UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD CENTRAL AFRICA Type of engagement Regional Office Countries of engagement Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tomé and Principe Year established 2001 Field office(s) Yaoundé, Cameroon Staff as of 31 December 2018 11 Total income US$299,010 XB requirements 2018 US$320,700 Total XB expenditure US$231,152 Development (D) Personnel Non-personnel PSC† 45% 43% 12% $105,048 $99,511 $26,593 Total RB expenditure US$1,390,426 Personnel Non-personnel 81% 19% $1,126,467 $263,959 Key OMP pillars in 2018 † Please refer to Data sources and notes on p.191. KEY PILLAR RESULTS: Participation (P) P6 – Marginalized groups participate more actively in political and public life, locally and nationally. There has been an increase in the level of meaningful participation of rights-holders within some countries in the subregion, especially women and discriminated groups, in selected public processes. This is partially due to OHCHR’s capacity-building and advocacy activities with political parties and other relevant stakeholders. 192 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 Spotlights: During the presidential elections in Cameroon, OHCHR observed that increased attention was paid to facilitating the right to vote for persons with disabilities, including through improved accessibility to polling stations. Law enforcement officials also demonstrated a better understanding of human rights considerations during the electoral process. In most urban centres, they stayed away from the centre of polling operations, thus enabling voters to exercise their voting rights without any form of intimidation. Prior to the elections, OHCHR and the Election Management Body in Cameroon, the Disabilities National Commission on Human Rights of Cameroon, UNESCO, UNDP, UN Women and Sightsavers undertook a series of joint workshops on promoting peaceful electoral processes. The workshops were addressed to a diversity of stakeholders, including media professionals, civil society organizations and law enforcement officers. D1 – Protection mechanisms in place to monitor and report violations of businesses, including through community-based organizations, and support advocacy for human rights-compliant business agreements and policies by September 2021. OHCHR contributed to the establishment of national protection systems in compliance with international human rights norms and standards by sharing technical advice and facilitating capacity-building activities. Following a series of technical support activities that were provided by the Central Africa Regional Office, National Commission on Human Rights of Cameroon adopted an Action Plan on business and human rights. The Plan was presented to the Commission’s twenty-fifth ordinary session on 7 December 2018 and received a firm commitment from members to examine ways of ensuring that the necessary resources would be available for its implementation. The Plan features three main axes, namely, the education and sensitization of companies and rights-holders; monitoring and reporting of violations with an aim to producing reports that will inform advocacy actions in the near future and support for legal processes as needed; and support for victims of human rights violations by companies with a focus on advisory services, legal aid, counselling and mediation. OHCHR will continue to provide advisory support to the Commission to facilitate the successful implementation of the Plan. D2 – Corporate bodies increasingly comply with relevant human rights norms and standards and implement the UN protect, respect and remedy framework and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Office contributed to the increased compliance of corporate policies with international human rights norms and standards by facilitating workshops and sharing guidance and advice. Following training and technical support from OHCHR, three companies in Cameroon (HEVECAM SA, EDC and CDC) and one in Gabon (SEM) developed human rights-compliant policies and practices. In 2018, the Office gathered together these business entities to participate in a subregional consultation in Douala, Cameroon. During the consultation, participants renewed their commitment to uphold human rights in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Representatives of the national human rights institutions of Cameroon and Gabon attended the event and committed to speeding up the development of national actions plans on business and human rights. In addition, CDC developed a revised complaints mechanism and a related procedure for the treatment of complaints. Mechanisms (M) M1 – UN Country Teams, Government institutions, civil society organizations and national human rights institutions (NHRIs) are more aware of the recommendations that have been issued by UN human rights mechanisms and take steps to implement them, including through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The Office contributed to the increased integration of international human rights principles, as well as the recommendations issued by the human rights mechanisms, into national and UN programmes by delivering workshops and providing technical support. In Gabon, following a workshop that was facilitated by OHCHR, in December, the interministerial committee in charge of reporting to the human rights mechanisms adopted a road map for the development of an action plan for the implementation of recommendations issued by the human rights mechanisms and the timely submission of reports to the treaty bodies. In addition, OHCHR participated in a UN Country Team workshop for the preparation of the UNDAF 2020-2024 for the Congo and led a session on the recommendations issued by the human rights mechanisms with a view to defining priority areas of intervention for the UN within the country. The new UNDAF 2020-2024 has an outcome on Governance that includes human rights as a key factor of progress. It also includes advocacy efforts with the Government regarding the preparation and submission of outstanding reports to the treaty bodies. Finally, OHCHR engaged with relevant actors, including UN partners, to advise and facilitate training related to the integration of human rights standards into conflict-related programmes and activities under the Peace and Security pillar. Shifts: Global Constituency Civic Space UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 193