4296th Meeting, 146th Session, Human Rights Committee (CCPR)

Okay. Dear members of the committee, dear delegation, good afternoon. I would like to welcome you to 146th session of the Human Rights Committee. This is meeting number 4296. It is a public meeting and on webcast. It is devoted to the consideration of the sixth periodic report of Cameroon, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure in 2025. Both the list of issues prior to reporting and the initial report are available on the website of the Committee. Before we begin, I would like to say a few words about the spirit in which this dialogue will proceed. This is a dialogue between the State Party and the Committee, but we very much value the contribution of civil society to it. It is essential that civil society be able to work with the Committee in full freedom, without any risk of harassment or reprisals, whether here in Geneva or in the State Party. The Committee therefore expects that no person or organization cooperating with the Committee or attending these public meetings will face harassment, intimidation, or reprisal in Geneva, in the State Party, or elsewhere. In line with the UN zero-tolerance policy on reprisals, we would appreciate the delegation's assurance of the State Party's commitment to protecting all individuals and organizations that cooperate with the Committee. I would also remind everyone of our policy on photography and filming. For reasons of privacy and security, photographs and videos are permitted only of the official delegation and of Committee members. I ask that all cameras and recording devices be used strictly in accordance with this policy. And I thank you for your cooperation in respecting the privacy and safety of all participants. Today, we are very pleased to welcome a delegation led by Honorable Mr. Salomon Ehath, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Cameroon. Excellency, you have 15 minutes to deliver your introductory statement. Thereafter, we'll give the floor to a number of members of the committee to pose their questions on the first half of the list of issues prior to reporting. That is, issues 1 to 13. Your delegation will then have 15 minutes break to allow you to prepare your response to the questions posed by the members. Thereafter, you will have one hour to respond to the questions posed to you. Furthermore, there will be time for follow-up questions and answers. At 18 hours, I will adjourn the meeting. So without further ado, I would like to now give the floor to your excellency, Mr. Salomon. You have the floor.

I thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of my delegation, I want first of all to thank you for receiving us here. And as you mentioned, we are ready to respect all the engagements you have mentioned. So I'm going to switch in French.

Chair, distinguished Committee members, it is an honor for me to take the floor here before the United Nations Human Rights Committee for the presentation of the sixth periodic report of Cameroon under Article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Chair, distinguished Committee members, At the beginning of my statement, I would like to convey to you the cordial greetings of my government, headed by our president. I would like to point out that in spite of a difficult international context, and in spite of many peace and security challenges, as well as an economic crisis, my country remains strongly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. faced mainly with heavy debts and combating poverty, Cameroon reiterates without reservation its will to make a priority of this and to develop governance that is deeply rooted in the respect for human dignity. Chair, being here before your committee, We have a inter-institutional inter-ministerial delegation, which is proof of Cameroon's commitment to multilateralism and to the international system for the protection of human rights. It is also proof of its desire to engage in a constructive, open, and transparent dialogue with international mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights. Cameroon then takes this on with a spirit of openness and responsibility. as well as an unwavering resolve to strengthen its architecture for the promotion and protection of human rights, bearing in mind the recommendations that were presented during previous reviews. This sixth periodic report, the one we are presenting today, is part of a simplified procedure of the Committee. It does not mean that it's just a simple report. but it tries to realistically account of the progress that has been made as well as the challenges encountered and the efforts that have been made continuously to strengthen the rule of law and to guarantee the effective enjoyment of the rights enshrined in the Covenant. It is a product of broad consultation, bringing in sectoral administrations, civil society organizations, and the Cameroonian Human Rights Commission. It took place in a context that was characterized by the 2019 large-scale national dialogue with the view to address several concerns expressed by the population in various areas, as well as the adoption of a national strategy for development 2020-2030, which includes human rights among the essential developments for sustainable-- official dimensions for sustainable development, and the technical assessment in May 2026 of the National Covenant for Human Rights 2025-2030, which for the very first time includes a specific dimension on the right to nationality and combating statelessness. Sir, ladies and gentlemen, since the review of the fifth periodic report, Cameroon has made great efforts to improve the alignment of its legal, institutional, and strategic framework with the requirements of the Covenant. Consolidating a legislative framework and strengthening institutional infrastructure The rule of law, combating impunity and having justice prevail, social cohesion and preserving civic space, as well as security crisis management while respecting human rights are all part of these efforts. Sir, one of the greatest institutional developments over the past period under review is the reformulation of the National Human Rights Institution following the adoption of Law 19G 2019, which led to the creation of the National Human Rights Commission of Cameroon. This commission follows up on the National Human Rights Commission and Freedom, which was of 2004. Now, that commission itself was the sequel to the National Human Rights Committee, which was created in 1990, of which I was a member. The Kimberley National Human Rights Commission has henceforth improved independence, broader means of action, and increased financial independence. It also obtained in May 2024 a A status from GANRE. In addition to its mandate for the promotion and protection of human rights, it takes on responsibilities acting as a national mechanism for the prevention of torture. And as such, its commissioners and its staff can carry out announced visits, unbiased visits to centers of deprivation of freedom or wherever else they are called to this duty. Internationally, Cameroon has attained several significant achievements by the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, for example, and the Convention on the Status of Statelessness and the Convention on the Reduction of Cases of Statelessness, as well as some regional instruments related primarily to the rights of older persons and persons with disabilities. All of this, sir, dear Committee members, is proof of our desire to have an inclusive development model and to improve the protection for vulnerable people. Ladies and gentlemen, committee members, the position of the state of Cameroon in light of human right violations relies on a clear principle, which is combating impunity. The Cameroonian government reiterates that nothing, including security considerations, could justify torture, cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment or punishment, or even extrajudiciary executions. Allegations of violence that have been brought to the attention of relevant authority trigger an inquiry, as per the law. When the events have been clarified, the perpetrators, including those, if they are, members of security forces and the military, are made accountable before the relevant jurisdiction. And there can be additionally disciplinary actions and sanctions. Significant financial and structural efforts have been made in order to combat prison overcrowding and to improve detention conditions. The resources that have been earmarked for food and the health of inmates have been increased significantly. The Ministry of Justice and other institutional stakeholders in the matter are also carrying out their respective efforts on custody and temporary detention And the alternatives to detention are also encouraged if they are provided for in the legislation. In addition to repression, Cameroon grants particular attention to prevention. Certain modules on human rights and on international humanitarian law have been included in the training program for law enforcement officials, as well as in the National School of Administration, School of Law, and of Prison Management. Chair, committee members, as regards social cohesion and preserving the civic space, I would like to point out that Cameroon is a country with a great linguistic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. The promotion of a concept of living together is thereby a national priority. Confronted mainly with increase in intolerance and hate speech, including on digital online platforms, Cameroon has improved its legal and institutional framework regarding the coordination of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism, which was created in 2017. And here I have a little story to share with you about this commission. Awareness-raising campaigns have been carried out, hand in hand with the Ministry of Justice and Civic Education, other public offices and civil society organizations, in order to promote peace, tolerance and the respect for diversity. As regards public freedoms, the democratic space is characterized by political and media pluralism. The country has several hundred political parties, as well as a significant number of TV channels, radio stations, and press agencies. The enjoyment of the freedom of expression, association, and protest is guaranteed in the constitution and the laws in the republic, mindful, of course, of the requirements related to the protection of the rights of others, public order, and security.

The management of security crisis in full respect of human rights cannot be properly assessed without considering the particularity complex security environment that Cameroon has faced to several years. Our country continues to face, in particular, terrorist attack by Boko Haram in our far north region, the violence perpetrated by arms separatist group in the northwest and southwest region. These acts of violence primarily affected civilian population and notably school and health infrastructure. In the face of these threats, the state has duty to protect the population and their fundamental rights, first and foremost, the right to life. In carrying out this responsibility, defense and security forces, are subject to rules of engagement that take into account Cameroon's obligation under international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Allegations of misconduct are dealt with accordance with procedure established under national law and where the facts are established, the corresponding responsibility are engaged. Alongside the security response, The government favors multidimensional approaches, combining political dialogue, reconstruction, development, and reintegration. This is the context in which programs for the reconstruction and development of affected regions are being implemented together with the activities of the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration established in 2018. which offers a path towards reintegration for former combatants who renounce violence. The Cameroon authorities also continue to cooperate with United Nations humanitarian agencies and international partners to protect internally displaced persons, as well as the many refugees whom our country continues to host. Mr. Chair, distinguished members of the committees, These are some of the main developments that I wish to highlight at the opening of our dialogue. Our delegation stands fully ready to engage with the Committee in frank and constructive exchange and to the fullest extent possible to provide precise answers to the questions that will be raised. Thank you for your kind attention.

Thank you very much, Ambassador. Now, I will invite several members of our committee to pose questions. The first, I would like to give the floor to Madame Bassim. You have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson, and good afternoon, colleagues and friends present here in the room or online. At the delegation.

I would like to greet the delegation from Cameroon.

I would like at the outset to welcome the delegation of Cameroon, as well as the other stakeholders present here, and wish to thank you for the periodic report that you have presented and the replies to the list of issues. They say that if you want to experience the entire continent of Africa, but have only the chance to visit one country, then go to Cameroon. Rightly called Africa in miniature, packing an entire continent's worth of diversity in languages, ethnic groups, beautiful nature, and a very strong, famous football team, Cameroon is there today with us. So you can realize the interest of this committee in having this constructive dialogue with your delegation and the care with which it prepared it. Besides the state party reports, we also used information, as said the chairman of the committee, information provided by other stakeholders, including NGOs and civil society. In this review, the members will address positive developments and will seek information and clarifications on challenges and obstacles, aiming to look beyond the formal legal framework and concentrate on the full implementation and actual enjoyment in practice. I'll go now to paragraph 1, and in French. I would like to.

Thank the delegation of Cameroon for the information that the State Party has provided on the general human rights situation, as well as developments that have taken place since the last most recent periodic review, which took place in 2017 with this Committee. And against that backdrop, would you please provide information on the measures that have been taken to enforce the recommendations that were already presented by the Committee? Please accompany this with relevant data and statistics. What measures have been taken as regards the Optional Protocol? And please outline which measures have been implemented in order to efficiently, comprehensively implement the ideas that were mentioned by the Committee regarding the State Party. For example, Communication 1813 of 2008, Akwanga v. Cameroon, a ruling which dates back to March 2011. Would the August delegation please provide what has happened since the latest periodic review as regards the legal and institutional framework for the protection of human rights?

Anti-corruption measures. Despite the efforts of the State party and its institutions, related to combating corruption at both the public and private levels and the slight progress achieved in the rating of Cameroon in the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, the Committee is still concerned by the difficulties the State party is facing and at reports of reliable sources on the constant problems facing the governing system, the lack of public assessment mechanisms for issues related to corruption, efforts for corruption combating do not stem from deep convention, but most of the time out of convenience, the lack of judicial independence and immunities, that protect those who are in charge of looking into cases of economic and financial delinquency and weakness of implementation measures for the ruling, amplifying thus the general feeling of impunity for the perpetrators. especially that there are information into that corruption has costed the state 44 billions of CFR in 2022. With reference to the above and in light of the committee's previous concluding observations, please provide information on the steps taken in tackling corruption at several levels including within the police, the judiciary and the executive branches of the government. Please, can you include information on investigations into cases of corruption, the prosecution brought and the penalties imposed, including high-level corruption cases? Can you please give an insight on the implementation of Article 66 of the Constitution concerning the declaration of properties and assets and penalties imposed in case of non-compliance? Can you also indicate if the State party intends to develop laws aimed at ensuring access to information of public interest and the protection of whistleblowers as the State Party has described this issue in its report as non-topical. On counter-terrorism, paragraph 6, and while recognizing the serious threats that terrorism and terrorist acts impose on the national security and internal peace and stability in any society, the Committee continues to have grave concerns over the measures of anti-terrorism taken by the State Party in the context of combating terrorism, as follows: the overly broad definition and ambiguity of terrorist acts, creating systemic loopholes; the misuse of Act 2014/028, Article 2, against civil society to criminalize or chill actions by journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, and opposition members under the pretext of national security; the trial of civilians before military courts and the systematic failure to preserve fair trial guarantees. The reality is that some states' counterterrorism operations, especially in regions facing insurrection, led to arbitrary arrests or judicial oversight far beyond legal time constraints. Taking into account the above, Can you please indicate steps taken to review the above-mentioned act, particularly as far as article 2 is concerned, and article 8, glorification of terrorist acts, and the meaning of exclusive competence of the military courts in article 1? Please provide information on the action taken by the State party to prevent human rights violations being committed while countering terrorism, in particular during counter-terrorism operations. As far as the use of force and firearms is concerned, and in paragraph 11, And while the use of force and firearms by security forces in Cameroon is established through several instruments, which also applies to members of the gendarmerie engaged in law enforcement activity, where the use of firearms during crowd control operation is, as a general rule, prohibited and security forces are required to rely primarily on non-lethal means, including tear gas, batons, or similar equipment to maintain or restore public order. And while the State Party reported the establishment of a number of measures to ensure accountability, for human rights violations committed by security forces. Nevertheless, the Committee remains concerned about the implementation in practice of these measures and to which extent the domestic and legal framework reflects in full the requirements of the Covenant and, in a broader sense, the UN basic principles on the use of arms and firearms by the police and law enforcement officials. With regard to the above, please provide information on the legal framework governing the use of force and firearms by the law enforcement authorities, clarifying the consistency of this framework with the international standards and indicating what measures are taken by the State party to ensure that they are respected in practice, particularly in the Littoral and other regions of Cameroon? What are the measures taken by the State to ensure that all allegations of abuse are investigated in a prompt, independent and impartial manner, and that the perpetrators, when proven guilty, are prosecuted and punished as appropriate, and that the victims are adequately compensated. Can the esteemed delegation finally provide information on cases where law enforcement forces have used lethal weapons including while policing demonstrations or dealing with riots, and the investigations carried out and their results? Can you specify if an investigation is automatically launched out whenever the lethal force has been used by the law enforcement officials? Thank you very much for your patience and I'm looking forward to your answers.

Thank you very much, Madame Bassin. Now I will give the floor to Mr. Ndia.

Thank you, Chair. I'd like to thank the delegation for the periodic report and for joining us here this afternoon.

I really appreciate the presence of a Cameroonian delegation here, because this is really miniature Africa, with all the cultural diversity, with all the problems we face, but all the hopes for the future.

Now, I would like to address four different spheres: the legal framework and the Cameroonian Human Rights Commission, combating impunity, protection of civilians, and administration of justice.

I will begin with the covenant in domestic law. The list of issues requested examples of cases where the covenant has been invoked before Cameroonian courts. The report does not cite any. Could the delegation provide some examples, including from the Supreme Court? The report also states that customary courts apply the Covenant when a customary rule contradicts it. Could you provide an example? Regarding the Committee's views 6/2017, the Committee has adopted 12 views concerning Cameroon. In the Akwanga case adopted in March 2011, it redressed reported a lack of implementation in October 2024. The report indicates that views are submitted to the interministerial monitoring committee. What actions has this committee taken to implement them? Why has no follow-up report been submitted on our 2017 concluding observations? I would now like.

To turn to the Cameroonian National Human Rights Commission. According to the report, the president, vice-president and commissioners are appointed by the president of the republic for a renewable mandate of five years, upon nomination by administrations and associations or organisations that they belong to. There are 13 seats, only two of them are reserved for organisations working for the rights of specific groups and none is explicitly reserved for NGOs defending human rights. So what safeguards protect the commission from the influence of the government? And in which cases can a commissioner's mandate be terminated? What is the proportion of women among commissioners? And are there any quotas for them? And what does the state do to ensure a quota is respected? And Are you going to ensure that there are more seats for NGOs proposed by their own organisations?

I congratulate the Commissioner having achieved A rating, but it hasn't provided our committee with any information.

So I wonder if it's been salted when the report was drafted. Has it publicly criticised the Government, for example, following the declaration to render various human rights organisations null in December 2024, as mentioned in paragraph 158? In 2024, the commission carried out 1,085 visits to places of detention. How many of them were unannounced? How many of them were to places guarded by military officials or the intelligence services? We would like to know if their reports are published. Is the commission present in the regions of the north-west, south-west and the far north?

How is its budget established?

Does it have a separate budget line voted by the Parliament? Can the Minister of Finance freeze its funds, and what proportion of its funding comes from external sources and according to what rules? Lastly, with regard to customary courts, the list of issues asked you about what measures have been taken to clarify their jurisdiction. The report refers to texts from 1948 and 1969, but no measures since then. Are you planning a reform of them? It's also said that the parties before these courts should be able to refuse the competence of these courts. How do you ensure that women can exercise this choice? And any settlements brought about by traditional chiefs, are they regulated? And is domestic violence expressly dealt with by these courts. Now, fighting impunity, I'd like to come to the question about disaggregated data on investigations, prosecutions and convictions, but we haven't had any specific data on the regions concerned. And Apparently, there were 37 proceedings brought for torture between 2019 and 2024, and 213 administrative penalties were handed down against police officers over the same period. It doesn't provide us with any data about the gendarmerie or the army, and no information about violations of the right to life. Why is there no data, and what can you tell us now? The report also refers to systematically opening investigations. What does that mean? in practice, who conducts the investigations, over what time frame, and how many of them led to convictions. In the Zhelevet case, five soldiers were convicted in 2020. Four of them were sentenced to between four and ten years imprisonment, one of them to two years imprisonment. The prosecution service appealed on the 30th of September 2020. What has happened in that appeal six years on? When it comes to torture, the sentences mentioned go from three years suspended prison sentence to four years of actual imprisonment. Do you think that's in line with the seriousness of the crime? Do you have an entity which receives complaints against security forces? Who hands down the administrative penalties? Are they made public? And do they thwart any criminal proceedings? The report mentions that 13 civilians were killed in Engabou, three of whom were women, 10 children, and that the proceedings are ongoing. list of issues. Number 7, we mentioned 21 deaths including 13 children. Why is there this discrepancy between our figures and yours? What about the proceedings before the military court? How many people are being prosecuted? What verdicts have been reached and sentences handed down? And what about the masterminds behind the operation? Are they being investigated? Have reparations been paid to the families? And broadly, when it comes to reparations, the report only indicates the possibility of claiming damages in the courts. But is there a program for the victims of crises, notably rehabilitation and psychological support? Does the state pay out the compensation when the person who has been ordered to pay doesn't have the assets to do so? Paragraph 118 indicates that the suspects in the affair of the Martinez Zogo, a journalist, have been tried before the military courts of Yaounde. But we'd like to know why is a military court having jurisdiction for the murder of a journalist who was a civilian? Can civilians be tried before that court? When are you going to reach a verdict? And all the people who ordered the murder, are they also being prosecuted? Last couple of questions on this aspect. In 2021, the African Commission asked if it could send a fact-finding mission.

What response did you give to that request?

Does the government plan to invite special procedure mandate holders from the United Nations system? and what measures are being taken to prosecute the perpetrators of atrocities belonging to the armed separatist groups and Boko Haram, whilst at the same time respecting their right to a fair trial? Now I'd like to move on to protection of civilians. In the list of issues, we asked about information on the use of lethal force by security forces, the follow-up on investigations, and if investigations are launched automatically. In paragraph 104, the report indicates that investigations are launched, as with torture, but how many people who were killed by the security forces in the demonstrations in or since 2017, how many investigations have been automatically opened, prosecutions brought and convictions handed down. When it comes to the armed separatist groups in Boko Haram, paragraph 105 provides us with a one-sentence answer. There has been strategic redeployment of intelligence forces and means, but it doesn't say anything about the murders, the abductions, acts of torture and sexual violence which are mentioned in our list of issues. So what specific measures are being taken to protect civilians and how many perpetrators of these violations have been brought before a judge? The report doesn't address enlistment of children by armed groups and what provisions then are there to prevent this and to hand children over to entities tasked with their protection to rehabilitate them? And have you brought proceedings against the recruiters? Paragraphs 106 and 107 describe the reception of refugees and your agreements with UNHCR. How many internally displaced people have you registered in the regions of the northwest, southwest, and far north? What assistance is provided to them directly? And What is the status of humanitarian access to these regions? The report also mentioned training for gendarmes on gender-based violence. Is there specific training on conflict-related sexual violence for judges, prosecutors and medical practitioners? How many proceedings have been brought in this area, and what public inquiries have been made about the atrocities of armed groups? Have the results been published? With regard to violations attributed to security forces, paragraph 108 refers to other paragraphs and does not provide any additional information about extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention. Does the Government plan to invite the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances for a visit? And what investigations have been conducted on disappearances reported, and how many cases have been clarified? Paragraph 109, lastly, tells of the vigilance committees or surveillance committees as a means of involving people in combating terrorism. What is the legal basis for them? What training is given to their members? And do they carry weapons? who's responsible for their acts and how many members they have, how many have been prosecuted, and how do you ensure that they're not involved in counterterrorism? Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Mr. NDIA. Now I give the floor to Madame Tigrouza.

Thank you, Chair.

I, too, would like to extend my greetings to the delegation. I'm just going to address one subject today, which is the state of emergency and the derogations. This comes back to issue five in our list.

The report only gives us information about the constitutional.

Legal framework and their alignment with article 4 of the covenant in order to derogate from certain obligations. Nevertheless, The committee has received credible and corroborating evidence about de facto derogations being applied by the state without having notified the United Nations Secretary-General. Normally, you would have to do so in line with the requirements under article 4 of the covenant. I'll just give you a few examples of de facto derogations.

I won't refer to those which.

Were mentioned by Ms. Bassim and Ms. Ndihaye in the area of counterterrorism protecting civilians. There was excessive use of force in the context of the presidential elections in October 2025.

There was also use of torture and other.

Ill treatment in the security context of the north and southwest of the country or even in the far north against persons accused of terrorism and this comes back to CAT's concluding observations. There is also extended police custody in the same security context and more generally a lot of arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention in unofficial places, also referred to by the Committee against Torture and.

All too often, there is no judicial oversight about the lawfulness of detention.

As Ms. Bessie mentioned, military courts hand down death sentences, and there's very severe restrictions on freedom of movement and on the civic space. And I'll come back to that tomorrow.

I'd just like to recall.

That not just only some of the rights that we've mentioned are non-derogable, such as the right to life, but even for derogable rights, The rule is that they must be limited in time, absolutely necessary, proportional, and not be discriminatory. These are rules which must be strictly respected by the state. So I wonder if you can explain if there's any difference between the state of emergency and the state of siege, and if there is a difference, how does it affect the implementation of rights and freedoms?

How do you ensure also that non-derogable rights are always respected in any circumstances?

And how do you ensure that the measures taken concerning the freedom of movement, detention, proceedings, protecting civil space are fully in line with article four of the covenant? I recall as the African court on human and people's rights did, that political and security.

Issues can never be invoked to skirt one's human rights obligations.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Tiguruzar. Now I will give the floor to Mr. Fernandez Irieza.

Yes, Senor President. Thank you, Chair. My thanks to the Cameroonian delegation for taking part in this constructive dialogue. Firstly, We welcome the fact that, with a view to combating intolerance and hate speech, Cameroon has amended article 241 of the criminal code in order to include insults directed against tribes, ethnic groups and religions. However, the committee would also like to receive information on a further two matters. First, we would like to know about the follow-up on complaints of discrimination which have been lodged with the National Commission for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism, and another on whether the State of Cameroon has adopted further measures and programmes to reduce incitement to hatred against individuals and groups which are subjected to discrimination. Secondly, The Committee had previously made a recommendation to Cameroon to adopt measures to combat discrimination against the LGBTI community, to decriminalise consensual same-sex sexual relations, and to revise Article 83 of the 2010 Act, which criminalises making sexual advances to an adult of the same sex via online media. The fact that Cameroonian society has its own unique characteristics is no justification for failing to uphold the value of equality on the grounds of sexual orientation. That is why we would like to receive more detailed information on whether the State intends to adopt measures in the future to change its approach towards the LGBTI community in a manner which is consistent with the values of the Covenant and Article 26 in particular.

Thank you thank you very much now I will give the floor to Madame Solan.

Thank you chair ladies and gentlemen members of.

The delegation I'm very pleased to be able to welcome you to this session and particularly pleased to think that we are going to have a constructive and fruitful dialogue with you. Henceforth, given my limited resources in French, I'll carry on in English. Thank you.

With issue eight, welcoming the information contained in your report regarding gender equality. On the subject of marriage and the context on the principle of equality, we took note of the new civil registration law. We would be interested to understand how this legal shift in the recognition of three types of marriages affects the issue of divorce. Could you tell us more about this, particularly in the context of polygynous marriages, division of property, and child maintenance? Have you considered amending your family law, aiming to achieve equality between men and women in all aspects of family life? your laws still provide different minimum ages for marriage for girls and boys. Could you explain why this provision has not been aligned with the principle of equality? Polygamy is legal, officially recognized in Cameroon. We understand that it is deeply rooted in customary law. How do you harmonize customary practices with modern legal standards and ensure equal treatment of all wives and all children, particularly in matters of inheritance? What measures are you taking to disseminate information about and promote awareness of the principle of legal equality between men and women in areas where customary law remains predominant? Have you considered publishing materials similar to the legal assistance guide for widows that you have informed us about addressing inheritance rights between sisters and brothers or other male relatives, women's property rights and inheritance rights of children from polygynous families? Have you also considered making relevant judicial decisions in the field of inheritance more widely accessible and disseminating information about them? The participation of women in public affairs has increased, which is a welcome development. Are there any measures in place to further promote and increase women's participation in municipal and regional executive bodies? While you reported that there is no distinction between men and women in the areas of access to employment and social protection, we have received information indicating that certain disparities persist, particularly with regard to the gender pay gap, types of employment contracts, insecure jobs without contracts, and overall participation in informal economy and unpaid work. Could you provide us with your comments on these issues? I will now turn to issue 9. We understand that violence against women is not an isolated incident that happens solely due to specific relation between a man and a woman, but rather rooted in gender inequality. Thus, my previous intervention regarding the issue of equality has its impact to the elaboration of the issue of violence against women as well. We note that by law, harmful practices are prohibited. Nevertheless, they are still present as the customer and cultural practices. How do you plan to enforce existing law or harmonize customer practices with existing laws? Pardon me. In our list of issues, we raised a specific question regarding the bill of gender-based violence. Could you please provide an update on the current status of the bill and the anticipated timeline for its adoption? Have you encountered any obstacles or challenges in advancing the bill through the legislative process? While you have reported an increase in criminal prosecutions for gender-based violence, including cases resulting in judgments, we have also been informed that the number of prosecutions remain significantly lower than the estimated prevalence of violence against women and girls. Low levels of reporting may be linked, among other factors, to women's economic and social dependence on men. Such inequalities may limit women's ability to seek protection, report violence, and access justice when they experience abuse. We would like to hear from you about the specific measures you're planning to take to empower women to report violence and to strengthen their trust in the legal and protection system. You have informed us about the number of centres established to provide assistance to women and children. My question is more specifically focused on shelters for victims of domestic violence, where victims can find emergency accommodation, appropriate support from trained staff and access to legal assistance. Have you developed plans to establish such shelters across all regions to ensure that women are aware of these services and to empower them to seek emergency assistance when needed? We note the training provided to a wide range of actors involved in preventing and responding to violence against women. Do you plan to continue and further strengthen these training programs, including by addressing any gaps identified through their implementation? Could you share with us your plans in this area? And now I will turn to the issue 10 concerning the voluntary termination of pregnancy. We know that the recommendation made in our previous concluding observations has not been taken into account. Have you considered reviewing the relevant provisions in light of the concerns previously expressed by the Committee? What obstacles are we facing in amending the relevant provisions of the Penal Code with a view to ensuring access to lawful termination of pregnancy and better protecting the physical and mental health of women and girls? We know that sections 337 to 339 of the Penal Code remain unchanged. We would therefore like to reiterate our concern that where abortion remains criminalized, subject to limited exceptions, and where those exceptions may be difficult to access in practice, women and girls may be exposed to serious risks to their health. We have also been informed about the prevalence of clandestine abortions, which may endanger the health and lives of both pregnant women and fetuses. Could you provide information on the measures being taken to address this situation and to ensure that the legal framework provides effective access to safe and lawful abortion? We remain concerned that the requirement for prior certification by the public prosecutor's office may, in practice, delay or prevent timely access to lawful abortion for victims of rape. Could the delegation provide information on the safeguards in place to prevent such delays and ensure timely access in these cases? How is the exception to the criminalization of abortion defined by the phrase serious danger to the health of the mother, interpreted and applied in practice. Could you clarify the current legal position regarding pregnancies resulting from incest, particularly where the victim is an adolescent? Has the Government considered extending the exception provided under section 339 to such cases? In your report, when discussing the prevention of unwanted pregnancies, You focus primarily on educating and raising awareness among women about contraceptive methods. What measures have you taken to reach and educate men as well and to promote their shared responsibility for the prevention of unwanted pregnancies? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madame Surland. Now, these are all our questions today. So, I will suspend the meeting for 15 minutes. so that the delegation can prepare to reply. Meeting was suspended. Okay, I will resume the meeting. Your Excellency, Mr. Salomon, you have one hour, 60 minutes for your replies. I'll give you the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Chair. Well, to begin, sir, on behalf of my delegation, I would like to convey that we understand the interests of the committee on the development of my country's legal system, its jurisdiction overall. We listened to Mr. Ndiaye and Madame Bassim, their kind remarks about Cameroon, sometimes with humor. Yes, Cameroon is Africa in one country. It's true. Mr. Ndiata even added something to that. So that said, committee members, I know that you've all raised some important points, all of them related to the report that we presented, questions that relate to the general legal framework in the country, the covenant, Questions about combating impunity, combating corruption, questions on combating terrorism, gender equality, prejudicial practices, the protection of civilians during armed conflict, issues related to the use of force and firearms, a whole host of questions. that go from item 1 to 12 and 13. And while all of these questions lie at the very heart of human rights governance in Cameroon and governance in general, I should point out at the beginning of my remarks that the head of state of Cameroon, His Excellency, Mr. Paul Biya, already back in 1990, 36 years ago, organized the whole assembly session which we call the freedom session of the assembly. And there, there were consultations about human right development in Cameroon. Many measures were taken then and ever since, and as you have said, Cameroon is stay with the rule of law, a society that is in the making It is a democracy that is continuously improving, modernizing itself. And the questions that you had lie at the very heart of our concerns. We do not believe that we could simply say we have all the laws and everything is done right in complete consistency between the letter and the reality on the ground. But the experience with the government and all those involved is to ensure that human rights is placed at the very heart of Cameroonian governance. So that said, I would like to give the floor to my delegation, those that have come here with me, and I'm going to ask them to answer some of the questions you had and address some of your concerns. It's true, we can't cover everything here, given that we don't have all the time in the world. If we don't cover it now, we will be submitting those replies in writing. Madam, the same and Mr. Diata had some questions that if I may, I would summarize as questions on the legal institutional framework. And to answer this cluster of questions, Mr. Tamak will have the floor. He's a lawyer, doctor and political science. He is very familiar with Cameroonian practices and policies and will be addressing your concerns and then I can compliment if necessary later. You have the floor, sir.

Thank you, Your Excellency. Chair, dear committee members, we would like to thank you for your questions which address follow-up on the recommendations and observations that the committee has made about the framework for the protection and promotion of human rights, as well as the operation of the Cameroonian Human Rights Commission and customary rights. Approximately 28 questions were presented in sub-questions, and I would like to address them by cluster. So the first cluster regards recommendations and assessments made by the Committee. Cameroon has a specific institutional framework to guarantee proper follow-up of recommendations and implementation of decisions coming from international and regional human rights mechanisms. technically speaking, is the Ministry of Justice, who looks at the recommendations of various committees and then delegates them to the various agencies in their respective areas of expertise and guarantees proper follow-up. Strategically, the committee's assessments are presented to the Interministerial Follow-up Committee on the Implementation of Recommendations or Decisions of International and Regional Mechanisms for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights. This committee has been established since 2011, and it's a very high-level one. It's by the Prime Minister and head of government, chaired by the Secretary General of the Office of the Prime Minister. It has 12 members from different departments, and they follow up on the operations of 12 agencies and the Human Rights Commission. They look at the decisions that have been received and they consider how to properly implement them, any potential difficulties that might arise in the implementation, and if so, what proper measures can be adopted. And then depending on that assessment, the measures to be taken can be legal, administrative, or regulatory. But they can also take the form of a financial or cash reparation. And in some cases, there can be exchanges with the author of a communication, especially on the means for providing redress. We recognize, though, that the follow-up mechanism could use improvement, especially as regards centralizing strategies and presenting communication by communication the present state of each of the assessments made by the Committee. It is also for that reason that Cameroon is pursuing efforts in order to bolster its national follow-up mechanism, as stated in the national report.

When it comes more specifically to the communication 1813 of 2008, a Quanga, which the committee just reminded us of in its views adopted in 2011, I'd like to highlight that the delegation at the moment does not have all the information on this individual case in order to tell you exactly what the state of implementation of the views is. So rather than providing you with incomplete information, with your indulgence, we would like to submit additional information in writing on that particular case. We'll also be cautious when it comes to whether or not other views of the committee have led to proceedings before the Supreme Court. We have the general mechanism in place, but we would like to see the specific effects for each case before we submit our answers in writing to the committee. When it comes to strengthening the legal and institutional framework for protecting human rights, A number of significant updates have been made since the previous report from Cameroon.

We've mentioned a few of them in the current report.

First of all, a law from 2019 which overhauled the national human rights institution and created the current Cameroon Human Rights Commission with added independence, heightened financial autonomy, powers investigation.

And this commission also acts as the national preventive mechanism on torture.

Secondly, we ratified in September 2023 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

And thirdly, we have acceded to other international instruments on statelessness, notably the Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Fourthly, We adopted a law on personal data providing additional safeguards concerning the processing and storage of personal data. And also this year, we carried out the technical validation of our National Human Rights Plan 2026 to 2030. It's a five-year plan, which is a new programming tool and also for coordinating the National Human Rights Policy. Point three, independence and composition of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission. This was an issue which was raised by Mr. NDA. When it comes to the appointment of the commission members, I have to say that it's an important issue and that's why the president and Deputy President and members are appointed by the President of the Republic. But it's not only the national authorities that can nominate members. The Commissioners, Deputy President and President can be nominated by social and professional organisations and other associations which the members belong to. They must be candidates with the appropriate human rights training and technical competencies, and there must also be a balance between geographic origin, language and gender. They must be independent, these members, they cannot receive instructions from any public or private entity. They also swear an oath before the Supreme Court, an oath of probity, impartiality and independence. The commission also been subject to international scrutiny, having received an A rating from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, GANHRI. Point four now, this concerns women's representation, civil society representation in the National Human Rights Commission. The law calls for gender balance in the makeup of the commission. Currently, the commission has three members, There is no compulsory quota in the law, there is just a requirement for gender balance, special attention to which must be paid, and furthermore, the committee members are nominated by the organisations they work with. Civil society is represented on the Commission. Current members include persons who strive to defend the rights of specific groups, notably a person who defends the rights of persons with disabilities. They can also be people coming from trade unions, traditional authorities, the media, who work on social issues, gender issues, amongst others. Point five.

Concerns the participation of the Commission in the preparation of our sixth periodic report.

We can confirm that National Human Rights Commission was involved in this process of preparing the current report. The report, in fact, is the result of a consultative process which included local authorities, civil society organizations and the National Human Rights Commission. Point six.

This concerns the Commission's freedom to criticize the government's action.

I would like to point out that the Commission is an independent entity. It can launch inquiries ex officio and it can receive complaints from any natural legal persons. It can call for information from the authorities and undertake its own investigations. So it's not up to the government to determine the Commission's position, nor replace it, nor can it.

Comment on any criticism of government action.

It does not determine how many visits are carried out and you can find further information about the Commission on its website. Now when it comes to the involvement of non-governmental organizations, the Seventh point concerns the presence throughout the country of the Commission. The Commission is not restricted to its headquarters in Yaounde, the capital. It has this national seat, but it also has an office in the various provinces of Cameroon. It is represented in the northwest, southwest and the far north, which is what you asked about. These are the three regions in which human rights protection is of particular importance for national authorities. Point 8. This concerns the financial autonomy of the Commission. The Commission has financial autonomy. This is foreseen and protected by the law. Its budget comes primarily from the state, it's true, but it has an individual budgetary line and is passed in the Financial Act adopted by the Parliament. So the Commission has an annual budget, and there is also an investment plan, which is part of the national budgetary process. Then once the Commission has its budget, it assigns its resources as it sees fit. To give you an idea, the budget has gone from 867 million CFA francs in 2019 to over CFA 4 billion in 2024.

Over a six-year period, the budget has been multiplied by over five times. The last part of Mr. Njio's question concerned External support for the Commission.

Yes, it can receive funds from regional, national, international partners. Point nine concerns customary courts. The jurisdiction is not open. Basically, they are.

Organized according to.

A regulation. They deal with marriages, divorces, parenthood, certain property rights, and certain conflicts over property. Customary courts and the Alkali courts are regulated by certain documents. There are two important points concerning the convention. The parties are free to choose the court of their choice. This is open to all parties without discrimination by sex. So a woman can seize a customary court.

Or not, and a customary court cannot apply a measure which is contrary to public order or the covenant.

This means that any decision taken by customary court which infringes these principles can be overturned by an appeal court. The next point concerns gender-based violence and how it's dealt with in customary courts. I would like to distinguish between civil courts, which can be heard in customary courts, and criminal proceedings. Gender-based violence is dealt with by the criminal.

Courts if it is deemed to be injuries, violence, murder, rape, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment, and any other offenses. So when a criminal offense has been committed, the proceedings.

Are brought before the criminal courts and not before a customary court. Over 100 persons were convicted in 2025 for rape. And ordinary courts also try cases of murder of a partner, rape and other sexual offences.

So if you are bring civil proceedings for a customary court, it doesn't mean that the criminal proceedings will in any way be stopped.

Thank you.

Chair. I'd just like to add something about the National Human Rights Commission, if I may. It regularly publishes its reports, and I can bring you a copy tomorrow of a report. And there are others which I regularly submit to the United Nations. I'll bring you a copy tomorrow. They're also posted online on the Commission's website. I think that you've followed all the explanations concerning the customary courts.

They're important, but they deal really with property disputes. We have very traditional society and there are problems with interpretation on parentage, belonging to a family, and that's why it's important that cases can be heard by local customary courts.

Nevertheless, its rulings do not prevail over what I would call modern law.

So I mean, common law or civil law. That's what I wanted to add.

I'll give you a copy of a Commission's report.

I think that they publish reports twice a year.

The second point, which I'd like to summarise now, are the questions raised by Ms. Basim and Mr. Ndiaye as well, I think, and which were also touched upon by Ms. Tigrouja. They concern combating impunity.

I think that Ms. Bassima, Mr. Ndiaye went into this matter in greater detail. In my opening remarks, I stated Cameroon state's position on violence. It's based above all on combating impunity.

So, no.

Event and no security, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment can go unpunished.

So this is why I would say that combating impunity is of prime importance.

I'd like to give the floor to the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Kakongwe.

You have the floor, Deputy Director. Committee Chair.

Esteemed members of the committee, as the Ambassador just mentioned, I would like to refer to cluster 2 and cluster 3. So with regard to combating impunity, some concerns were raised about this, and so I would like to react to them now. With regard to the time frame for investigations, I would like to state that there are no predefined time frames for investigations.

Nevertheless, the criminal police and the judiciary are called upon to act as quickly as possible.

Obviously, the time frame depends on the complexity of the case and the number of people involved.

If the officers do not proceed correctly, they can be subject to disciplinary penalties. With regard to the sentences, when it came to the Gargouille case. I would like to say that judges determine the sentences as foreseen in the criminal code. They look at the seriousness of the offence, the danger to public order, the personality of the convict and where And if the penalty can enforced, I would just like to say that the decision on the.

Sentence can be appealed by the prosecution service or by the other parties in the case. With regard to statistics. And.

On penalties against the gendarmerie and the army, I would like to give you the example of 2025. nine non-commissioned officers and six officers of the gendarmerie were found guilty of human rights abuse. Disciplinary penalties are published and they do not hinder criminal proceedings from being brought. Now, when it comes to convicts not being able to pay damages, The law does not foresee any measure.

For the state to take over the payment of the damages, but we've taken note of your comments.

Now, when it comes to the nature of reparations, in most cases, compensation is monetary, and it can be determined by the Commission on Police Custody This is a body which is attached to the Supreme Court. They receive complaints from persons before the court or following an abusive police custody. I would also like to recall that in between 2022 and 2024, the commission handed down around 50 decisions. Reparations can also take on different forms, such as restitution.

For example, people can be released.

In 2022 and 2023, judges received around 90 habeas corpus complaints and granted them. mean that the National Center for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities can also provide reparations. This is a public entity which provides medical care, rehabilitation, and social reinsertion, as well as providing assistive devices to persons with disabilities. Psychological support can be provided, notably Through the Ministry of Social Affairs at central and decentralized level, it is responsible for implementing the Cameroon government's policy for prevention and assistance, as well as social protection.

Thank you.

Thank you, Deputy Director. So, Chair, distinguished committee members, this is the information that we wanted to provide you with on combating impunity. We will also provide you with the documents that I mentioned, which complement our report. Some other concerns were raised by Ms. Basima, Mr. Ndi, and Ms. Tigruja, and Ms. Shurlan. These were concerns about combating corruption. This is an important issue. Corruption undermines our economies. The state has paid particular attention to this. We have developed specialized institutions for combating corruption.

There is no impunity for corruption.

The state considers corruption to be a terrible scourge which.

Compounds underdevelopment. So that's why the state of Cameroon has taken a number of different.

Measures, institutional, legislative levels, and I'll give the floor to Mr. Gueye Die, who is the head of services in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he will answer these questions in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice. So you have the floor, sir?

Thank you for giving me the floor, head of delegation, committee chair, and members. The Cameroonian delegation would like to thank you for your comments and the opportunity to tell you about the measures taken by the government with regard to the issue of combating corruption. And there is access to information and protection for whistleblowers. We're convinced that combating corruption is a matter of prime importance. All state entities should be involved as well as.

The common people.

This is why we would like to make the following comments on preventing and punishing corruption. First of all, Cameroon has a legal and institutional arsenal for preventing and detecting acts of corruption and similar acts. This involves the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Financial Information Agency, the High State Council, as well as the budgetary authorities, as well as relevant courts, including the audit bench of the Supreme Court. The National Strategy for Combating Corruption 2022-2026 comes under the coordination of the National Commission for Combating Corruption. This guides public action in this area. We also look at tenders, public finance and decentralized local authorities, educational centers, transport and land management authorities. The General Delegation for National Security implements preventive measures.

It raises awareness and also oversight.

There is a hotline which is made available.

It is 2005 five.

This is for flagging abuse and.

This means that we provide awareness raising training for decentralized local authorities and the population. If we. Look at the.

Funds concern, you can find the figures in the sixth periodic report. When it comes to the judiciary, including the prosecutors and the Inspector General of the Ministry of Justice, they deal with any shortcomings.

And any suspicions of corruption?

Between 2024 and 2025, they've dealt with around 400 complaints, undertaken dozens of investigations, and issued various letters of observations. Some cases involve politicians, high-ranking members of judiciary. The prosecution service means that nobody is above the law because of their function or rank. Anyone who is suspected of offences must be investigated by the competent authorities, which must collect the necessary evidence, but also respect legal safeguards.

When it comes to institutional independence and resources made available, we believe that fighting corruption requires independence of authorities. and the status of the judiciary and independence is foreseen in the constitution. Members of judiciary are subject to certain ideological requirements. So judges must exercise their activities in line with the law and their conscience.

They must remain independent, otherwise they could be subject to disciplinary or criminal proceedings.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is a public independent authority as defined in.

The governing decree, it can conduct investigations ex officio, it can receive complaints for various channels of communication, it can use the information provided in its investigations, it also publishes reports on the state of corruption in Cameroon, When it comes to the budget for various institutions involved in combating corruption, we can see that there has been an increase in this over the past six or seven years. Cameroon is building its capacity in the area of investigating corruption and the judicial handling of corruption cases.

It's equally important that these authorities are efficient, and this can be achieved through their.

Autonomy, quality investigations, the decisions they take, and their ability to prevent repetition of these practices.

According to our Constitution on declaration of assets, the delegation would like to provide you with.

Important information about the declaration of assets of certain public officers. This is a requirement under laws 003 of 2026. This is on the.

Declaration of assets and furthermore, a law which was adopted in April of 2026 extends the scope of people.

Who must provide a declaration of assets?

We believe that the.

Efficacy of this mechanism is important for promoting the integrity of public officials and for strengthening public confidence in institutions.

In this regard, the full application of article as which are relevant means that there must be appropriate verification mechanisms.

And that any consequences for non-respect can be implemented. I would also like to point out that the implementation of this mechanism means that If there are mistakes made on declarations, they can be punished.

We want to make sure that this mechanism is.

Fully operational in line with requirements for transparency and accountability, which are linked to the exercise of public office. On access to information of public interest and protecting whistleblowers, we realise that access to information of public interest and protecting whistleblowers.

Can contribute to improving the prevention of corruption and strengthening citizens participation in governance. Access to information of public interest. It is now part of our review of updating our legislation. We also must make sure, though, that there is respect for confidentiality. When it comes to whistleblowers, we believe that current laws on protecting whistleblowers and property is effective for their protection. Nevertheless, we have taken note of the interest shown by the committee in protecting whistleblowers who raise concerns about offences, they must be protected from intimidation or reprisals. So we believe that this review is an opportunity for us to review existing safeguards and we should also make sure that our domestic legislation is in line with international standards.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Chair. With regard to other important questions now on a subject which was raised by Ms. Tigruga, this is with regard to the state of emergency. She also referred to excessive use of force and problems of administrative detention, military courts, questions linked to the death penalty, and You asked about the difference between state of emergency and the state of siege, freedom of movement. All of these questions are important and they're at the heart of everyday governance in Cameroon. I'd like to begin by saying that the difference between the state of emergency and what we call the state of siege, well, first of all, I'd like to say it's the President of the Republic that determines these situations or these states.

And.

When. We we gained our independence in 1960, and we've only declared a state of emergency once. It was in the early 60s when I was a baby. So we have seen some disturbances of public order, but no state of emergency or state of siege has been decreed since then. State of siege is slightly more intense. Now, with regard to the excessive use of force, the police forces respect the law in their work. They could be.

Some excess, but, basically, the law is respected in police operations, when arrests are made, and in police custody.

I will give the floor to a member of the.

Judiciary in the delegation, who will tell you about the timeframes for police custody, which are strictly respected.

Sometimes police custody can be renewed, but that is all foreseen in the law.

So I can say that the law during the state of emergency are exceptional legal regimes that grant public authorities great power in order to confront large crises that threaten public order of the state's very existence. We haven't had that. We've had in 1960, and it was still a time of civil war, a pivotal point of decolonization. ever since there has not been a state of emergency declared in Cameroon. And so that is a strict regime, as I have said, provided by Article 9 of the Constitution. Only the president of the republic can call a state of emergency if there is serious danger. So under the law of 1990, number 47 of December 19, 1990, on the state of emergency, the president can't decree, proclaim a state of emergency depending on the severity of an event, a public disaster, troubles, turmoil, threat to public order or state security, aggression or foreign aggression. Article 5 of that same law enables administrative authorities to take improved, stronger measures. So ever since these measures have not been resorted to. And that legal framework is in keeping with Article 4 of the Covenant. The state of emergency are proclaimed by official decree. Additionally, these measures address an exceptional danger, a threat to the very existence of the nation. We have had crises, but not such vast crises. Since 1960, there was only one attempted coup d'etat, attempted. So then there are also misuse of law. Well, we have the rule of the right to law, the right to life, not to be subjected to torture. Many questions were raised about this freedom of motion. There is no limitation to the freedom of movement, even in times of crises. There are no banned prohibited areas. This has happened in the past, the very beginning, when the state of Cameroon was first created. But for at least 60 years, measures have disappeared and now there is no restriction or limitation to the freedom of movement. Military courts, well, military courts are created by law. These military courts address offenses that involve the use of firearms or use of law enforcement or the security forces and that is what a military court is entrusted with they are not prohibited by the covenant military courts enforce there's no military code they enforce the criminal procedural code and the Constitution they use positive rights, positive law. I know that one of our colleagues had questions on the state of emergency. Would you like to add anything, Mr. Funke? Mr. Funke, would you like to add anything? You could explain custody, length of custody. Great, that's been covered, okay. Just wanted to say something that even when confronted with serious risks and dangers such as COVID-19, Boko Haram's presence in regions of the country at a certain time, Cameroon always chose the path of lawfulness, taking measures to address the crisis rather than a state of emergency. which could curtail the rights of the population and prevent abuses because in a state of emergency special powers are granted to local authorities who can misuse that power and the government tried to make sure that didn't happen. On combating terrorism, just a few words I can say that This has already been addressed by, I think, Ms. Besim. She had a question about terrorism and Mr. Ndiaye also. Okay, so I'm going to give the floor to Mr. Fonkui, who will clarify some of these questions.

Thank you, sir. Chair, dear committee members. We have taken note of the concern regarding the review of the 2014 law on the repression of acts of terrorism. The delegation of Cameroon would like to know that discrimination, as prohibited by the Covenant, is found as a definition, an objective definition for acts of terrorism, which excludes any use of racial, political, or religious profiling. This law respects the fundamental principle of equality of consistent sentences according to the criminal procedural code. The definition of terrorism in this law is aligned to the one found in various international and regional instruments, as well as several resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. Regarding the exclusive competence of military courts for the repression of acts of terrorism, this competence is not incompatible with the Covenant, as pointed out by the Ambassador, given that these courts are subjected to the same standard of a fair trial, which is found in the Criminal Procedural Code, in the Military Procedural Code, and in the Covenant, as, for example, standards on independence and impartiality, open debates, or the right to a defense. In the law school, the candidates are instructed on fair trial standards. And the decisions handed down by the military courts can be appealed, and when appealed, they are presented to a civilian judge. and then the decisions are presented to a committee that is comprised of civil judges. In the case Martinez Ochoa, as recalled by the Ambassador, the court is justified by the alleged involvement of several members of security and defense forces who would have acted with the participation of certain civilians. Regarding recent measures on military courts, it should be noted that in order to strengthen the fair trial standards, We have the decree of November 14, 2024, which sets forth applicable rules for recruiting staff who works in Cameroonian military justice. This defines the attributions and duties of the staff. And there's also a decree, also from the same date, on the administrative makeup of military courts. One of the greatest innovations in military justice regards the obligation for military judges to be sworn in before the Supreme Court of Cameroon. As they are sworn in, they formally promise to act with impartiality. Also, like all other judges, Those working in military courts throughout their career benefit from opportunities for capacity building, continuous education and training from, for example, the United Nations Office Against Drug and Crime and the International Red Cross Committee. On prevention of violations of human rights as part of combating terrorism, The Cameroonian delegation would like to note that in order to prevent such attacks, the state of Cameroon has focused on early training of the staff involved. For the period under review, 250 members of the National Gendarmerie have benefited from such training on humanitarian efforts from the International Red Cross Committee. Additionally, 1,100 staff members have been trained on human rights training organized by the National Gendarmerie. Regarding the question on delays, which we will be talking about tomorrow as well, I'd like to say that on November 13, 2024, the Secretary of State, who is entrusted with the National Gendarmerie, recalled all commanders working in the Gendarmerie that there is an obligation to respect the length of custody And in his message, he spoke about the sanctions that would be imposed on those that did not comply with the maximum amount of custody. In addition to these measures, before defense and security forces can be deployed on the ground, Approximately 12,000 members of law enforcement from 2016 to 2026 were deployed to areas where there were security issues. Procedurally, all those that are being tried for acts of terrorism benefit from all guarantees of a fair trial. And lastly, regarding the obligations, indicating that the 2014 law could allow for acts of tortures, thereby violating the covenant, and this that be used for journalists and others. I would like to point out that these allegations are not grounded. This is a general scope law which does not seek to repress any speech that is critical of the government. The principle is equality before the law. And so it is implied when there are enough grounds to believe that there was a terrorist act, the 2014 law, which is applied for acts of terrorism that were perpetrated For example, in the case of Bokor on the far north of Cameroon and involving non-state actors in the northwest and southwest of Cameroon. Additionally, cases brought before military courts, as we have said, guarantee a fair trial. To conclude, I would like to say that It is important to reiterate that in spite of the adoption of this law, the general environment is quite favorable to public freedoms and plurality of expression. For example, in 2014, Cameroon had 367 political parties, 104 NGOs, 48 authorized churches, 68 newspapers, 118 the community level, 65 broadcasting centers, 32 different regional journals, 112 online newspapers to name but a few. Thank you.

Thank you, Director. So the next cluster was what Mr. Andandez brought to our attention. I could say that your questions can be bundled up together on a cluster of combating discrimination. We spoke about claims and complaints presented before the Bilingualism and Multiculturalism Commission. When I spoke a moment ago, I said that I was going to share with you a little story, an anecdote. That's during my opening remarks. I think it'll soon be seven years before coming here. I was chairing Cameroon as a director of the Cameroonian Institute of International Affairs, Diplomatic Academy, in other words. So during the end of year exams, because one thing I should say beforehand is that we have two official languages, English and French in Cameroon. These languages are equal. So there was a teacher that gave a test in French, and it was not translated into English. And so, well, I was in my office. I was not the one who was handing out these tests. And then 30 minutes later, my assistant came and said, "There's a delegation out there. They're waiting for you. Something happened." Somebody called the commission, and this all happened in Yaounde. I mean, imagine this. I'm in my office, and then they said that the test was handed out in French, not English, and right away, they acted. I had to stop that examination to provide another one and then later on to have these questions translated so that it was offered in both languages, equal treatment, equal footing for both languages. So this anecdote illustrates how bilingualism and multiculturalism are respected in Cameroon. So Mr. Hernandez had this question and many others on discrimination against the LGBTIQ community. And these issues are addressed by Cameroonian laws in Cameroon. These are all part and parcel of our values, our moral fabric. so homosexuality is well you know the law bears in mind how societies evolve how they develop and for the time being our society is such that this is not allowed it hasn't happened and so these positions are in keeping with the moral and cultural values of Cameroonian society the state of Cameroon under the covenant is a guarantor, but also under the African Charter of People and Freedoms. But Cameron believes that it is not necessary to legislate and to expressly prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, given that, on the one hand, discrimination is already banned by our legal arsenal, as I said a moment ago. It's rather consistent, and then on the other hand, sexual orientation and gender identity are not a hindrance in having access to social services such as health, education, housing, transportation. So if you look for a job, nobody's going to ask you, what's your gender? What's your sexual orientation? So you see in practice, these are cases that are already governed by an attack to our morals. So, how can I best answer this? I think it has been clarified enough. These things are dependent on social, cultural, moral development of our society. So, I hope that clarifies something. And if you go to the hospital, or you go to a recreational center, nobody's going to ask you, "What is your sexual orientation?" When you go look for a job, or you go into a school, nobody's going to ask that. So that's it.

Mr. Fonku, you wanted to add something?

Yes, just to point out that Cameroon in 2025, at the end of last year, actually, presented the 24th report, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th periodic report under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. That report covers between June 2019 to June 2025, where you see in detail the measures that Cameroon has taken to combat discrimination. Thank you. Madame Sorlin had questions on gender equality. Violence against women, protection of civilians in armed conflict. But also, let's begin with gender equality. Gender equality is enshrined in many documents. I would say that when we participate in debates, it could be in the Human Rights Council, but also in other mechanisms here at the UN, seems to me that I would even say we're ahead of the pack. I know that in some societies, and I'm just looking at how many hours people work. In some societies, you see a difference between men and women, working hours. It's the same in our country, same equality there. You find it there and in many areas. I'm going to give the floor to the advisor and the Cameroonian mission to answer this further. You have the floor, madam.

Thank you, Excellency, Ambassador, Chair, Committee members, as the Ambassador has outlined, I will be speaking about gender equality. There were many questions raised by committee members on this topic. So I can say that Cameroon has legislation that has been progressively aligned with the Covenant. When reviewing the criminal code in 2016, new offenses were included in order to guarantee increased protection for the physical and moral integrity of women. And so you have a female genital mutilation, sexual harassment, kicking a woman out from the household, and also poor schooling. The Family Code also allows us to eliminate discriminatory practices against men and women which are found or could be found in the Civil Code. Other texts underway are being reviewed to make these changes. regarding equal access to divorce, to property, to land, and inheritance that is covered by the relevant legislation. Ensuring effective, consistent implementation of the legislation, Cameroon started providing initial and continuous training of prosecutors and attorneys working on this. Also, those working on land registries and cadasters are informed of these measures. There is awareness raising among the population with a particular focus on community leaders and women, such as traditional leaders and those in charge of civil society organizations and religious leaders. So the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Family has organized awareness raising activities. with widows and in 2022 during the Afonban Abdallah Younde commemoration, the International Day of Widows and the Rights of Widows, we organized a workshop benefiting over 4,000 people. And that same opportunity in 2023, Working with the local mayor's office, we organized a ceremony where we presented a practical guide to legally assist the widows. Then it was edited and published in French and English so as to educate and instruct widows on their rights and help them deal with succession rights. In 2023, this guide was translated into further languages like Pijin, Leon, Fofu, and Komoala. From 2022 to 2026, it has been disseminated among the public. Regarding splitting assets after divorce, should point out that in cases of divorce, the same conditions are granted to men and women during a trial. Sharing the assets following a divorce is defined by the matrimonial regime adopted by the pair when they married. When they have joint assets, then the assets are divided equally among both. spouses when they have separate assets then each keeps their assets and if that is not done then the legal regime of shared asset prevails if they did not specify it at the time of the wedding the default is shared assets regarding succession rights I believe that Madame Serlin had a question about this well women and girls have guarantees especially when there are inheritance and they are seen as co-inheritors. For example, 2,215 legal decisions recognized the right. And as of 2021, there were several thousand also where women's inheritance rights were recognized. Regarding equal representation of women, gender is taken into account in the public sphere. So for example, there's a national strategy for the development of Cameroon 2020-2030 with the national gender policy, which is part of it. There's a law 2019 on decentralizing certain provisions. And the House of Divisional Representatives, as well as the National Council, must have gender parity in the electoral code. mentioned that gender must be taken into account when putting together electoral lists. To summarize, in 2026, the government of Cameroon has so far a dozen of women ministers also, and three ambassadors that are women. There have been more women also working in the police offices. and judges. I come from the far north in Cameroon, and I can tell you that this is quite an achievement to have this many judges in the country. In the army, the number of women has increased. to 31 in 2024. In the police, we have 44 commissioners of different divisions in 2024. There were 18 in 2018, so that's an increase also. In the justice sector, the Ministry of Justice, and three directors are women. In the specialized criminal courts, the chair and the prosecutor general are women in 2025. One woman was appointed general prosecutor in the Supreme Court. Yes, and an ambassador. Political life in Cameroon has been characterized by increased participation of women during the legislative and municipal elections. Since March 2023, the Senate has three women out of, and the number has increased. On social protection and labor rights. In order to reduce the number of women working in the informal sector, a regulatory framework was improved with the participation or the involvement of a June 2024 decree on the creation of training centers on an entrepreneurship center. The center has had good graduation rates. From 2018 to 2024, a total of 332 job seekers benefited from this program, and several thousand women ended up finding work in the formal sector thanks to these efforts. So this is some general impressions that I can provide on gender equality in the country. On violence against women and girls and gender-based violence, the fight against gender-based violence and more generally violence against women and girls in Cameroon has, while the violence has increased unfortunately, there are operational, regulatory, and strategic and institutional measures to combat this in order to guarantee a more holistic approach. Actions in this area and specific strategic instruments have been adopted, such as the National Gender Policy 2020-2030, the National Policy to Combat Gender-Based Violence 2022-2026, the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Genital Female Genital Mutilation 2020-2026, and the National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan to put an end to child marriage. 2020-2024, which was then extended to 2025. Institutionally, the practical response on the ground were also improved by increasing the points of securized centers, centers where care is offered to victims. We have a greater number of centers for the protection of women and families, which have allowed survivors to benefit from holistic care and follow-up. In 2025, we had 122 such functional centers. Over 200,000 women and girls, including survivors of gender-based violence, went there and benefited from training on how to generate income. Then we have the Gender and Child Desk is part of several police offices where children can go to get assistance. This is an office, as I said, under the police and gendarmerie where care is offered to those that are victims of gender-based violence. Survivors of gender-based violence can go there and ask for proper care to be provided. These are safe spaces where they can go and be heard and cared for. Also, multi-sectoral platform to combat gender-based violence have increased in number. We have about 100 of them now. It's part of the initial training that is offered in the police and gendarme training centers, which we spoke of already. Combating gender-based violence is part of the general program on human rights. So for example, from 2019 to 2024, over 2,600 gendarmes and members of the police were trained on this in order to better care for victims of gender-based violence, abiding by the principles of the international standards of active listening and confidentiality. Also, 13 members of the army and several gendarmes were trained on gender-based violence in Bortwade, Douala, Babousan, and Kalendray. We also organized same workshops in 2024. So as to further strengthen the regulatory framework, we have a draft bill on the works. And that draft bill tackles gender-based violence. Right now, we can't say much about the content of the bill. given that it has not yet been discussed or adopted by the Parliament. But we should say that gender-based violence is criminalized by the Criminal Code and by other texts.

I think the time has elapsed, so I'll leave it at that, Ambassador. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, distinguished committee members.

Obviously, we would need several days in order to provide you with exact and detailed answers to all the questions. We.

Pooled the various questions into different clusters.

So as I was saying, we've covered combating impunity, the institutional framework, combating corruption, the state of emergency, counterterrorism, questions about discrimination, gender equality. So in view of the time allotted to us, I think that I can now give.

The floor back to you, Chair. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Ambassador. We will get some follow-up questions. Then in remaining time, you can answer to the follow-up questions. And if you wish, you can also answer to the questions unanswered. I will give the floor to Madame Chigusa.

Merci.

Thank you, Chair.

I'd like to extend some very warm and sincere thanks to the delegation for the many answers provided. So thank you, Ambassador and delegation members.

We're fully aware of the fact that we ask a lot of questions, but that's because of the high level of interest that we have in the human rights situation in Cameroon.

I think that I've got four quick follow-up questions. The first is about the National Human Rights Commission.

We've tried to use its reports when preparing this dialogue because it's an important source of information. However, I think that the last annual report that I found on the website dates back to 2022. There are other reports from follow-up mechanisms on torture. in the detention centres, but they're also not updated. So thank you very much for offering to bring in copies of all the reports and documents, or the latest ones, which would help us better understand the situation in the field, because When I went to the website in French and English, I didn't get the most recent information. So that's my first question. The second is to link up with what my colleague, Ms. Basim, was saying about combating corruption and what we're going to talk about tomorrow, which is on freedom of expression. According to the information we've received, there is no law on access to information. So this makes it very difficult for journalists, for example, and human rights defenders.

Or other stakeholders to get access to.

Information pertaining to assets declarations by certain political figures. It seems as though that this isn't covered. If there truly is law and access to information which covers this component, then in view of your attempts to combat corruption, this law would be very useful, in fact. Now, with regard to military courts, and their jurisdiction.

We're going to come back to this tomorrow, I'm sure. But.

The reason why the committee emphasizes this is because in line with General Comment 32, states can have military courts. But I would like to refer to the guideline from the African Commission on Human and People's Rights, which states that the only aim of military courts is to try purely military offenses committed by military personnel. So, over the course of today and tomorrow, we're going to refer to the fact that military courts are trying civilians in counterterrorism cases. That's the problem. Article 14 does not prohibit states from having military courts, but what is dangerous is when these military courts have jurisdiction over civilians. I'd like to refer to what one of your delegation members referred to as the regime for crises. I would like to refer back to what we had talked about, which were derogations de facto. I understand what you've said, Ambassador, about the only state of emergency having occurred just after Cameroon's independence.

We are going to come back to the length of police custody and other affairs tomorrow, but, according to the information that we have received, even if there has been no.

Legal derogation in law, it seems as though there have been de facto derogations. When you talk about the lawfulness of crisis or legality of crisis.

That is something that would help the committee better assess what happens in the field with the requirements.

Under article 4 of the covenant.

Thank you very much for any answers that you can provide.

Thank you very much, Madame Tigruza. Now I will give the floor to Madame Sulan.

Thank you, Chair. I also thank the delegation to all the responses that we have received until now. I will go back to issue 8 that I was speaking about before. We heard that some New laws have been enacted and some of them amended. And I will stay in that domain of legislature. And there have been some concerns regarding several provisions of your civil code already by several UN human bodies, namely articles that are specifically under scrutiny are articles 229, 1421, Nevertheless, until now, you have decided not to align these provisions with the principle of equality. So now I would like to ask what challenges are you experiencing in amending or repealing these specific provisions? Now I will turn to issue 9. My intervention with regard to issue 9 concerned not only violence against women but also harmful practices. I emphasize that although certain harmful practices are criminalized under national law, they continue to be part of customary or cultural practices. This is precisely where I would appreciate further clarification. How does the State reconcile customary and cultural practices with national legislation, particularly when such practices are explicitly criminalized? How does it ensure that customary law does not undermine the implementation and enforcement of national laws designed to prohibit these practices? And now with regards to issue 10, voluntary termination of pregnancy, I regret we did not hear a response, but that was due to time frame. I believe that tomorrow we will hear replies to that question as well. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madame Surland. Now I will give the floor to Mr. NDIA.

Thank you, Chair. I, in turn, would like to thank the head of delegation and all the other members of the delegation for the very.

Precise answers that they've given to a number of our questions. I do realize that We've asked a large number of questions. I think that the primary advisor actually counted them.

However, I would like to come back to something which I think there was some confusion.

I asked a question not about the follow up, the legal follow up to the individual complaints from Cameroon.

Before the committee, I would like to know if the Cameroonian courts invoke the Covenant when interpreting Cameroonian law. This is because the Covenant is immediately integrated into domestic law in Cameroon. But I would like to know if the courts refer to the provisions of the Covenant in their rulings.

I would like to know if you've got any examples of the Supreme Court rulings or appeal court rulings which are probably the most appropriate for having references to international legal instruments. So that's the first question that I'd like to put you and I eagerly await your answer to it.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. I will give the floor to Mr. Fernandez Liesa.

Thank you. Very briefly, I'd like to react to your answer on discrimination against the LGBTI community. The law is supposed to serve the needs of society, but I think that the relationship between law and society means that the law can be changed because of society. Other cases, it's the law makers that bring about change in society. But I think that it's important to try and eradicate deep-seated discrimination in culture and stereotypes. It's always a good thing, and it can be brought about by the law. This has happened notably with regard to persons with disabilities. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is helping change societies. So it's the legal instrument that changes society before society changes itself.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. I think we have very difficult but very important questions raised, the follow-up questions. So we have about 20 minutes to go. So I will give the floor back to the delegation. You can answer as much as possible today. Then if not, I can give you a little bit of time tomorrow morning before we go to the second round of questions. So I'll give the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. We are going to try to answer the question.

Chair, I'll start with the last question.

I'd like to thank the suggestion made by the role of leaders in society.

This was.

Mr. Fernandez's proposal with regard to the LGBTI issue. You know, I'm not here to teach anybody, but a.

Leader must be connected to a society and reflect the aspirations of a society.

If he's disconnected, then he will just pass by. So governance is about reflecting the aspirations of a society. When with regard to the issue of the LGBTI community, as I've said, our society is at a stage of development, of moral and cultural development, which mean that a number of various considerations are required in order to format people's mindsets. We need time. I've often had discussions about this with friends and I think that the best changes come about over time.

You mustn't force them through quickly.

Otherwise, this brings about abuse and violation. This is because moral values are too strong. I come from obviously the elite. But Ambassador, you're forgetting that we're in a society which still allows for polygamy. So I think that a good leader is someone who is in step with society. But we do live in this world and we should enrich our civilization. But we continue to need our references. We need to have our basis. Until proven contrary, the values of the Cameroonian people are reflected in the National Assembly, which draws up the laws. In the current stage of development, there are issues which.

Cannot yet be integrated into our society, and so I call upon the international community.

To bear in mind that this is an issue which affects many countries and not just in Africa. I think the strength of human rights is its universality, but there is diversity even within universality, and that is what is so beautiful in human rights. There are certain standards which we have to respect, so I've taken note of your call. I respect it. I am also part of the leadership elite in my country. I have taken note, and it is something which we will certainly take up. Before I give the floor to my colleagues, Mr. NDI, there are many countries which have a monist legal system. That means to say the primacy of international law. And as you were saying, the Covenant is integrated in domestic law. So it's part of our positive law. Obviously, I'm not a member of the judiciary, and perhaps I can give the floor to someone who is. But for a long time, I have worked closely with members of the judiciary. In fact, in my previous incarnation as director of legal affairs in the Ministry, I was well aware of the fact that the covenant is integrated into domestic law as soon as it is ratified. I can confirm what you have said. Perhaps I can come back to Ms. Shortland's question about abortion. The issue of abortion is akin to that of the LGBTI community.

It's closely linked to our society.

There are a lot of sociological and cultural concepts which affect this. African concepts, not the only ones. There opposing ones as well. Abortion is prohibited under Cameroonian law. You must have medical grounds for undergoing an abortion. I think that the member of the judicial will be able to explain this in much greater detail, but all of these issues are linked to the development of our society. We've taken very careful note. Madam, you also asked us as to how the state can reconcile customary offenses with criminal offenses. There's a legal principle which states that positive law prevails. You cannot have customary principle which runs counter to positive law. The advantage of customary courts in Cameroon.

Is the fact that we have around 280 ethnic groups.

So an ethnic group is a civilization, it's a lifestyle. And so the advantage of a customary court is that they are located in the places where the ethnic groups live. And when a situation arises, and we've already said that it's the customary courts that intervene in property disputes, not when there are offenses. You're not going to ask a village chief to judge the case of a murder.

That doesn't happen.

So criminal proceedings prevail over others. Now with regard to your reference to the enactment of laws, the civil code, the specific articles that.

You asked about articles 229, 142 and 142, and you asked about the principle of legality.

I think that the member of the judiciary will give you some answers.

But I would like to come back to the source of those questions before I provide you with the answer. Now I'd like to turn to Ms. De Groot's question about the National Human Rights Commission. I think that the latest report that I have, which I'll bring with me tomorrow, is from 2024 or 2025. I think I've got the copy in my office. Now, with regard to corruption and freedom of expression, or combating corruption and freedom of expression.

And your question about a law and access to information. I'll. Try to gather some more information and bring it with me tomorrow. But I know that the law maker. has gone further with this. There's nothing which is hidden.

Journalists undertake their inquiries and they have freedom to undertake research.

That's all regulated under law. But I'll try and inform myself so that I can bring you better information tomorrow. Military courts, you correctly define them. They should concern military personnel and military offenses. I don't think we're in contradiction there. We refer to certain cases and military courts can try military personnel and military offences. When a firearm is used, if a civilian.

Has a weapon, that is something which is strictly regulated, you're not allowed to fire it. Someone who has a weapon has the legitimacy of force.

It's for police officers, for military personnel. They're the ones who should use a weapon. And when they fire a weapon, then it's because they are military personnel. And that's why military courts are competent. And what I was saying is that any ruling can be appealed before the Court of Appeal.

We do our best to respect.

International and regional conventions in this area. Well, with regard to the legality of crisis, you asked about de facto situations.

No, if we haven't had a state of emergency or a state of siege, we're not going to simulate them.

Are we going to say that the events in certain region should lead to a simulated state of emergency or something? I think that we haven't decreed a state of emergency.

I think that we understand each other.

We have not simulated any operations. We've had local crises, but we do our best. as authorities to manage the situation using the ordinary laws. Exceptional laws which can only be enforced during states of emergency. I think that I've gone through all the questions.

I don't know if Mr. Colagna wants to add anything. You don't have to, but if you want to intervene, please go ahead.

Thank you, Excellency. Thank you for giving me the floor. Just a few additional pieces of information. You were saying that the latest report on the website from the National Human Rights Commission is from 2022. I think it's because the website hasn't been updated. We'll check that. I'd just like to take the opportunity.

To tell you that the Ministry of Justice in Cameroon also produces an annual report.

On the human rights situation in the country. So if you look at the website of the Ministry of Justice, you'll find reports from 2025 and 2024. 2024, I should say 2025 is still being published with regard to a law and access to information. I would just like to point out that this is something which is being studied and the authorities are deeply interested in debating this. There is a concern about certain discriminatory provisions against women, but I would like to say that the family code is currently being drafted in the Ministry of Justice and that will replace certain provisions of the Civil Code. This will enable us to redress the problem of the discriminatory provisions. But while we're waiting for the family code to be finalised, I would like to point out that when Civil Code provisions run counter to Cameron's international obligations. It's up to the judges. As Ambassador has said to. Apply the provisions of the international instruments, given that they have primacy. So for. example that would occur when the Civil Code runs counter to the Committee on the.

Convention on the elimination of discrimination against women thank you Ambassador that's what I could.

Add we have the floor.

Thank you very much Ambassador uh this brings uh today's dialogue to a close and thank you for your engagement with the committee and I appreciate your particular skill with which you have responded to our questions. But I felt that you may have to sometimes address more directly to the questions. So I hope we can do that tomorrow. I look forward to even more constructive dialogue tomorrow. I wish you and your delegation a pleasant evening, and the meeting is adjourned.

Thank you so much.