Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment : UN Women, Stakeholders, Discuss Next Five-Year Gender Note

United Nations Women, UN Women Cameroon, in collaboration with the Government of Cameroon, civil society organizations, local authorities, and international partners, convened a two-day high-level stakeholder consultation workshop on September 8–9, 2026. To define its strategic direction for the 2027–2031 period.

The primary objective of the workshop is to gather inclusive, participatory inputs to craft the entity's upcoming Strategic Note. Grounded in national frameworks such as Vision 2035, the National Development Strategy 2020–2030 (SND30), and the National Gender Policy 2022–2030, the new roadmap seeks to align UN Women’s interventions directly with Cameroon’s key priorities.

Opening the event, Marie Pierre Raky Chaupin, UN Women Resident Representative in Cameroon, emphasized that the 2027–2031 Strategic Note must serve as a shared vision and a collective roadmap to accelerate progress for women and girls. She called for an honest evaluation of past interventions and an open dialogue to maximize UN Women’s strategic added value.

A representative from the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT) reaffirmed the government's commitment to gender equality. Noting that UN Women’s country strategy aligns with national priorities and policies established by Head of State His Excellency Paul Biya. The representative highlighted the importance of taking stock of the ending 2022–2026 cycle to identify strengths, weaknesses, constraints, and future perspectives.

Annir Tina Dieudonné, Mayor of Yoko in the Centre Region, shared field-level successes achieved through UN Women’s partnership across several municipalities, including Yoko, Ntui, Tibati, and Batcham. Key achievements under the outgoing framework include progress on 50 title deed procedures (5 hectares per association) to secure land rights for women farmers. Facilitating birth certificate acquisition for children from disadvantaged families. Construction of transformation units, piggeries, and processing facilities.

Looking toward the 2027–2031 cycle, Mayor Dieudonné emphasized a shift toward sustainable co-financing. Stating that local municipalities plan to contribute local budgetary resources alongside donor funding. He also advocated integrating UN Women and gender programming into major national infrastructure projects, such as the Nationale 15 central road initiative.