NAP Development

The drafting process was launched on 15 November 2016, with participation of the members of civil society and officials of international organisations. The main data for the NAP development process was compiled by WILPF Cameroon in the format of a study which enabled the evaluation of the level of knowledge of the concerned Resolutions and the identification of specific needs and problems of women living in conflict zones.

The drafting process was initiated by the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, with the participation of the members of the government and parliamentarians, representatives of decentralised territorial communities, top ranking universities, socio-professionals, civil society, diplomatic personalities and officials of international organisations.  

NAP Implementation

Civil society is part of the Interministerial Committee charged, which means once a year. Results, Indicators and Resources Framework also mentions civil society as a partner in implementing specific objectives, including organising 100 capacity building sessions on the culture of peace (1.1.ii) and organising radio and television debates on SGBV and their impact on the development of the country (2.1.ii).

The framework of implementation of the NAP comprises of three organs: the piloting and orientation committee; the national technical coordination of 1325; the regional, divisional and sub-divisional units.

The piloting and orientation committee is placed under the authority of the Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic and assisted by the Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s office. The Interministerial Committee is made up of 20 members, including Secretaries General of the concerned administrations, Presidency of the Republic, Prime Minister’s Office, Senate, National Assembly, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of External Relations, Ministry of Territorial Administration, Ministry of Defence, Gendarmerie, Police, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Ministry of France, Ministry of Social Affairs, National Committee on Human Rights, Civil Society, the United Nations, the private sector, multilateral cooperation actors.

The National Technical Coordination is presided over by the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family.

Regional, divisional and sub-divisional units are placed under the authority of regional governors,  senior divisional officers and divisional officers, respectively.

NAP Monitoring and Evaluation

Civil society does not have an important role in the monitoring and evaluation process.

The National Technical Coordination of 1325 is responsible for the monitoring of the implementation of the NAP and the preparation of quarterly, biannual and yearly reports.

WILPF's Contributions to Cameroon's NAP

WILPF Cameroon has played a crucial role in mobilising on Women, Peace and Security across the country and developing Cameroon's National Action Plan, and now hopes that the implementation will substantially increase women’s participation in peace work across the country.

Established officially on 31 January 2014, WILPF Cameroon made the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) its priority, with the mission to advocate for a national action plan (NAP). WILPF Cameroon trained its members and other civil society leaders to ensure outreach and more effective advocacy; engaged with relevant stakeholders and demonstrated the urgent need of this resolution by participating at the international forums. WILPF Cameroon, as of 2021, is currently engaged in advocacy around the development of the Second Cameroonian NAP.

The implementation period for the National Plan of Action of Cameroon is three years (2018-2020).

The primary objectives of Canadian NAP include:

1. Increase the meaningful participation of women, women’s organisations and networks in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict state-building.
2. Prevent, respond to and end impunity for sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated in conflict and sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers and other international personnel, including humanitarian and development staff.
3. Promote and protect women’s and girls’ human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in fragile, conflict and post-conflict settings.
4. Meet the specific needs of women and girls in humanitarian settings, including the upholding of their sexual rights and access to sexual and reproductive health services.
5. Strengthen the capacity of peace operations to advance the WPS Agenda, including by deploying more women and fully embedding the WPS Agenda into CAF operations and police deployments.

Each objective has different outputs assigned. For example, Objective 1 “the leadership and participation of women in the process of prevention and management of conflict and post-conflict situations, to construct peace and social cohesion” includes the following outputs:

• Output 1.1.: A conducive environment for the stabilisation of social peace while minimising risks of occurrence of conflict and violence is created;
• Output 1.2.: The representation of women in high decision-making positions in civilian and military life is improved;
• Output 1.3.: The participation of women in construction, peacekeeping and consolidation operations (civilian and military aspects), including in international and regional bodies, is strengthened.

To achieve each output, the NAP has different activities assigned. For example, Output 1.3. (The participation of women in construction, peacekeeping and consolidation operations (civilian and military aspects), including in international and regional bodies, is strengthened) includes the following activities:

• Set up alert units within 300 female associations;
• Train 500 women as mediators and negotiators;
• Carry out an inquiry on female competencies in the domain of peace and security at all levels (local, regional, national);
• Organise three award ceremonies for women having stood out in peace, security or conflict resolution missions;
• Organise 10 advocacy sessions for the concerned administrations on the involvement of women in the prevention of conflicts;Set up three online platforms for social media like Facebook and Twitter, to sensitise the public opinion on violence incidents reported, set up dialogue with women at national level and propagate knowledge related to it.

The National Technical Coordination of 1325 is responsible for the monitoring of the implementation of the NAP and the preparation of quarterly, biannual and yearly reports. However, there is no specific monitoring and evaluation framework offered in the NAP.

The total cost of the NAP implementation is estimated to be CFA3,679,600. The implementation of the NAP is free and calls on all structures interested in Women, Peace and Security. Each administration is responsible for activities involving its mandate. International organisations, private administrations and civil society organisations involved may, apart from their own funding, negotiate funding and technical support from financial and technical partners.

The NAP, while referencing the impact of arms proliferation on women, does not offer any specific actions for disarmament and arms control, including monitoring mechanisms for assessing the impact of arms proliferation on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).