UNESCO strengthens citizenship among Indigenous and vulnerable populations living around natural World Heritage sites in Cameroon.
As part of activities marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, celebrated each year on 9 August, 124 new birth certificates were issued to vulnerable Baka and Bantu adults who had previously faced difficulties obtaining these documents. Around Lobéké National Park, 54 birth certificates were issued through collaboration between UNESCO, ASBABUK (Association Sanguia Baka Buma’a Kpode), INADES Formation Cameroon and the conservation service of Lobéké National Park. In the Dja Faunal Reserve, 70 birth certificates were issued through collaboration between UNESCO, the Association of Young Indigenous Peoples of Cameroon (AJPAC) and the conservation service of the Dja Faunal Reserve. This initiative also benefited from significant support from the councils of the areas concerned. These results bring the total number of birth certificates issued under the Natura Sud Est project to 204, benefiting 112 women and 92 men.
A symbolic ceremony for the presentation of the birth certificates was organized by AJPAC, with the active participation of the conservation service of the Dja Faunal Reserve, the Lomié Council and the Divisional Delegate of Social Affairs for Lomié. During the ceremony, the Second Deputy Mayor of Lomié, Mrs Eloa Nadège, thanked UNESCO and the European Union for the initiative and reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to supporting similar initiatives for the benefit of Indigenous and vulnerable populations in the municipality. The Head of the Eastern Branch of the Dja Faunal Reserve also thanked all the partners, stressing that the initiative forms part of the broader mission of the conservation service, which seeks to support the education and citizenship of Indigenous communities living near the reserve. The ceremony received media coverage from Lomié Community Radio, an important local communication channel supported by the Communication and Information Sector of the UNESCO Regional Office for Central Africa.
In Cameroon, birth certificates are not only fundamental legal documents but are also an essential requirement for obtaining a national identity card. The national identity card is necessary to facilitate freedom of movement, access to public services and employment, as well as the full exercise of civic rights and duties in Cameroon. The next stage of this initiative will consist of supporting the issuance of national identity cards on the basis of the birth certificates obtained. Through this European Union funded initiative under the Natura Sud Est project, UNESCO is helping to reduce administrative barriers and promote the social inclusion of some of the country’s most marginalized populations.
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