Cameroon

Cameroon has an Interministerial Committee under the authority of the Prime Minister, responsible for liaising with UN human rights mechanisms. The Committee is composed of representatives from key ministries—including Justice, Foreign Affairs, Communication, Social Affairs, Women and Family Promotion, Territorial Administration, Defense, and the National Human Rights Commission—headed by the Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s Office.

INSTITUTIONAL SETUP

The mechanism is formally called the Interministerial Committee for the Follow-up on the Implementation of Recommendations and/or Decisions from International and Regional Mechanisms for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Focal points are designated in each ministry, including points for gender equality and persons with disabilities. The Committee was established by Order No. 093/CAB/PM (24 September 2021). Its terms of reference are included in the founding document.

Composition

The national mechanism includes representatives from all participating ministries and the National Human Rights Commission.

President: The Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s Office or their representative. Members:

• One representative from the Prime Minister’s Office;
• The Minister of Justice or their representative;
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs or their representative;
• The Minister of Communication or their representative;
• The Minister for the Promotion of Women and the Family or their representative;
• The Minister of Social Affairs or their representative;
• The Minister of Territorial Administration or their representative;
• The Minister of Decentralization and Local Development or their representative;
• The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training or their representative;
• The Secretary of State for Defense in charge of the Gendarmerie or their representative;
• The Delegate General for National Security or their representative;
• The Director General of External Research or their representative;
• The President of the National Human Rights Commission or their representative.

Composed of all the sectoral administrations listed above, this Mechanism has focal points designated within each of these administrations by the head of the relevant ministerial department.

It also includes focal points established in accordance with the provisions of Article 33, paragraph 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The same applies to focal points of mechanisms for the promotion of gender equality.

Secretariat

The Committee has a Technical Secretariat under the responsibility of a Coordinator, a senior official of the Division of Public and Institutional Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Office.

This structure is primarily responsible for reviewing and validating the various reports intended for international and regional mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights, which are in practice prepared by the Ministry of Justice in a dynamic and participatory approach with the various relevant sectoral administrations.

The terms of reference are included in the founding document that establishes the Interministerial Committee.

Institutional memory and training The archives are kept in physical form. We are requesting support in computer equipment (laptops, printers, scanners, and photocopiers) for better electronic preservation of the archives, increased security, and to facilitate various tasks.

The members of the Technical Secretariat, as well as the focal points based in the various relevant ministerial departments, are not sufficiently equipped to effectively carry out their duties. Therefore, they require capacity building in specific areas to be identified in due course in order to ensure optimal performance.

MANDATE

The original mandate of the national mechanism includes mostly engagement with the Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review and the engagement with the African human rights system. In practice, the Ministry of Justice also coordinates reporting to the Treaty bodies.

The interministerial Committee currently engages with the Human Rights Council and its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) as well as with African Commission statutory work. There are plans to extend to the engagement with all human rights mechanisms.

The Technical Secretariat meets monthly. The full Committee meets as needed to validate proposals.

Process for the preparation of state reports

Reports and responses are drafted by the Ministry of Justice in coordination with sectoral ministries, civil society, and independent administrations. After internal validation, reports are submitted to the Committee for approval and forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for international submission.

COORDINATION

The Ministry of Justice leads coordination with ministries and other entities. It also takes the lead in consulting with civil society.

Linkages with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals The NMIRF coordinates with the national SDG mechanism (Ministry of Economy and Territorial Planning) for report preparation and alignment with the 2030 Agenda. The SDG coordination mechanism also contributes to the preparation of certain reports related to human rights in liaison with the Ministry of Justice.

Channel of communication with the National Statistics Office Communication with the National Statistics Office is limited.

Channel of communication with the Parliament Communication with Parliament is limited.

Channel of communication with the Judiciary The Ministry of Justice coordinates with the judiciary.

CONSULTATION

Consultations exist. However, due to the limited financial resources available, the Follow-up Committee (in the Prime Minister's Office) only works with the Cameroon Human Rights Commission. On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice works closely, in an inclusive, dynamic, and participatory approach, with Civil Society Organizations, Independent Administrations, and other partners in the preparation and internal validation of several reports intended for regional and international human rights protection and promotion bodies. Substantial financial assistance would enable the follow-up mechanism to organize regular consultations with key non-governmental stakeholders.

Cameroon has a National Human Rights Action Plan and a monitoring matrix, currently being renewed. The Committee received support from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2024 for a workshop validating the monitoring matrix for UPR recommendations.

Technical Secretariat of the Interministerial Committee for Monitoring the Implementation of Recommendations and/or Decisions Issued by International and Regional Mechanisms for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.