on Cameroon People from 2010 to 2015 was conducted. It highlighted the need to step up
local public actions through the preparation and implementation of a Decentralization
Operational Strategy based on Council Development Plans, the GESP, and on the budgetprogramme requirements needed by the financial regimes of the State and Councils.
156- The ongoing preparation of the National Decentralization Strategy and the codification
of decentralization will help define and better explain the implementation of corrective
measures to the identified challenges.
157- Henceforth, the process is supervised at the institutional level by the Ministry of
Decentralization and Local Development109 set up by Decree No. 2018/190 of 2 March 2018
to supplement some provisions of the Decree of 9 December 2011 to organise the
Government. The new institutional stakeholder shall speed up decentralization and boost local
development for the people.
CHAPTER 3: IMPLEMENTATION OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL RIGHTS
158-The GESP has become the strategic framework within which the economic policy of
Cameroon was deployed during the period 2013-2018. Enhancement of the standard of living
of the people was at the centre of the implementation of both the growth strategy and the
employment strategy, the cross-cutting strategy on enhancing governance and the strategic
management of the State that has the duty of establishing a proper environment for the
production of wealth. Since the deployment of overarching projects of such strategies requires
a huge mobilisation of land resources, the issue of land law and especially land ownership has
become a central development challenge. Focus was also on human resource development
with the promotion of health, education and vocational training, and fine tuning the social
protection and national solidarity system. In spite of the many challenges, the actions carried
out had a varied impact on the standard of living of the people. Thus, in line with the recent
developments mapped out by the ACHPR, this Report will discuss developents made
concerning the right to food, right to water and sanitation, and right to housing, in addition to
the rights concerning the aspects referred to above.
Section 1: Right to Ownership (Article 14)
159- In addition to the relevant information contained in the previous Reports110, it should be
noted that the need to lift the land constraints in order to facilitate development has revealed
the imperative requirement to further increase the legal security of occupation in a context of
increasing pressure on lands. Securing access to land and protection against violation of land
rights while integrating vulnerability situations constituted the major points in the protection
of the right to land ownership.
§1: Securing Access to Land
160- As part of securing access to land, actions were taken to ensure the rational distribution
of land, proper understanding of the technical variables and the enhancement of procedures.
161- With regard to the rational distribution of land, the State initiated a programme to map
out land reserves. As at 19 October 2018, some 812,217ha 5a 72ca were mapped out as land
reserves. Besides, in 2013, some 417,400ha of which 417,000ha were allocated as Statesetting up of mechanisms necessary for the payment of remuneration of Municipal Councillors and the effective
transfer of some CFAF18,500,000,000 to councils as local taxes subject to equalization for the first quarter of
2016.
109
Its duties included preparation of the laws and regulations on the organization and functioning of Councils;
and monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of decentralization. At the local level, it ensures the
promotion of socioeconomic development and good governance of Councils.
110
See §180-182 on the constitutional provisions and the legal provisions of the 1970s and 1980s.
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