OHCHR – Central Africa Regional Centre (2006-2007)

Background

The Sub-regional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa was established in December 1999 at the request of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) by a UN General Assembly resolution. The Centre, located in Yaoundé (Cameroon), started its activities in March 2001 and was officially opened by the High Commissioner in June 2002. In July 2002, OHCHR signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretariat General of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to coordinate action to promote and protect human rights and democracy throughout the region.

The Centre focuses on capacity-building and the promotion of human rights and democracy. It aims at strengthening the capacity of governments, parliamentarians, armed forces, police, students and civil society organizations of the eleven countries of the region, namely Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe . It provides support to technical assistance projects in Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Republic of the Congo.
 

2006-2007 Programme

 
In 2006-2007, the Centre will focus on fostering a development programming based on human rights and human security; strengthening the rule of law; increasing awareness of all forms of discrimination, and building national institutions.

Within this framework, the Centre will organize sub-regional workshops on a human rights-based approach to development and will provide assistance to integrate the rights-based approach into the national programmes, in cooperation with relevant UN country teams and in the context of the work of the relevant regional economic communities, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and the E conomic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

The Centre will provide support to the process of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. It will support government initiatives to adopt or review anti-discrimination laws and to integrate human rights education in schools and university curricula. It will continue to build sub-regional capacity in the fields of human rights and democracy through the implementation of its training and internship programme for civil society organizations.

In addition, the Yaoundé Centre will host the Regional Adviser on Action 2 who will provide advisory services to UNCTs and collaborate with the secretariat of the Regional Human Development Report for the Great Lakes region, based in Kigali .

Finally, the Centre plans to host a regional consultation to develop a UN Plan of Action in support of the implementation of the peace pact on security, stability, and development in the Great Lakes region, to be adopted in Nairobi in December 2006.

Expected Accomplishments

Integration of the concepts of human rights and human security into the common instrument of the UN system, the Common Country Assessment (CCA), and the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

Integration of the concepts of human rights and human security into national and regional development programmes and policies.

Enhanced national protection systems.

Improved reporting records under international human rights treaties.

Enhanced legal protection against discrimination.