UN to Review Cameroon’s Human Rights Record

By Innocent Kum in Yaounde

Cameroon’s human rights record will be examined by the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, 16 May 2018, according to a statement issued in Geneva.

             Cameroon is one of the 14 States to be reviewed by the Working Group during its upcoming session taking place from 7 to 18 May, the communiqué stated. It will be the third time the body is reviewing Cameroon’s human rights record.

            “The documents on which the reviews are based include national report - information provided by the State under review, information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, known as the Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities and information provided by other stakeholders including national human rights institutions, regional organizations and civil society groups” the statement issued May 11 explained.

           

The UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. 

            The body is mandated to "undertake a universal periodic review, based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfilment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States. Subsequently, the Universal Periodic Review mechanism was established through the adoption by the Council of its “institution-building package”

            Since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all 193 UN member States have been reviewed twice within the first and second UPR cycles. 

            During the third UPR cycle, States are again expected to spell out steps they have taken to implement recommendations posed during their previous reviews which they committed to follow-up on, as well as to highlight recent human rights developments in the country.