. In 2006, an increase in union activity saw the creation of 46 new unions (see annex III).

    G. The right to housing

    174. A vital features of the right to adequate housing, that is to say that it should be economically accessible, requires that the financial cost of housing for individuals or households should be “at such a level that the attainment and satisfaction of other basic needs are not threatened or compromised”.[16]

    175. Consequently, the Government of Cameroon has embarked on the implementation of a huge programme for the construction of social housing. The general objective is to enable disadvantaged sections of the population to have access to decent housing as part of the State’s campaign to combat poverty. For that purpose, Cameroon has set in place a consistent institutional framework of structures tasked with improving access to housing, namely the Société immobilière du Cameroun (SIC) for the construction of housing, the Mission d’aménagement et d’équipement des terrains urbains et ruraux (MAETUR) for the development and preparation of land, the Crédit foncier du Cameroun (Cameroon mortgage bank) (CFC) to secure funding and the Mission de promotion des matériaux locaux (MIPROMALO) to establish the conditions for ensuring the accessibility and development of locally available materials.

    176. To ensure that its programme is effective, the Government of Cameroon is aiming to achieve the following results:

    (a) Completion of the pilot phase of the programme consisting in the construction of 1,000 housing units in Yaoundé (Olembé) and Douala (Mbanga, Bakoko and Logbessou TV) and the development of 5,000 plots of land;

    (b) Increasing the housing supply by creating 15,000 social housing units in particular;

    (c) Cutting housing costs by:

    i. Using local building materials,

    ii. Providing state assistance in making infrastructure available,

    iii. Ensuring housing can be upgraded.

    177. To that end, the Prime Minister’s department carried out a study in 2006 which produced the following recommendations:

    (a) The implementation of a special programme for the construction of 10,000 housing units and the creation of 50,000 spaces;

    (b) The establishment of a framework for consultation for all players in an effort to achieve better synergy;

    (c) The involvement of the municipalities and civil society in housing policy;

    (d) The setting up of a National Housing Council (“Conseil national de l’habitat”) (CNH).

    178. Urban regeneration contracts were signed, on 3 March 2006, between the urban communities of Yaoundé and Douala on the one hand and the Government on the other. The contracts enable these local authorities to undertake house-building.

    179. Cameroon’s Crédit foncier has been called upon to help resolve the housing crisis, and its director-general has announced the funding of 50,000 housing units.[17]

    180. It must, however, be pointed out that the implementation of this measure has led to a number of problems in terms of reliably establishing the criteria that need to be applied in putting the social housing programme into effect.

    181. In that same context, reference may be made to the implementation by the Chantier naval et industriel du Cameroun (CNIC) – a semi-public company in which the State of Cameroon is the majority shareholder – of the Yard Pétrolier de Limbé project. This industrial project[18] includes a social element consisting in the construction of 2,500 housing units for the workforce. It will be accompanied by major work on infrastructure and facilities, at both local and regional level.

    182. In that connection, the question of Cameroonian “students’ accommodation” has also been the focus of studies launched during 2006. To meet the concerns of this significant section of the population, university accommodation comprising 400 units that meet standard requirements are in the process of construction, and, in addition, a special team for student rents at Cameroon’s State universities was set up by Interministerial Decree No. 0006/MINDUH/MINCOMMERCE/

    MINDAF/MINESUP of 30 June 2005. The team’s composition was established by Decree No. 000010/MINDUH of 7 July 2005 of the Minister of State, Minister for Urban Development and Housing. Similarly, by Decree No. 000732/MINCOMMERCE of 12 December 2006, the Minister of Commerce approved the rents for student accommodation in university residence zones, and the prefectoral authorities laid down the regulations governing the operations of the local branches of the special student accommodation team.

    183. During 2006, the team’s operations took the form of:

    (a) Several site inspections in Soa and Ngoa-Ekellé for the universities of Yaoundé II and Yaoundé I, the ESSEC and Ndogbong campuses for Doual university and Moliko campus for Buea university;

    (b) Surveys, and the recruitment and training of inspectors;

    (c) The inspections carried out simultaneously in Soa and Ngoa-Ekellé;[19]

    (d) Decree No. 08/0249/MINESUP of 11 September 2008 on the common status of the students of Cameroon’s State university establishments.

    184. The inspections revealed a number of problems concerning student accommodation, including:

    (a) A shortfall in supply;

    (b) High rents;

    (c) Opposition from the owners of mini halls of residence;

    (d) The growth of shanty towns in university residential zones, as a result of: a lack of infrastructure, promiscuity, buildings too densely packed together, the absence of rules and standards and so on;

    (e) The failure to delimit university property;

    (f) The existence of dilapidated accommodation unfit for habitation and representing a danger for occupants;

    (g) A lack of security.

    H. The right to social security

    185. All workers covered by the Employment Code are entitled to social security. The system in place is based on redistribution and is funded through employer and employee contributions. In recent years, reforms have been introduced in this area.

    186. The Government has set up a vast programme of reforms to improve social security in Cameroon. In seeking ways and means to restore the major elements of macro-economic equilibrium and to regulate the social security sector, Cameroon has decided, together with the donors:

    (a) To upgrade the CNPS (National Social Security Fund) in the short term;

    (b) To reform Cameroon’s social security system.

    187. A steering committee tasked with upgrading certain aspects of the CPNS and reforming the social security system was set up back in 1998, and the strategy of reforming the social security system was approved by the President of the Republic in December 1999, with the objective of:

    (a) Making the social security funds secure;

    (b) Ensuring separate branch management;

    (c) Defining the state’s role;

    (d) Extending the scope of the social security system in terms of finance, staffing and occupational groups covered;

    (e) Combating poverty and social exclusion.

    188. To that end, about ten studies were commissioned to provide input into the decisions to be taken, concerning:

    − The role of the State

    − Updating the studies carried out by the CNPS

    − The extension of social security cover to the informal sector and population groups which have not previously been covered

    − Management of the transition

    − Reviewing sickness insurance

    − Reviewing the health care and social welfare activities of the CNPS

    − Disposing of the assets of the CNPS

    − Social security for civil service staff

    − The legal and institutional architecture of the social security system

    − Financing the funds.

    189. In order to improve the collection of social security contributions, the authorities adopted Law No. 2001/17 improving the procedures for the collection of social security contributions and approved the partnership between the CNPS and the tax authority.

    190. In parallel, efforts to harmonize national social welfare legislations are under way within the framework of the Inter-African Conference on Social Welfare (CIPRES), in regard to which Cameroon ratified the relevant treaty by Decree No. 95/136 of 24 July 1995. The treaty was signed in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) on 22 September 1993.

    191. Several projects have been undertaken in relation to technical cooperation and harmonization:

    (a) Precise identification of the domains requiring codification;

    (b) Definition of economic indicators and prudential ratios;

    (c) The application of CIPRES accounting systems by the CNPS providing an accurate picture of this structure;

    (d) The definition of a CIPRES training programme and the overhaul of the training centres that exist in the CIPRES member countries.

    192. As regards the extension of social security to sections of the population that had not previously benefited from cover, the approach is, generally, to draw up a draft mutual insurance code, and, more specifically, a preliminary draft law on mutual health organizations.

    193. Draft laws on social welfare policy have been in the pipeline since 2005. Other legislation on the organization of the different social security structures has also been prepared. The latter concern:

    (a) The National Social Welfare Fund (FNPS) which will make it possible to overhaul the existing National Social Security Fund;

    (b) The National Civil Service Staff Fund (FNPF) which will be reserved for State employees and employees of similar status;

    (c) The National Fund for personal sickness insurance (FNAM);

    (d) The social security agencies responsible for registration, collection, and the regulation and supervision of social security bodies;

    (e) Unemployment insurance;

    (f) Wage Arrears Guarantee Fund.

    I. The right to medical care

    194. National policy on health is based on major reforms officially adopted in 1992 via a sectoral policy declaration on health, and the 1993 declaration on the reorganization of primary healthcare services. These preparatory stages led to the preparation of a framework law for health matters.

    195. In 1975, Cameroon adopted a policy of organizing basic health services in health districts, and has progressively increased the number of such districts in order to improve network coverage across the country. At present, health districts number 172.

    196. A Sectoral Strategy for Health (SSS) has been developed, using a participative approach and drawing on guidance from the Strategy Document on Poverty Reduction (DSRP), to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Cameroonian health system. Adopted in 2001, the SSS avoids all complacency in its analysis of the weaknesses of the sector, including those related to traditional medicine. It sets the following major objectives:

    (a) To reduce overall morbidity and mortality in the most vulnerable population groups, by at least a third;

    (b) To put in place, within an hour's journey on foot and for 90% of the population, a health centre delivering the minimum healthcare package; and

    (c) To put effective and efficient management of resources into practice in 90% of health centres and public and private health services, at the various levels in the delivery structure.

    197. The Strategy subdivides action to be taken in the period to 2010 into 29 sub-programmes, directed towards the needs of the population as a whole, the goal being a significant and rapid improvement in the leading public health indicators and the achievement of progress in the nation's health.

    198. At the institutional level, the Ministry of Public Health was reorganized, in August 2002, to strengthen arrangements for public action on health. This new arrangement provides for a better response to public expectations, and for the nation to benefit from an effective and modern health service.

    199. Despite these major advances, providing full access for the population to health services and healthcare remains a major challenge.

    200. The epidemiological profile of Cameroon, like that of most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, is dominated by infectious and parasitical diseases. The increasing trend in the prevalence of certain conditions such as arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cancers, however, cannot be ignored. Some illnesses which had been in marked retreat, including tuberculosis, are again on the increase. Malaria remains the leading cause of illness within all sections of the population. Forty-five per cent of patients attending a health centre are seeking a consultation for malaria. In addition, the epidemiological situation is aggravated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, for which the national infection rate currently stands at 5.5%. The age profile of those living with HIV under antiretroviral treatment in March 2008 is as follows:

    − 68.5 %, or 34,235, are under 40; of whom

    − 40.3 % of the total, or 20,130, are within the 30-39 age group.[20]

    201. The health situation for mothers and babies continues to give cause for concern (see annex IV).

    ARTICLE 6

    202. This paragraph takes account of the Committee’s recommendation in paragraph 21 of its last concluding observations. Raising discrimination to the status of an offence in Cameroonian law opens up the possibility for any person who becomes the victim of discriminatory practices to have recourse to justice in order to obtain redress. Thus, in the cases of BINDZI OBAMA Clément v Dame MEZOLI Justine and ZAMCHO Florence LUM v CHIBIKO Peter FRU and Others, the Supreme Court of Cameroon, in 1973, and the Bamenda Court of Appeal, in 1993, reaffirmed the Constitutional principle of the equality of the sexes when authorizing access for the two ladies concerned to the ownership of land inherited from their respective fathers.

    ARTICLE 7

    203. Cameroon has taken on board the recommendations set out by the Committee in paragraph 22 of its previous concluding observations. As regards educational measures, the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms has introduced the human rights teaching manual into all teaching programmes.

    204. In terms of the approach to cultural rights, the Government has adopted a number of items of legislation which provide the legal basis for the measures undertaken. To promote the protection of culture, the State has adopted measures to protect the proprietary and non-pecuniary interests of authors, as well as of other persons involved in literary creativity, such as writers and performers, radio and television companies and the producers of sound or video recordings. For example:

    (a) Law No. 2000/005 of 17 April 2000 on legal deposit. The law is designed to secure and reinforce protection of the cultural and intellectual heritage against the illegal use and counterfeiting which may be facilitated as a result of the new information and communication technologies (NICTs);

    (b) Law No. 2000/010 of 11 December regulating the archives, which makes it possible to strengthen the instruments for the protection and development of cultural knowledge;

    (c) Law No. 2000/011 of 19 December 2000 on royalties and related rights established a fund to support cultural policy and the pluralist nature of collective management companies;

    (d) Decree No. 2001/950/PM of 1 November 2001 laying down the procedures for implementing Law No. 2000/11 of 19 December 2000 on royalties and related rights; the law terminates the existence of the former copyright association, which is replaced by four professional associations, each of which represents a specific field of the arts (music, literature and the dramatic arts, audiovisual arts and photography and the plastic arts); the decree also sanctions openness, by encouraging creativity, among other things;

    (e) Decree No. 2001/38/PM of 5 December 2001 establishing an account ringfenced for the support of cultural policy; in point of fact, the recent creation of the Committee for the Selection of Cultural Projects, in May 2003, should boost the supply of and demand for cultural products with immediate effects on job creation, the creation of wealth and combating poverty. That legal framework is producing specific measures.

    205. A Ministry of Culture has been set up with the aim of better securing the cultural rights of Cameroonians; its specific responsibilities include defining and implementing cultural policy, getting culture to a wider audience and safeguarding and enhancing the cultural heritage.[21]

    206. Similarly, Cameroon, a member of UNESCO, plays a significant role in opening up a national culture whose impact reaches beyond national boundaries, in the form of football, the activities of Cameroon’s musicians and its traditional festivals.

    207. These are measures taken by the public authorities and in conjunction with civil society.

    A. Public authority activities

    208. Since 2001, the ministry responsible for promoting culture has organized a number of activities, including:

    (a) In 2000, an art exhibition at the National Museum on the theme “Art, Architecture and Traditional Housing” and an exchange of views on the tried and tested techniques of building, equilibrium and harmony with the environment;

    (b) In November 2001, launching the general inventory of the cultural, tangible and intangible heritage in an effort physically to identify and make known any work which, because of its ethnological, archaeological, historical and artistic nature, constitutes a national asset which the State has an absolute duty to hand down to future generations;

    (c) The implementation of a programme to set up rural community radio stations throughout the country to develop, in the local languages, all aspects of the sense of local identity. This activity has been carried out for a number of years, working with international institutions like the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF);

    (d) In October 2002, Cameroon took part, in Beirut, in the Summit of French-speaking countries on cultural diversity; Cameroon supported UNESCO’s action affirming multiculturalism as a guarantee of international peace and security and justifying the need, at global level, for an agreement to reduce the digital divide to enable everyone to enjoy greater freedom of expression, creativity and the dissemination of works, each in the language of his or her choosing;

    (e) In February 2008, the Salon international de l’artisanat du Cameroun (SIAC) (International Exhibition of Craft Trades in Cameroon) took place;

    (f) December 2008 saw preparations made for the National Festival of Arts and Culture (FENAC);

    (g) various cultural cooperation agreements have been signed with bilateral partners, for example:

    i. Cooperation agreement with Turkey in 2001,

    ii. Implementing programmes 2002-2003 with Egypt,

    iii. Exchange programme with Tunisia in 2002.

    B. Activities carried out in cooperation with civil society

    209. Protecting and developing Cameroon’s heritage and traditional knowledge cannot be the exclusive preserve of the public authorities. Consequently, the private sector plays a major role in funding cultural activity, resulting in the establishment of many cultural associations and NGOs.

    210. In that connection, a data base of the associations and NGOs has been established at the Ministry of Culture, pending a decision to establish a central office of associations.

    211. In addition to the national festival of arts and culture, other festivals receive various forms of government support. These include:

    − The Nyem Nyem festival in Adamaoua Province

    − The Mbam Art cultural festival in the Centre Province

    − The Ngondo cultural festival in the Littoral Province (Douala)

    − The Bassa Mpo’o cultural festival in the Littoral Province (Edéa)

    − The Nguon cultural festival in the West Province

    − The Medumba cultural festival in the West Province

    − The Feokague cultural festival in the North Province

    − The Macabo feast in the West Province

    − The Batanga cultural festival in the South Province

    − The Kanuri cultural festival in the Far North Province

    − Mbog Liaa festival in the Littoral and Centre Provinces

    − The Lie la tatomdjap festival in the West Province.

    212. The Government has continued to encourage the cultural activities of the different elements of Cameroonian society in fields as varied as:

    − The Yaoundé festival of caricature and humour (FESCARHY) in 2001 and 2002

    − The television festival (FESTEL) in 2002;

    − The “théâtre du chocolat” (“theatre of chocolate” – children’s theatre) in 2002

    − The Cameroon international theatre festivals (RETIC) in 2002

    − The “Écrans noirs du cinema” in 2001, 2003 and 2005

    − The FESTI BIKUTSI takes place annually.

    213. Other initiatives which appear relevant include projects such as:

    − Increasing the number of local authority public libraries;

    − Completion of the arts centre in Cameroon’s South Province and its inauguration; laying the foundation stones for the arts centres in the West and Southwest Provinces, as part of the extensive programme to establish arts centres in all provincial capitals, to provide a Mecca for artistic creation, the exhibition of intellectual works and the celebration of national culture.

    214. In terms of what has been achieved, the following may be mentioned:

    − The establishment of a legal framework governing patronage,[22] sponsorship or cultural mentoring to lend further encouragement to the involvement of economic operators in funding cultural activities

    − Commencing the construction and maintenance of roads designed to secure the establishment of “comités villageois de route” (village highway committees) whose responsibilities include ensuring the protection of sites that form part of the cultural heritage and taking account of local circumstances and sensitivities

    − The successful operation of the National Museum as a showcase for Cameroon’s rich cultural heritage, the national archives and the national library.

    215. The aim here is to provide cultured individuals with an appropriate framework for their further development that will facilitate the dissemination of cultural achievements and enable specific cultural identities to be shared and to survive.

    Annex I

    THE EXTENT OF WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN THE DIFFERENT ELECTIONS

    Table 1: induction of women in the general elections

    G094128801.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 2: Total number of candidates selected by the political parties

    G094128802.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 3: percentage of women standing in the 1997 and 2002 elections

    G094128803.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Results of the 2002 elections

    Table 4: Percentage by gender of members of the National Assembly

    G094128804.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women in politics 2004.

    Women on municipal authorities

    Table 5: candidates elected in local elections by gender

    G094128805.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 6: Local councillors by gender

    G094128806.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 7: Distribution of mayors elected by gender

    G094128807.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 8: Percentage of women in municipal executive positions

    G094128808.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 9: Proportion of women on municipal authorities, by province

    G094128809.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    The extent to which women are represented on local councils

    Table 10: Distribution of local councils according to the number of female councillors

    G094128810.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 11: Increase number of councillors since 1982

    G094128811.png

    Source: MINPROFF, Statistical Yearbook on the situation of women 2004.

    Table 12: Table comparing the number of men and women elected as members

    of the National Assembly by province

    Province
    Men
    Women
    Total
    Adamaoua
    09
    01
    10
    Centre
    24
    04
    28
    East
    08
    02
    10
    Far North
    28
    01
    29
    Littoral
    17
    03
    20
    North
    11
    01
    12
    Northwest
    19
    01
    20
    West
    20
    05
    25
    South
    08
    03
    11
    Southwest
    11
    04
    15
    Total
    155
    25
    180

    Source: MINATD (Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization).

    Table 13: Table comparing the number of men and women elected

    as alternate members of the National Assembly, by province

    Province
    Men
    Women
    Total
    Adamaoua
    09
    01
    10
    Centre
    14
    14
    28
    East
    10
    01
    11
    Far North
    27
    02
    29
    Littoral
    13
    06
    19
    North
    11
    01
    12
    Northwest
    16
    04
    20
    West
    19
    06
    25
    South
    08
    03
    11
    Southwest
    15
    0
    15

    Source: MINATD.

    Table 14: Distribution of the candidates elected by gender and by province

    Province
    Men
    Women
    % women
    Adamaoua
    543
    54
    9.05
    Centre
    1,571
    375
    19.27
    East
    741
    116
    13.54
    Far North
    1,425
    112
    7.29
    Littoral
    826
    200
    19.49
    North
    627
    72
    10.3
    Northwest
    895
    193
    17.74
    West
    1,034
    182
    14.97
    South
    614
    155
    20.16
    Southwest
    605
    192
    21.4
    Total
    8,981
    1,651
    15.53

    Source: MINATD.

    Table 15: Distribution of the number of mayors by gender in the municipalities

    Province
    Number of municipalities
    Number of mayors by gender
    Women
    Percentage
    Adamaoua
    21
    0
    0
    Centre
    70
    05
    7.14
    East
    33
    04
    12.12
    Far North
    47
    0
    0
    Littoral
    34
    04
    11.76
    North
    21
    01
    4.75
    Northwest
    34
    01
    2.94
    West
    40
    02
    5
    South
    29
    03
    10.34
    Southwest
    31
    03
    12.09
    Total
    360
    24
    6.67

    Source: MINATD.

    Annex II

    EXTENT TO WHICH THE MINISTRIES TAKE ACCOUNT OF GENDER

    Table 16: How the ministries rank in regard to gender promotion

    Seq. No.
    Ministries
    Secretaries-general and similar category
    Directors and similar category
    Cumulative total of secretaries-general, directors and similar categories
    Total
    M
    F
    % F
    Total
    M
    F
    % F
    Total
    M
    F
    % F
    1
    mintour
    2
    1
    1
    50
    9
    6
    3
    33.33
    11
    7
    4
    36.36
    2
    minas
    2
    2
    0
    0
    7
    4
    3
    42.85
    9
    6
    3
    33.33
    3
    minproff
    2
    2
    0
    0
    7
    4
    3
    42.85
    9
    6
    3
    33.33
    4
    minep
    2
    2
    0
    0
    15
    10
    5
    33.33
    17
    12
    5
    29.41
    5
    minjustice
    3
    2
    1
    33.33
    16
    12
    4
    25
    19
    14
    5
    26.31
    6
    minfoppa
    3
    3
    0
    0
    13
    9
    4
    30.76
    16
    12
    4
    25
    7
    minpmeesa
    2
    1
    1
    50
    7
    5
    2
    28.57
    9
    7
    2
    25
    8
    minesup
    4
    4
    0
    0
    14
    10
    4
    28.57
    18
    14
    4
    22.22
    9
    minsante
    4
    3
    1
    25
    28
    22
    6
    21.42
    32
    25
    7
    21.87
    10
    minimitd
    2
    2
    0
    0
    8
    8
    0
    0
    10
    8
    2
    20
    11
    mintss
    2
    1
    1
    50
    8
    7
    1
    12.5
    10
    8
    2
    20
    12
    minesec
    10
    9
    1
    10
    11
    8
    3
    27.27
    21
    17
    4
    19.04
    13
    minepia
    2
    1
    1
    50
    9
    8
    1
    11.11
    11
    9
    2
    18.18
    14
    minjeun
    2
    2
    0
    0
    9
    7
    2
    22.22
    11
    9
    2
    18.18
    15
    minduh
    3
    3
    0
    0
    9
    7
    2
    22.22
    12
    10
    2
    16.66
    16
    cionsupe
    1
    0
    1
    100
    5
    5
    0
    0
    6
    5
    1
    16.66
    17
    minsep
    2
    2
    0
    0
    10
    8
    2
    20
    12
    10
    2
    16.66
    18
    minefop
    2
    1
    1
    50
    10
    9
    1
    10
    12
    10
    2
    16.66
    19
    mincom
    2
    2
    0
    0
    11
    9
    2
    18.18
    13
    11
    2
    15.38
    20
    mincult
    2
    2
    0
    0
    5
    4
    1
    20
    7
    6
    1
    14.28
    21
    minrex
    2
    2
    0
    0
    12
    10
    2
    16.66
    14
    12
    2
    14.28
    22
    mint
    2
    1
    1
    50
    6
    6
    0
    0
    8
    7
    1
    12.5
    23
    mincommerce
    2
    1
    1
    50
    7
    7
    0
    0
    9
    8
    1
    11.11
    24
    minatd
    2
    2
    0
    0
    19
    17
    2
    10.52
    21
    19
    2
    9.52
    25
    minee
    2
    1
    1
    50
    9
    8
    1
    11.11
    11
    10
    1
    9.09
    26
    minresi
    2
    1
    1
    50
    9
    9
    0
    0
    11
    10
    1
    9.09
    27
    mindaf
    2
    2
    0
    0
    9
    8
    1
    11.11
    11
    10
    1
    9.09
    28
    minader
    4
    4
    0
    0
    19
    17
    2
    10.52
    23
    21
    2
    8.69
    29
    minpostel
    2
    2
    0
    0
    14
    13
    1
    7.14
    16
    15
    1
    6.25
    30
    minedub
    3
    2
    1
    33.33
    14
    14
    0
    0
    17
    16
    1
    5.88
    31
    minepat
    2
    2
    0
    0
    12
    12
    0
    0
    14
    14
    0
    00
    32
    minfof
    2
    2
    0
    0
    9
    9
    0
    0
    11
    11
    0
    00
    33
    mintp
    3
    3
    0
    0
    13
    13
    0
    0
    16
    16
    0
    00
    34
    scra
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
    3
    0
    0
    3
    3
    0
    00
    Total
    84
    70
    14
    16.66
    366
    308
    58
    15.84
    450
    378
    72
    16.00

    Source: MINFOPRA 2008.

    Annex III

    LIST OF TRADE UNIONS REGISTERED IN CAMEROON IN 2006

    Sequence No.
    Provinces
    Name
    Sector of activity
    PO box and registered office
    Register number
    Name of president
    Registration date
    1
    Centre
    Syndicat national des employeurs de l’industrie d’arts polygraphiques et activités connexes du Cameroun (SYNEIAPAC)
    Processing industry
    12020- Yaoundé
    E4 / 145
    TCHUITCHEU Marc René
    12 January 2006
    2

    Syndicat national des travailleurs ruraux du Cameroun (SYNATRUC)
    Agriculture
    1734- Yaoundé
    SN/I/43
    TIPO NDAYE Ibrahim
    12 January 2006
    3

    Syndicat national des prestataires de services et assimilés du Cameroun (SYNAPREC)
    Commercial activity
    14152- Yaoundé
    E4 / 146
    NINGA TSAI Augustin
    12 January 2006
    4

    Syndicat des exploitants de Call Box du Cameroun (SYCALLCAM)
    Commercial activity
    2337- Yaoundé
    E/SI/2
    PROWO KETINGYE Calvin Luther
    25 January 2006
    5

    Confédération des Syndicats autonomes du Cameroun (CSAC)

    12097- Yaoundé
    CSAC/CE/1
    VEWESSE
    02 March 2006
    6

    Syndicat départemental des travailleurs des aéroports du Cameroun S.A du Wouri (STACWOCGT/Liberté)
    Air transport
    13615- Yaoundé
    CGT/Liberté/SD/1
    BAKARI Aba Ali
    02 March 2006
    7

    Syndicat national des exploitants professionnels des pompes funèbres du Cameroun
    Commercial activity
    7460- Yaoundé
    E4/147
    TAGMIN Hubert
    02 March 2006
    8

    Syndicat national des chauffeurs employés professionnels de taxi, moto, bus, minibus urbain et interurbain du Cameroun (SYNCEPROTMBMUICAM)
    Urban transport
    11889- Yaoundé
    SN/46
    MANFOUO Jean Norbert
    03 April 2006
    9

    Syndicat national des exploitants des débits de boissons du Cameroun (SYNEDEBOC)
    Commercial activity
    14947- Yaoundé
    E4/148
    Roger TAPA TCHIESSO
    26 April 2006
    10

    Groupement des revendeurs des vivres du Nyong et Kele (GROUREVIYEK)
    Commercial activity
    20792- Yaoundé
    SID/54
    MBOGOL MBOGOL Paul T.
    26 July 2006
    11

    Syndicat authentique de la sécurité sociale du Cameroun Cameroon’s Authentic Trade Union Security Workers (CATUSSW)

    3628 – Yaoundé
    SN/I/51
    OTSENG NGAMBA Laurent Francis
    26 July 2006
    12

    Syndicat national des travailleurs des industries du commerce et des jeux du Cameroun (SYNATICJC)
    Commercial activity
    6383- Yaoundé
    UGTC/SN/1
    MELI MAFFOUO Donatien
    17 August 2006
    13

    Syndicat national des personnels du secteur des postes et télécommunications (SYNAPOSTEL)

    6383- Yaoundé
    UGTC/SN/2
    NKWADI Peter
    19 September 2006
    14

    Fédération des Syndicats nationaux de commerce du Cameroun (FSNCC)
    Commercial activity
    Yaoundé
    I/FED/07
    MOUHAMAN SALISSOUH
    19 September 2006
    15

    Syndicat national des travailleurs aux activités pastorales et exploitation connexes (SYNATAPEC)
    Agriculture
    7307- Yaoundé
    SN/I/55
    NLOMO MVOGO Bruno
    05 December 2006
    16

    Fédération des Syndicats libres des travailleurs des établissements financiers du Cameroun (FESYLTEF-CAM)
    Banking
    13994- Yaoundé
    USLC/FED/3
    Rose NDJIE SHE
    O5 December 2006
    17

    Fédération syndicale des travailleurs de la construction, travaux publics et activités annexes du Cameroun (FSTBC)
    Public works and buildings
    12232- Yaoundé
    CGT-L/FED/1
    MINKOULOU Pierre
    20 December 2006
    18
    Littoral
    Union des Syndicats des chauffeurs, des conducteurs et assimilés du Cameroun (USCCAM)
    Transport
    260 – Douala
    E4/144
    KAMGOUE Emmanuel
    25 January 2006
    19

    Syndicat national de l’énergie électrique (SNEE)
    Electricity
    5059- Douala
    CSTC/N/11
    FOUMAN Julien Marcel
    26 January 2006
    20

    Syndicat national des conducteurs de minibus du Cameroun (SNCMBC)
    Transport
    18351- Douala
    SN/I/44
    TCHUIGOUA Charles
    02 March 2006
    21

    Syndicat national des transporteurs d’hydrocarbures du Cameroun (SNTHC)
    Transport
    13270- Douala
    E4/149
    HAMAN Abdoulaye
    16 March 2006
    22

    Syndicat des travailleurs de l’industrie textile de la confection et habillement du Wouri (SYTITECHW)
    Industry
    11919- Douala
    SID/48
    MABOU Jean
    03 April 2006
    23

    Syndicat national du personnel naviguant commercial (SNPNC)
    Air transport
    5554- Douala
    SN/I/45
    Mme MAKEMBE BEBEY Lydie
    03 April 2006
    24

    Syndicat national des détectives privés du Cameroun (SNDPC)
    Service industry
    2522- Douala
    SN/I/48
    Aurélien Joseph MATHEUS ABDOUL AZIZE
    26 April 2006
    25

    Syndicat libre des travailleurs des garages automobiles et activités connexes du Wouri (SYNDLTGACW)
    Automobile sector
    9156- Douala
    SID/51
    EHAWA Anselme
    05 July 2006
    26

    Syndicat national de l’audiovisuel Cameroun (SYNAVCAM)
    Communications
    15297- Douala
    SN/I/52
    Henri FOTSO
    26 July 2006
    27

    Syndicat départemental libre des conducteurs des moto-taxis du Wouri (SYNDLCMTW)
    Urban transport
    9156- Douala
    DID/53
    FOKO TOTOUOM
    Eric Blaise
    26 July 2006
    28

    Syndicat libre des travailleurs de l’industrie de raffinage d’huile de palme et activités connexes du Wouri (SLTIRHPW)
    Processing industry
    Douala- Douala
    SID/50
    NHEHEG Gustave
    26 July 2006
    29

    Syndicat département libre des biscuiteries boulangeries du Wouri (SYNDLBIBW)
    Commercial activity
    9156 – Douala
    SID/52
    NSANGOU Amadou
    26 July 2006
    30

    Syndicat des travailleurs des entreprises maritimes et connexes du Cameroun (STEMCC)
    Maritime transport
    1992 – Douala
    SN/I/49
    NOTEWO Martin
    17 August 2006

    Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

    Annex IV

    TREND IN MOTHER AND CHILD HEALTH INDICATORS

    Trend in mother and child health indicators

    Indicator
    1991
    1998
    2004
    Maternal mortality rate
    Probability of death per 100,000 live births
    430a
    (1989-1998)
    669a
    (1995-2004)
    Prenatal visits
    78.8%
    78.8%
    83.3%
    Delivery in a health centre
    6.4%
    54.3%
    59%
    Use of modern contraception
    4.2%
    7.1%
    12.5%
    Infant mortality rate
    Probability of death before the age of one year per 1,000 live births
    65%
    77%
    74%
    Child mortality rate
    Probability of death before the age of five years per 1,000 live births
    126.3%
    150.7%
    142%
    Chronic malnutrition
    24.4%
    29.3%
    31.7%
    Severe malnutrition
    3%
    6%
    5%

    Source: Demographic and health surveys of 1991, 1998 and 2004.

    a The method employed makes it possible to assess the situation for the period between 0 and 9 years prior to the survey.

    -----


    [1] “We, the People of Cameroon ... affirm our attachment to the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Charter of the United Nations, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and all duly ratified international conventions relating thereto ...”.

    [2] Cameroon is in the process of setting in place an independent body to organize and monitor elections on the basis of Law No. 2006/011 of 29 December 2006 on the establishment, organization and operation of Elections Cameroon, “ELECAM”.

    [3] The Code entered into force on 1 January 2007, pursuant to Law No. 2006/008 of 14 July 2006 amending and supplementing the provisions of art. 747 of Law No. 2005/007 of 27 July 2005 on the Code of Criminal Procedure.

    [4] See Constitution of 2 June 1972, art. 31.

    [5] In 2007, sitting as the Constitutional Council, the Supreme Court annulled the election results in the following constituencies: Mungo Sud: Judgement No. 116/CEL of 7 August 2007; Case of Njana Marie Joseph (MDP) v State of Cameroon (MINATD); - Nyong-et-Kelle: Judgement No. 117/CEL of 7 August 2007; Case of Kodock Augustin Frédéric (UPC) v State of Cameroon (MINATD); Haut-Nkam: Judgement No. 119/CEL of 7 August 2007; Case of Kwemo Pierre (SDF) v State of Cameroon (MINATD); Wouri Est: Judgement No. 30/CEL of 23 July 2007; Case of Nintcheu Jean Michel (SDF) and Etroukang Jean Pierre (UNDP) v State of Cameroon (MINATD); Mayo Tsanaga Nord: Judgement No. 118/CEL/2007 of 7 August 2007; Case of Basile Yagai (UNDP) v State of Cameroon (MINATD).

    [6] A recruitment drive for 55 assistants to work in the 13 departments set up in Maroua’s École normale supérieure was launched on 9 August 2008. The Government had already authorized the recruitment of 1,000 teaching staff in the State universities.

    [7] Fifteen establishments have taken part in the experiment since 2001 (Figuil lycée, Kaélé lycée in northern Cameroon, Ebolowa lycée classique in southern Cameroon, Abong-Mbang lycée in eastern Cameroon, Edéa lycée bilingue in Cameroon’s Littoral Province).

    [8] Cameroon Tribune No. 8719/4918 of 6 November 2006.

    [9] This private denominational school is one of the best in terms of the quality of education it provides.

    [10] Article 152 of Cameroon’s Penal Code defines insulting behaviour as “defamation, insult or threat by means of gestures, words or shouting in places open to the public, or by means of any process designed to secure public attention”.

    [11] Supreme Court, Judgement No. 45 of 2 February 1973 (Court Reports, Supreme Court, No. 28, 1973).

    [12] See the report by the Ministry of Justice on the state of human rights in 2005, pp. 159-160.

    [13] Ibid, pp. 164-167.

    [14] Source: Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training.

    [15] Ibid.

    [16] General Comment No. 4 (1991) of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, para. 8(c).

    [17] See Cameroon Tribune No. 8679/4878 of 8.9.2006, pp. 16-17.

    [18] It encompasses ship-building and repair, the refurbishment of oil platforms and industrial engineering projects and is likely to generate 3,500 direct jobs, about 1,000 subcontracting posts and a similar number of jobs in the hotel and catering trade and the transport sector etc.

    [19] The inspections began in September 2005.

    [20] Source: Document MINSANTE: “Vers l’accès universel aux traitements et soins en faveur des adultes et enfants vivant avec le VIH/SIDA au Cameroun” (“Towards universal access to treatment and care for adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon”). (Progress Report No. 10 April 2008).

    [21] Above-mentioned Decree on the organization of the Government.

    [22] Law No. 2003/013 of 22 December 2003 on patronage and sponsorship.


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