The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) coalition in Cameroon presented its position on land reform to government representatives from the offices of the President, Prime Minister, and various other ministries today in Yaoundé. These officials vowed to consider the coalition’s proposals in the country’s ongoing land reform process and to provide it with their continued support. The Inspector General in the Ministry of State Property, Surveys, and Land Tenure went so far as to encourage the coalition to propose articles they want to see in the forthcoming land law.

The Cameroon Coalition has been involved with the land reform process since the President, His Excellency Paul Biya, announced it in 2011. Since then, the Coalition has met with various stakeholders to ensure their interests are taken into account and conducted targeted advocacy to promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as women and other vulnerable groups, in the land law.

The resulting position document, handed over to government officials today, focuses on collective tenure rights and calls for recognizing and securing the rights of Cameroon’s Indigenous Peoples. It also emphasizes the importance of recognizing the village as a legal entity and establishing collective property rights, and calls for equal land access for women.

Read more here and see the position document (available in French only) here. Read media coverage of the meeting (in French) here and here.

For more updates from Cameroon, see the RRI Cameroon Coalition blog: https://rricameroun.wordpress.com