Last 18th and 19th February, the NGO ASSOAL’s premises provided the framework for this exercise.
More recently, the promotion and the protection of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESC Rights) in Cameroon were still on the agenda. According to the main recommendation of the Constitutive General Assembly (CGA) of this network, a meeting said to be of planning brought together for two days the actors of the civil society on the human rights theme.
As a result, last 18th and 19th February, 4 representatives of the Cameroonian ESC rights platform’s Executive office, joined by 2 other members of this network, buckled down and reviewed in detail the 2010 Action Plan, its main articulation being, the annual budget allocation to activities and the deployment’s timing in the field, said, Achille Ndaimai, permanent secretary of the Cameroonian ESC Rights’ Platform.
Presenting the draft action plan amended by the CGA last October, Emmanuel Njifenji, work facilitator, invited participants to “comply with the spirit of this plan to avoid drifting from the logic order”.
The restitution of the assessment study on ESC Rights’ current situation in Cameroon from the colonial period until today followed. From this survey, it appears that « Cameroon does not have an iron will to affirm a real desire in taking into account the ESC Rights into its own public policies in Cameroon. ». Indeed, using data on the ESC Rights’ recognition and its level of direct involvement in the lives of citizens,« all attempts to claim rights that come with legitimate popular uprising often seems to fit with solutions that are only limited to simple speech or symbolic signing of presidential decrees or bills, which for most cases, are not respected by any Administration or any party involved », said the report.
The remaining work will be devoted to design and to draft the logical framework and a budget that can maintain the implementation of the Triennial Action plan activities (2010 - 2012).
At the end of work, some perspectives were discussed. Among other things:
- Promote a major mobilization campaign to allow the ratification of the optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights- by Cameroon,
- Heighten the daily watch of the ESC Rights application,
- the production of a comprehensive alternative shadow report on the ESC Rights’ situation in Cameroon.
According to Pierrette MEMONG of ALVF these actions will allow « a greater recognition of ESC Rights in public life in Cameroon ».
Eric O. LEMBEMBE
Translation by Kate Mugo
Read the report in french
- Etude sur l’état des lieux des DESC au Cameroun de 1945 à nos jours
