The Government of Cameroon launched its first 1325 National Action Plan (NAP) in November 2017 for a period of three years (2018-2020). The main data for identifying NAP priorities was compiled by WILPF Cameroon, which has also played a crucial role in mobilising on Women, Peace and Security across the country and developing this NAP. One gap that WILPF Cameroon has aimed to address through their work is the lack of awareness of UNSCR 1325, so a number of the section’s activities since its founding have focused on engaging key stakeholders as well as the media. NAP implementation is affected by the fact that since 2013, levels of violence and insecurity are increasing in some regions of Cameroon, specifically in the Far North due to the Boko Haram crisis, as well as in the South West and North West regions. This rising violence has had impacts on women and girls, including rising rates of SGBV, and the destruction of socio-economic infrastructure. WILPF Cameroon’s parallel report to the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights noted that women’s participation in politics, both national and local elected offices, remains low in Cameroon, and that women face barriers as candidates and also as voters. Additionally, it remarked on the importance of allocating adequate financial resources as well as human resources for implementation of the 1325 NAP, including on matters of participation and representation of women in government. However, the NAP offers no specific framework for monitoring the NAP implementation. The NAP, while referencing the impact of arms proliferation on women, does not offer any specific actions for disarmament and arms control, including monitoring mechanisms for assessing the impact of arms proliferation on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The lack of indicators in the NAP addressing disarmament and weapons flows is a significant gap given the direct links between arms proliferation into Cameroon, displacement, and rising levels of violence. Further, the law N°2016/015 of 14 December 2016 on the General Regime of Weapons and Ammunition in Cameroon excludes gender indicators, and the Cameroon National Committee on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration largely excludes the gender dimension, and was not preceded by inclusive dialogues representing the Anglophone segment of the population. WILPF Cameroon has repeatedly highlighted the importance of inclusive national dialogues to foster reconciliation, including in its statement at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review of Cameroon. The issue of birth registration has also been highlighted as crucial for the fulfillment of human rights, including for internally displaced people in Cameroon, and a barrier to participation in civic life.
