The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to Central Africa, Abdou Abarry, has praised Cameroon, asserting that the country is exemplary in terms of governance, peace, and stability.
The UN envoy was speaking recently in Yaounde, after a session with officials of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission (CHRC).
The visit was aimed to examine ways through which the UN and the CHRC could strengthen the protection of human rights in Cameroon.
“Cameroon is an exemplary country in terms of the evolution of Central Africa and also in terms of governance, peace, and stability,” the UN representative said.
The UN Official was received at the CHRC headquarters by its Chairperson, Prof. James Mouangue Kobila.
Aimed at promoting and protecting human rights, the meeting, according to the CHRC, was fruitful and satisfactory.
Abdou Abarry was accompanied to the CHRC by Coulibaly Siaka, the Interim Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Cameroon, and another collaborator.
After deliberations, both parties agreed to strengthen cooperation ties between the United Nations System and the Cameroon Human Rights Commission to understand how the Commission functions, its evolution, and its engagement with civil society and UN agencies.
“The parties also took stock of the CHRC’s work in crisis regions, the disarmament and de-radicalization of terrorists, and the release of “non-violent prisoners,” a statement from the CHRC read.
“Prof. James Mouangue Kobila and his host further addressed the prevention and mitigation of hate speech, especially in the run-up to major elections, and the commission’s interactions with government authorities,” the statement furthered.
According to the CHRC, aside from praising Cameroon for its exemplary leadership of peace and stability in the region, the representative of the UN Secretary-General reiterated the availability of the entire United Nations System to continue providing tools and expertise to the CHRC while proposing potential avenues for further cooperation.
However, this high praise from the UN contrasts with some critical international assessments of Cameroon’s governance.
Earlier this year, World Economics, a UK-based research organization, ranked Cameroon as one of the worst-governed countries globally.
Additionally, Freedom House, in its World Freedom Index, categorized Cameroon as “not free,” citing concerns about civil liberties and political rights.
