Minister says gov’t making strides in improving lives of indigenous peoples.

She made the declaration in Yaounde on Friday August 9. This was during the commemoration of the 30^th edition of the International Day of the World Indigenous Peoples. 

The Day was commemorated globally under the theme: “Protecting the rights of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation or initial contact”.

At the level of Cameroon, it was held under the national theme: “Access to citizenship, a fundamental right for indigenous people”.

Minister Irène Nguene who spoke at the event said the Cameroonian indigenous peoples rely mainly on natural resources and the territories they occupy for survival.

She said government is, however, aware that over the years, these groups of peoples are being persistently discriminated and stigmatised.

Despite the setbacks, the minister said the government has been working and remains committed to changing the narrative through concrete, results-oriented actions.

To her, government is engaged in using all available platforms to promote the individual and collective rights of the indigenous people. The government official cited the push for systematic access to civil status and participation in the country’s political life. 

“The registration of births in these communities in particular, remains a real challenge, and the various initiatives will have to converge towards the establishment of sustainable mechanisms in order to achieve the desired results,” the minister stated.

She was upbeat that the presence of indigenous peoples in various spheres of life and in the governing circles means progress is being made. She cited their presence in parliament, government and other sectors.

Biodiversity conservation, forest protection

As far as indigenous peoples’ access to natural resources is concerned, Minister Irène Nguene said the state is focused on addressing biodiversity conservation issues where conflicts of interest have often arisen.

She said government is investing massively to protect the forest for the Bakas and ensuring that the Mbororos who really on pastures to feed their livestock, to have access to grazing fields.

“Our aim is to ensure that public conservation policies are consistent with the need for indigenous peoples to have access to basic social services, and to advocate their right to the benefits and sharing of the benefits associated with the exploitation of the genetic resources on which they depend,” the minister stated. 

Indigenous peoples demand more

Leaders of the Mbororo and Baka communities among other indigenous peoples who spoke at the event said there has been progress towards their social inclusion. They said they are impressed with what has been achieved through the multi-sectorial efforts. 

Actions carried out geared at promoting the culture of prioritising formal education among the indigenous communities, boosting the acquisition of birth registration and national identification documents were applauded.

“Without identification documents, someone cannot say he or she is a citizen of a country. These are important tools and we are happy for the strides that are made to address the issue in that area. We hope that the effort will continue,” the President of the Mbororo Social and Development Association, MBOSCUDA, Adamou Amadou said. 

In his message on the occasion of the 2024 World Indigenous Peoples Day, he said “the world must stand behind the rights of indigenous peoples to chart their own futures” with the aim to “safeguard their rights to live in peace and dignity” wherever they are found across the over 90 countries the communities are spread in. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3197 of Monday August 12, 2024