INTRODUCTION

In an era of rapid globalisation, human migration has reached unprecedented levels and is a defining feature of our times. Throughout its history, Cameroon and others African countries have experienced migratory movements, both voluntary and forced, which have contributed to its contemporary demographic landscape. In many parts of the continent, communities are spread across two or three nation-States, and movement is often not limited by political boundaries. Cross-border migration in Africa is an important livelihood and coping strategy during times of ecological and economic downturn is key to understanding, as well as forecasting, the onset and evolution of humanitarian disasters.

The global geo-political prominence of migration has greatly increased in recent times, as the world sees larger numbers of migrants than at any other time in history. The number of international migrants reached 244 million in 2015, a 41 per cent increase on the 2000 figure, whilst the number of international migrants from Africa reached 34 million, with nearly half of them being women.  Moreover, more people have been forcibly displaced than during, or any time since World War II, with figures reaching over 65 million by the end of 2015. These trends take shape against the backdrop of the growing securitizations of migration, the externalization of border control and increasingly restrictive migration policies, which have contributed to irregular migration. Global inequality, the lack of decent work, poverty, conflict, gender inequalities and discrimination, terrorism and climatic pressure continue to drive people to search for a better life abroad. Mixed flows, consisting of different types of migrants and asylum seekers that use the same migration routes and means, have been on the rise. As legal pathways for migration have diminished, migrants are falling prey to smugglers and human traffickers. Consequently the lack of legal pathways for migration has contributed to record numbers of deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, with more than 5,000 people losing their lives in 2016 alone. Reliable data on migrant deaths on other routes remain scanty, which means that even more people may be dying crossing the Red Sea and the Sahara Desert. These dynamics have strained and called into question the world’s refugee system, which is struggling to provide adequate protection to more than 21 million refugees. In addition, the notion of a growing migration “crisis” and international terrorism have led to policies that seek to deter migration and jeopardise the protection of the rights of migrant women and men.

The root causes of migration in Africa are numerous and inter-related. The push-pull framework provides insight into this complex web of factors. Lack of socio-economic opportunities and the rule of law, poor governance, patronage and corruption, political instability, conflict, terrorism and civil strife are major push factors. Pull factors include the real or perceived opportunities for a better life, higher income, improved security, and superior education and health care in countries of destination. The push-pull dynamic is intensified by a number of other factors that facilitate migration. These include the lower costs of migration; improved communication, especially social media and the internet; greater information availability; and the need to join relatives, families and friends. The movement of people – voluntary or forced, legal or undocumented, within or across borders – is a complex process that affects policy making in a wide range of areas.

Over the last decade, a salient trend in African migration has been the rise in irregular migration. Migrants use increasingly precarious routes, which render them vulnerable to abuse by smugglers and traffickers. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence, and other risks. Moreover, States often view irregular migration through the prism of national security, which may lead to a generalization that all refugees and migrants are a potential security threat. This has contributed to the securitization of migration, including the reinforcement of border control, without due respect for migrants’ human rights.

Furthermore, corruption and harassment at borders in Africa remain a challenge, even in regions that are implementing free movement of persons regimes, and this too undermines the human rights of migrants. Migration management policies and practices should uphold the human rights of all migrants, while awareness raising on the rights and obligations of migrants should be provided, as well as migrant-friendly reporting and accountability mechanisms, that address abuse and the exploitation of migrants by security and law enforcement officials. Another major challenge in Africa is displaced populations, inter alia triggered by conflict, terrorism, and climatic pressure.

Migration is a global concern. It is the reason why the Global Compact on orderly and safe migration has been created under the auspice of the United Nations.  The Global Compact is the first-ever negotiated global framework on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions.  However, other of the major challenges concerning migration management in Cameroon and Africa are related to less evidence based and the lack of comprehensive policies or plans to improve the lives of migrants and the communities in which they live, and the possibility to reduce dangerous, chaotic and irregular migration flows.

A lot of Cameroonians and Africans are not sufficiently aware of the consequences of irregular migrations and the conditions of regular migrations. There is a need to increase intrastate, interstates, continental and intercontinental partnerships.

PROGRAM IDEAS AND VALUES

This program is based on three major Ideas:

• human beings  in affected / threatened ( whether in homeland or in host land)  are at the center of concerns joint action should be undertaken to ensure their rights, peace and security;

• Migration governance; labour migration and Education; border governance; irregular migration; forced displacement, internal migration; migration and trade Desertification, drought, climate change, peacebuilding, corruption, transparency are concerns of global dimension and joint action is needed to cope with them;

The recognition that effective migration policies, and greater protection of the vulnerable, require the support of many actors. This requires the engagement of a broad alliance of partners, including civil society, the private sector, trade unions, diaspora and migrant communities, national human rights institutions, local authorities, youth networks and other actors.

PROGRAM PRINCIPLES

The Action Program Against Migration and Trafficking is based on a set of cross-cutting and interdependent guiding principles:

• People-centered: promoting the well-being of migrants and the members of communities in countries of origin, transit and destination
• International cooperation: requiring international, regional and bilateral cooperation and dialogue. I
• National sovereignty: sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy and their prerogative to govern migration within their jurisdiction, in conformity with international law.
• Rule of law and due process: State, public and private institutions and entities, as well as persons themselves are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international law.
• Sustainable development: rooted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and builds upon its recognition that migration is a multidimensional reality of major relevance for the sustainable development of countries of origin, transit and destination, which requires coherent and comprehensive responses
• Human rights: based on international human rights law and upholds the principles of non-regression and non-discrimination
• Gender-responsive: ensures that the human rights of women, men, girls and boys are respected at all stages of migration, their specific needs are properly understood and addressed and they are empowered as agents of change
• Child-sensitive: promotes existing international legal obligations in relation to the rights of the child, and upholds the principle of the best interests of the child at all times, as a primary consideration in all situations concerning children in the context of international migration, including unaccompanied and separated children
• Whole-of-government approach: considers that migration is a multidimensional reality that cannot be addressed by one government policy sector alone.
• Whole-of-society approach: promotes broad multi-stakeholder partnerships to address migration in all its dimensions by including migrants, diasporas, local communities, civil society, academia, the private sector, parliamentarians, trade unions, National Human Rights Institutions, the media and other relevant stakeholders in migration governance

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED IMPACT

Strategic objective 1: To contribute to the establishment of conducive conditions that enable all migrants (Refugees, IDPs, returnees) and the society community to enrich mutually through their human, economic and social capacities, and thus facilitate their contributions to sustainable development at the local, national, regional and global levels consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Africa.

Expected impact 1.1:Accurate and disaggregated data (as a basis) for evidence-based policies

Expected impact 1.2: Adverse drivers and structural factors that compel people to leave their country of origin minimized

Expected impact 1.3: Accessible accurate, transparent information disseminated to States, communities and migrants at all stages of migration.

Expected impact 1.4: All migrants profile documented

 Expected impact 1.5: Enhanced availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration

Expected impact 1.6: Fair and ethical recruitment and safeguard conditions that ensure decent work facilitated

Expected impact 1.7:  Vulnerabilities in migration addressed and reduced;

Expected impact 1.8: Lives saved and coordinated international efforts on missing migrants Expected impact 1.9:Strengthened transnational response to smuggling of migrants

Expected impact 1.10:Trafficking in persons in the context of international migration Prevented, combated and eradicated

Expected impact 1.11:Managed borders in an integrated, secure and coordinated manner

Expected impact 1.12: Strengthened certainty and predictability in migration procedures for appropriate screening, assessment and referral

Expected impact 1.13:Minimized migration detention and increased alternatives

Expected impact 1.14: Enhanced consular protection, assistance and cooperation throughout the migration cycle

Expected impact 1.15:Increased access to basic services for migrants

Expected impact 1.16: Migrants and societies empowered to realize full inclusion and social cohesion

Expected impact 1.17: All forms of discrimination against migrants prohibited –improved evidence-based public discourse/perceptions of migration

Expected impact 1.18: Invest in skills development and facilitate mutual recognition of skills, qualifications and competences

Expected impact 1.19: Created conditions for migrants and diasporas to fully contribute to sustainable development in all countries

Expected impact 1.20: Faster, safer and cheaper transfer of remittances for economic inclusion of migrants

Expected impact 1.21: Improved/increased cooperation in facilitating safe and dignified return and readmission, as well as sustainable reintegration

Expected impact 1.22: operational mechanisms for the portability of social security entitlements and earned benefits

Expected impact 1.23: Strengthened international cooperation and global partnerships for safe, orderly and regular migration.

Strategic objective 2: To mitigate, adapt to, and manage the effects of drought in order to improve the living conditions of migrants (refugees, IDPs and returnees) from conflict or climate and enhance their resilience to climate change.

Expected impact 2.1: Food security and adequate access to water for migrants are  improved.

Expected impact 2.2: The livelihoods of people in affected areas are improved and diversified.

Expected impact 2.3:  Migrants, especially women and youth, are empowered and participate in decision-making in general and particularly in land degradation neutrality

Expected impact 2.4: Migration forced by desertification and land degradation is substantially reduced

Expected impact 2.5:  Ecosystems’ vulnerability of migrants to drought is reduced, including through sustainable land and water management practices.

Expected impact 2.6: Communities’ resilience to drought is increased.

Expected impact 2.7:  Extensive efforts are implemented to promote technology transfer, especially on favorable terms and including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed, and to mobilize other non-financial resources.

Strategic objective 3: To mobilize stakeholders for the protection of migrants(refugees, IDPs and returnees), the eradication of torture, the assistance (psychological, juridical…) and rehabilitation of migrants, victims of torture and their family.

Expected result 3.1: Existing/updated/ operational policies and national plans related to issue of torture and ill-treatment (to eradicate them) and issue related to the protection denouncers of torture, the punishment of torture perpetrators,  the protection of migrants and their family;  the assistance (psychological, juridical…) and rehabilitation ofmigrants, victims of torture and their family;

Expected result 3.2:Enhanced understanding and capacity of key stakeholders of the process of the assistance (psychological, juridical…) and rehabilitation of migrants, victims of torture and their family.

Expected result 3.3: Migrants victim of torture regardless of their legal status access early to holistic sustainable quality specialized assistance (psychological, juridical…) and rehabilitation services

Expected result 3.4: Effective, candid long term dialogue and partnership (including experience sharing) between/among civil society, authorities, providers, rehabilitation centers and others key (national and international) stakeholders on the implementation of the right to rehabilitation, in particular with regard to national legislation and practices and training of medical staff

Expected result 3.5: Well established/operational partnerships with both grass-roots initiatives and rehabilitation centres; Operational programs of assistance to migrants, victims of torture and trafficking and their families (including specifically women, youth and children);

Expected result 3.6: Rehabilitation providers protected in their human rights defenders work;

Expected result 3.7: Proper procedures and structures for the protection of data and the evaluation of delivery of services by independent evaluators or auditors established and operational.

Strategic Objective 4: To contribute to the eradication of corruption, smuggling of migrants, drugs trafficking, (cyber) crime, and money laundry, illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Low Weapons within the migration chain

Expected impact 4.1: regional and international instruments on migration, corruption, smuggling of migrants, drugs trafficking, (cyber) crime, money laundry, illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons internalized and effectively implemented.

Expected impact 4.2: Improved understanding and increased engagement of governments, civil society, NGOs, private sector, vulnerable and marginalized people (including women and youth) of the challenges of anti-corruption, anti-smuggling of migrants, anti-drugs trafficking,  anti-(cyber) crime, anti-money laundry,  proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons

Expected impact 4.3: Increased collaboration among governments, civil society, NGOs, private sector, vulnerable and marginalized people (including women and youth) in the fight against corruption, smuggling of migrants, drugs trafficking, (cyber) crime, money laundry, illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Expected impact 4.4: Strengthened inter-states cooperation in the fight against the financing or supply of armed terrorist groups, in the fight against corruption, smuggling of migrants, drugs trafficking,  (cyber) crime, money laundry,  illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons through advocacy for the establishment of policies at African Union level and at country level to strengthen the marking of outer-manufactured weapons before their entry of African soil, so that they respect the rules of the African conventions on the fight against the illegal proliferation of arms.

Strategic objective 5: Contribute to the successful process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of migrants from conflict in/out affected areas by violent extremism and radicalization

Expected impact 5.1: National stakeholders are able to maximize accurate weapons yields (based on the previous assessment; to explore incentives for handing in weapons; to avoid attaching a monetary value to weapons or ammunition; to ensure effective controls on weapons and ammunition registration, storage, management and destruction and to deal with longer-term weapons and ammunition control and reduction issues at both national and local levels (licensing, import/export, trafficking).

Expected impact 5.2: Sound and reliable mechanisms to ensure socio-economic profiles of participants to the DDR and the cantonment or decentralized processing arrangements; to deal with issue of amnesty for crimes and the needs of women and children associated with armed forces/groups , (including dependents); to providing transition assistance (insertion), information and referral services including repatriation, resettlement and transportation options.

Expected impact 5.3: National stakeholders develop (i) sound and reliable mechanism to determine reintegration opportunities and community absorption capacity (ii) relevant and sustainable reintegration programs with adequate facilities for vocational/professional training (iii) mixed reintegration/community development projects including, (iv) collaborative sensitization strategies community bases, (v) mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation. All giving attention to special migrants groups (women and children associated with armed forces and groups, youth, people with disabilities).

IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK

The Program will be implemented through actions at national or sub-regional levels with the support of partners in accordance with national priorities and in a spirit of international solidarity and partnership including public–private partnerships, and innovative agreements. This program (that activities will consist in advocacy, cartoons, artwork, awareness raising, education, capacity building, design and development of innovative digitalized and automates tools, research and studies) intents:

With respect to financial and non-financial resources:

1. – Increase mobilization of financial and non-financial resources for the implementation of the Convention from international and domestic, public and private sources as well as from local communities, including non-traditional funding sources, and climate finance;
2. – Take advantage of the opportunity to use Migration as a framework to enhance the coherence, effectiveness and multiple benefits of investments;
3. – To improve the use of existing and/or innovative financial processes and institutions;

With respect to policy and planning:

1. – Vulgarize the global compact for migrations instruments and tools;
2. – Focus on psychological and juridical, socio economicrehabilitation  of migrants ( from conflicts) victims of torture and their family and migrants victims of climate change, desertification, land degradation and drought as well. This includes refugees and Internally Displaced Persons;
3. – Focus on the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of migrants ( Refugees, IDPs) ex combatants;
4. – Focus on the eradication of corruption, smuggling of migrants( Refugees, IDPs), drugs trafficking, (cyber) crime, money laundry, illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Low Weapons within the migration chain;
5. – Influence the Development, implementation, revision and regularly monitoring, as appropriate, national, sub regional action programs and/or plans as effective tools for regular, orderly and safe migration as tool of development;
6. – Influence the establishment of policies and enabling environments for promoting and implementing solutions for regular, orderly and safe migrations;
7. – Contribute to leverage synergies and integrating the global Compact for Migrations, into national plans related to the other multilateral agreements or conventions and other international commitments as appropriate, within their respective mandates;

With respect to actions on the ground:

1. – support the creation of enabling environments to promoting the global Compact for migrations;
2. – develop scientific and technical knowledge pertaining to issues related to migrations
3. – identify and address capacity-building needs to prevent irregular migration;
4. – implement/encourage restoration and rehabilitation practices in order to assist victims;
5. – develop and operationalize risk management, monitoring and early warning systems and safety-net programs, as appropriate;
6. – raise awareness on issues related to migration;
7. – establish systems for sharing information and knowledge and facilitate networking on best practices and approaches related to the management of migration flows;
8. – encourage cooperation to promote reduce human rights violations and punish the perpetrators ;
9. – organize training, workshops, seminar, discussion groups over issues related to migrations;
10. – Produce artwork, documentaries, television and radio shows on issues related to migration and trafficking,
11. – design and implement integrated projects to address the drivers and the negative consequences of (irregular) migration and human rights concerns targeting NGOs, farmers, women,  Scientifics ,community, youth and children, Indigenous Peoples and their communities, business and industry, workers and trade unions.

 CONTEXT

Cameroon and African Countries have enormous potentialities and resources that can enable them to be progress. But corruption is present in all sectors of the public and private life. Thus, the fight against corruption is among priorities of Cameroonian and African authorities as indicated in the strategic guideline documents related to poverty reduction, growth and employment strategy papers and regarding to their vision of development.
To tackle the phenomenon, many African countries have set down institutional and legal anti-corruption mechanisms and have adhere to regional and international anti-corruption and transparency conventions and processes like the African Union Convention on preventing and combatting corruption, the United Nations Conventions against Corruption (UNCAC), and the Kimberly Process relating to Transparency in Extractive Industries.
Despite all these instruments, the results so far in the fight against corruption remained mixed. The phenomenon still rampant and has become like a culture in many aspects of Cameroonian life.

Corruption is a cross-cutting issue that undermines the achievement of sustainable development agenda. Millions of Cameroonians and African suffer from hunger, poverty; do not have access to health and wellbeing, to an education of quality because of corruption. Corruption has a negative impact on gender equity. Sometimes, to have access to the same opportunities like men, girls and women are asked to give money for a certain position. Corruption hinders many African (especially minority, vulnerable people, to have access to water and energy at affordable price. Millions of African do not have a job or a decent job because of corruption. African industrialization delays because of corruption in investment and public market sector. Many vulnerable people including women and youth are deprived from their rights to land because of corruption. Corruption is one of the major causes of migration in Africa. Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels require tackling corruption. We can’t significantly reduce inequality within and among countries, make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable can, ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, combat climate change and its impacts; protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combating desertification, and halting and reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss. If measures are not addressed against corruption.

In many African countries a great majority of citizens (especially vulnerable people, young and women), public and private institutions are not yet fully aware of the challenges and the takes of anti-corruption.
Yet, it should be underlined that this scourge with damaging effects, if left to grow, is tantamount to dash all our hopes for prosperity and common happiness. If we do not act now, it might be too late tomorrow and our aspirations for welfare would be drowned if we fail in combating our common enemy that is corruption.
One of the reasons of the poor performance in anti-corruption is the scattering of efforts by multiple public and private organizations in a bid to curb the scourge. Indeed, in the anti-corruption actions carried out in by public and private sector institutions or Civil Society organizations, there is no synchronization in the implementation process. However, the creation of positive networks is one of the key factors to success in the fight against corruption.

PROJECT VISION

By 2030, thanks to the decisive contribution of children, young people, women and men, and the jointly synchronization among public, private sectors and civil society in implementing the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and African Convention on Preventing and Combatting Corruption, Cameroon and African countries are countries where integrity is an essential value for every citizen, with an economic growth based on the job well done, distributed equitably to ensure social welfare in a preserved environment consistent with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED IMPACT

• Strategic Objectives and expected impact

Strategic objective 1: To improve people understanding on corruption and extractive industries impact on sustainable development.

Expected impact 1.1: Ignorance and misunderstanding of people about the challenges and the impact of corruption in the achievement of sustainable development goals are reduced.

Expected Impact 1.2: Measures to improve fighting corruption are shared and debated

Expected Impact 1.3: Increased number of youths, women, and indigenous people trained on extractive Industries Transparency and anticorruption and access to related documentation.

Strategic objective 2: To increase countriesengagement towards anti-corruption

Expected impact 2.1 Increased number administrations, civil society organizations, companies and media integrate anticorruption in their strategy, functioning and culture.

Expected Impact 2.2: •     Increased synergy and coordination among public institutions, private sector, civil society and the media in the promotion, development and implementation of anti-corruption, transparency mechanisms and extractive industries transparency process

Expected Impact 2.3: National and sectorial action plans concerning anti-corruption (with their targets) are set by countries with the contribution of civil society and private sector; related measures are identified and implemented (following the strategic axis of prevention, Education, Conditions, Incentives, and sanctions), with a necessary inclusive monitoring system is established and effective.

Expected Impact 2.4: Governments,private sector, civil society and citizen (especially women, children, youth and other minority groups) individually and collectively monitor countries progress in achieving anti-corruption/extractive industries transparency initiative action plans and strategies.

Expected Impact 2.5: Revised and adapted anticorruption, transparency (including in extractive industries) frameworks; reduced bad practices and whistleblowers violations.

Strategic objective 3: To improve living conditions of populations (especially affected populations: vulnerable/minority people, women, youth, children, and indigenous people)

Expected impact 3.1:  Transparency and accountability improved in the management of public affairs in all sectors of national life especially in the public investment budget, public markets, finance, Education, Agriculture, extractive industries, water and energy, and forest and land governance and decentralization

Expected impact 3.2Localpeople, especially women and youth, are empowered and participate in decision-making processes in fighting corruption, monitor the public action and denounce bad practices.

Expected impact 3.2The livelihoods and living conditions of populations especially vulnerable/minority people (women, youth, children, and indigenous people) are improved /and diversified.

 CONTEXT

www.children4peacec4p.org

Children are growing up in an era of unprecedented global interconnection and innovation. Many millions enjoy a quality of life never imagined by previous generations. Out of the spotlight, many others have been left behind by the rapid development. Whether they have benefited from or missed out on recent global transformations, all children are grappling with economic shocks and new threats to health, environment, security and political stability that have arisen as the world has changed. Children held back by poverty, sickness, terrorism, violence and abuse, lack of an education, water and sanitation, lack of energy, malnutrition, inequality, gender equality, armed conflict or natural disasters, are denied a fair chance in life. Deprivation and unequal opportunity prevent them from achieving their goals and taking full part in the life of their communities and the world.

According to Kidsrights index 2017 (the annual global index which ranks how countries members of UN, adhere to and are equipped to improve children’s rights, there are a lot to do for African countries as well as other countries to improve Children rights in the domain of Life, Heath, Education, Protection and Environment. Concerning especially Cameroon, the country occupies the 134 rang/165 countries with a score of 0,507/1 articulated such : Right to Life (0,403/1), right to Health (0,598/1), right to Education (0,535/1), right to Protection (0,362/1) and right to enabling Environment for Child Rights (0,714/1).

In many parts of Africa, Children are victims of drought; land degradation, desertification and climate change negatively impacting their future. The security crisis Cameroon and many African countries encounter a negative impact on children rights.  Conflicts force thousands of people live their homes. Countless numbers of children have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited to accomplish inhuman acts. Girls have been targeted for particularly horrific abuse, including sexual enslavement. Villages and towns are looted and destroyed. Schools have been attacked. Conflicts are exacting a heavy toll on children, affecting not just their well-being and their safety but also their access to basic health, education and social services. Children are experiencing immense suffering. Many have seen parents, siblings, relatives or neighbors killed, tortured or abducted by terrorist groups or in rebellions. Many have had to run for their lives and walk for days to reach safety. Alarming rates of malnutrition have been observed in the areas worst affected by crisis. In some refugee and displaced camps in many countries in Africa, screenings among newly arrived children reveal global acute malnutrition rates of more than18 %, which is above the emergency threshold of 15%.

Conflicts weigh heavily on children, affecting not only their well-being and security but also their access to health, education and basic social services. Countless children, women and men have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited, and women and girls have been the targets of particularly horrendous abuse, including sexual slavery.

Villages and schools were looted and destroyed. Children are exposed to a number of public health problems due to early marriage as a broader phenomenon with painful consequences for girls. Those who marry as children have fewer years of schooling than their peers who marry as adults, raising concerns about long-term social and economic prospects. Most of the health issues surrounding child marriage are related to the reproductive and maternal health of women. Young married women also have higher rates of HIV infection than their unmarried sexually active counterparts.

When talking about sustainable development Goals, children are sometimes forgotten while all goals are relevant to children’s lives.  If Cameroon’s and African’s Governments have ratified several United Nations conventions and resolutions on children, and introduced them in their legislations, there still many obstacles in implementation of these dispositions due to insufficient political will, ignorance of children and communities of Children rights. Upholding these rights requires knowledge of the geographic distribution of matters affecting children and the effectiveness of policies that aim to tackle these violations.

PROGRAM IDEAS AND VALUES

his program is based on two major ideas:

• – Children in affected or threatened areas are at the center of concerns for peacebuilding, to combat desertification/land degradation, and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.
• – Conflicts, desertification/land degradation, drought and Climate Change, are problems of global dimension and joint action of the international community is needed to build peace, combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.

To give a concrete meaning to these ideas, three principles are the core of this program:

1. 1- First, African States have the primary role in promoting good governance, peacebuilding, children rights, combating desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.
2. 2- Second, it is essential to ensure the participation of NGOs, CSO, women,  Scientifics community, youth and children, Indigenous Peoples and their communities, business and industry, workers and trade unions in the elaboration, implementation and monitoring of national and local programs for children rights, combating desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.
3. 3- Third, developed States must actively support, individually or jointly, the efforts of African developing and least developing countries, to promote children rights, good governance, combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.

Program vision

Living conditions are improved in Cameroon and in Africa thanks to the recognition of children rights by all sectors of national, regional and international life, the implementation of the United Nations convention for children rights by Governments and the active participation of children in governance, peacebuilding and environment protection consistent with 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED IMPACT

The following “strategic objectives” will guide the actions of ANYL4PSD in the period 2018–2030. Meeting these long-term objectives will contribute to achieving the above-mentioned vision.

Strategic Objective 1: To improve people understanding (especially vulnerable/marginalize children) on Children rights, sustainable development goals and their challenges
Expected impact 1.1:Ignorance and misunderstanding of people (especially vulnerable/marginalize children) about children rights, global Goals and their challenges are reduced
Expected Impact 1.2: Measures to strengthen the respect of children rights and to achieve sustainable development goals are shared and debated

Strategic objective 2: To increase countries engagement towards Children rights and sustainable Development Goals 
Expected Impact 2.1: Governments, Citizen and companies’ engagement and synergy towards children rights and sustainable Development Goals are increased
Expected Impact 2.2:National voluntarily targets concerning children rights and sustainable development goals are set by countries, related measures are identified and implemented, necessary monitoring system is established
Expected Impact 2.3: Governments, Citizen especially women, children, youth and other minority groups monitor individually and collectively countries progress in achieving sustainable Development Goals

Strategic objective 3: To improve policies and the living conditions of children and their family especially vulnerable/minority children
Expected impact 3.1: Countries policies are improved relatively to children rights
Expected impact 3.2:The livelihoods of children parents (especially affected/vulnerable/minority) are improved and diversified
Expected impact 3.3: Children (especially affected/vulnerable/minority children) are empowered and participate in decision-making processes in achieving sustainable Development Goals and combatting DLDD
Expected impact 3.4: Migration of children and their family forced by disasters, desertification and land degradation is substantially reduced.

Strategic objective 4: To mitigate, adapt to, and manage the effects of drought and climate change in order to enhance resilience of vulnerable children and their family
Expected impact 4.1:Ecosystems’ vulnerability to drought and climate change is reduced, including through sustainable land and water management practices.
Expected impact 4.2:Communities’ resilience to drought and climate change is increased.

Strategic objective 5: To generate global environmental and health and security benefits through effective implementation of United Nations Convention (relating to peace, environment and children rights) ratified for the sake of children

Expected impact 5.1 Sustainable land management and the combat against DLDD contribute to the conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity and addressing climate change.

Expected impact 5.2 Children and stakeholder’s mobilization against violent extremism and radicalization contribute to the reduction of 80% of children and young soldiers and their successful social reintegration.

Expected impact 5.3 Synergies with other multilateral environmental and health agreements and processes are enhanced.

Strategic objective 6: To mobilize substantial and additional financial and non-financial resources to support the implementation of united conventions by building effective partnerships at global and national level for the sake of children  
Expected impact 6.1 Adequate and timely public and private financial resources are further mobilized towards sustainable Development Goals and made available to affected country/areas, including through domestic resource mobilization.
Expected impact 6.2 International support is provided for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building and “on-the-ground interventions” in affected country to support children rights, the implementation of the UNCCD Convention and others united Nations conventions, including through North–South, South– South and triangular cooperation.

IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK

1. 1- The Program will be implemented through actions at national, sub-regional and continental levels with the support of partners in accordance with national priorities and in a spirit of international solidarity and partnership including public–private partnerships, and innovative agreements. This program intends to be implemented relatively to the following areas: Preventing and countering violent Extremism; Disarmament, Demobilization and reintegration;Policy and Advocacy, raising awareness, Capacity Building, Cartoon (animation, comic, and sensitization); Children and Youth Action, and Knowledge.

2. 2- The UN Security Council resolutions 2250 and 1325, the United Nations conventions on Children Rights, the UNCCD, the Sendaï framework DRR and the New Urban Agenda will be the main legal frames of the program. A particular accent is put on children migration and trafficking.

3. 3- Concerning agenda 2030 agenda which is intended to be universal and transformative, and change of our trajectory towards sustainability, the program will make a priority in SDGs 1,2,3,5,9,14, 15 and 16 by considering that:

• – The key to tackling multidimensional poverty and achieving SDG 1 lies in the shift from the neoliberal economic paradigm that pursues profit and growth over people and planet. Multidimensional poverty, understood as a scourge on our planet, requires an end to crippling austerity policies globally, the active implementation of a universal basic income and caps on maximum income.
• – SDG 2 must be understood in the context of food sovereignty, to liberate marginalized communities from their state of external dependence for their own sustenance. Moreover, the aggressive corporatization of genetic resources and biodiversity must be reversed in line with a sovereignty-focused understanding of SDG 2;
• – The changing context of the national and global health landscape needs to be well incorporated in policies focused on SDG 3, in order to adequately address emerging issues like antimicrobial resistance, infectious pandemics, and the shifting burden to non-communicable diseases that threaten progress on health gains. Additionally, the trend of increasing industry influence and harsher structural barriers through a more stringent intellectual properties rights regime needs to be reversed;
• – Certain countries still do not recognize women as constitutionally equal to men. The empowerment of girls and women, and the achievement of SDG 5 require holistic legislative and societal changes, catalyzed by targeted state efforts and the inclusion of men and boys in the effort. These include overcoming social, economic, cultural and political barriers that seek to control the bodily autonomy of women, their economic mobility and social participation, while imposing a gender binary view on the society;
• – Infrastructure development should take a regional approach and take into account the needs of different types of territories- urban and non-urban, after community driven assessments of social, economic and ecological impact;
  To adequately address the complex sustainability challenges of oceans- A planetary boundary, we need an ethic of evidence based stewardship and work towards a global treaty on oceans and plastics, while addressing issues of extraterritorial overfishing threatening biodiversity and the sustenance of populations dependent on oceans
• – The success of 2030 Agenda requires greater integration and coherence of the various universally adopted sustainable development frameworks. Some of these include the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the New Urban Agenda, the 10 Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, and the Paris Agreement. These must be understood as part of a larger international effort towards the universally applicable sustainable;
• – National and international policies should seek to align macroeconomic frameworks with the three dimensions of sustainable development. Concrete initiatives like UNEP’s Ecological Risk Integration into Sovereign Credit (E-RISC), and Ecological Tax Reform (ETR) should be expanded and applied universally, in addition to addressing stranded assets and the transition from fractional to full reserve banking, as a step towards operationalizing a framework that views the economy as a subset of the environment and society;
• – We need to apply a science policy interface that seeks the appropriate use of sensible data, while applying context specific technology and purpose driven innovation in synchrony with indigenous knowledge;
• – United Nations should convene a process to classify ecocide as a crime against humanity;
• – In order to achieve rights based participation modalities that ensure protected spaces for critical segments of society, Children and Young People should be formally engaged in all stages and levels of sustainable development policy.

 Introduction

Projects Realized

The 2006 International Year on Deserts and Desertification provided an opportunity for the international community to better focus on an issue that represents an ongoing and creeping disaster: the loss of soil and fertile land. The International Geneva Symposium organized in April 2006 by Switzerland on the question of desertification, poverty and human rights highlighted the necessity of protecting land and soil to achieve the MDGs and protect human rights. Since then, the latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC that projects patterns of natural resources scarcity under scenarios of climate change grimly remind us that handling such issues with benign neglect shall no longer suffice. This was fully recognized by the 8th session of the Conference of Parties of the UNCCD which adopted in Madrid in September 2007 a forward looking 10 Year Strategy.

Despite real advances in Cameroon and African Countries there has been little progress overall in reducing the number of victims of climate change and desertification leading to several consequences as food and water insecurity, migrations, unemployment and conflicts with negative impact on human health.
The number of people suffering from hunger has increased every year since 1996, despite government commitments to halve hunger in international summits for food. Every five seconds, a child under 10 dies from hunger and malnutrition-related diseases.
Half of hungry people therefore depend for their survival on lands which are inherently poor and which may be becoming less fertile and less productive as a result of the impacts of repeated droughts, climate change and unsustainable land use. In Africa as in many regions of Cameroon a lot of productive lands are dryland. An important part of the population is predominantly rural, poor and more frequently subject to food crises. In some part of Cameroon and Africa, the overwhelming majority of the poor live in rural areas and poverty is deepest in the low rainfall areas. Land degradation also causes migration and intensifies conflict over resources, particularly between pastoral and farming communities.

Many of the ongoing conflicts and food crises are the result of the impact of serious drought, desertification and land degradation and rising conflict over deteriorating resources. In arid regions around, as the land becomes as hard as concrete and the wells dry up, thousands of families are forced to leave their villages. Deprived of their lands and their subsistence, families suffer from permanent unemployment, hunger and desperation. It is now estimated that there are thousands of “ecological refugees” or “environmental migrants” in Cameroun and millions in Africa. “Ecological refugees” or “environmental migrants” understood as people who have been forced to flee from their lands as a result of natural disasters, including floods, drought and desertification, and end up struggling to survive in the slums of the world’s megacities.
Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilizing communities. As the effects of climate change undermine livelihoods, inter-ethnic clashes are breaking out within and across states and fragile states are turning to militarization to control the situation. The effects of desertification are increasingly felt globally as victims turn into refugees, internally displaced people and forced migrants or they turn to radicalization, extremism or resource-driven wars for survival. Local conflicts over water or land turned into civil wars, sexual violence or genocide

Land degradation in our countries is a problem that affects not only the drylands. About one third of all agricultural land is either highly or moderately degraded. If drylands are more vulnerable to natural and human destruction due to the small water containment in soil.
More than 50% of the lands under agriculture are degraded. Millions hectares of productive land become barren each year due to desertification and drought alone. This constitutes a lost opportunity to produce a lot of tons of food. Agricultural yields are falling because of unchanged bad production practices.
Deforestation, chemical pollution and inappropriate land management which is compounded by recurrent severe droughts, lead to declining ground water supplies impacting agriculture, fishing and lead to disasters affecting the most women, youth, children, indigenous people and their communities and their business. Most African countries don’t have a national drought policy.
The Program will contribute to (i) achieving the objectives of the Convention and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular regarding Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 and target 15.3: “by 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world” and other interrelated SDGs, within the scope of the Convention; (ii) improving the living conditions of affected populations; and (iii) enhancing ecosystems services.

PROGRAM IDEAS AND VALUES

This program is based on two major ideas:

• Human beings in affected or threatened areas are at the center of concerns to combat desertification/land degradation, and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.
• Desertification/land degradation, drought and Climate Change, are problems of global dimension and joint action of the international community is needed to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.

To give a concrete meaning to these ideas, three principles are the core of this program:

1. First, African States have the primary role in combating desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.
2. Second, it is essential to ensure the participation of NGOs, CSO, farmers, women,  Scientifics community, youth and children, Indigenous Peoples and their communities, business and industry, workers and trade unions in the elaboration, implementation and monitoring of national and local programs
3. Third, developed States must actively support, individually or jointly, the efforts of African developing and least developing countries, to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought and climate change.

PROGRAM VISION

Living conditions are improved thanks to multi actors’ participation in environmental/ land management to avoid, minimize, and reverse desertification/land degradation, and mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas at all levels to achieve a land degradation-neutral world consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Africa.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED IMPACT

The following “strategic objectives” will guide the actions of ANYL4PSD in the period 2018–2030. Meeting these long-term objectives will contribute to achieving the above-mentioned vision

Strategic objective 1: To improve the condition of affected ecosystems, combat desertification/land degradation, promote sustainable land management and contribute to land degradation neutrality

Expected impact 1.1: Land productivity and related ecosystems services are maintained or enhanced.

Expected impact 1.2:  The vulnerability of affected ecosystems is reduced and the resilience of ecosystems is increased.

Expected impact 1.3:   National voluntary land degradation neutrality targets are set and adopted by countries wishing to do so, related measures are identified and implemented, and necessary monitoring systems are established.

Expected impact 1.4: Measures for sustainable land management and the combating of desertification/land degradation are shared, promoted and implemented. Strategic objective 2: To improve the living conditions of affected populations.

Strategic objective 2: To improve the living conditions of affected populations

Expected impact 2.1: Food security and adequate access to water for people in affected areas is improved.

Expected impact 2.2: The livelihoods of people in affected areas are improved and diversified.

Expected impact 2.3:  Local people, especially women and youth, are empowered and participate in decision-making processes in combating DLDD.

Expected impact 2.4: Migration forced by desertification and land degradation is substantially reduced.

Strategic objective 3: To mitigate, adapt to, and manage the effects of drought in order to enhance resilience of vulnerable populations and ecosystems

Expected impact 3.1:  Ecosystems’ vulnerability to drought is reduced, including through sustainable land and water management practices.

Expected impact 3.2: Communities’ resilience to drought is increased.

Strategic objective 4: To generate global environmental benefits through effective implementation of the UNCCD

Expected impact 4.1:  Sustainable land management and the combating of desertification/land degradation contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and addressing climate change.

Expected impact 4.2: Synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements and processes are enhanced.

Strategic objective 5: To mobilize substantial and additional financial and non-financial resources to support the implementation of the Convention by building effective partnerships at global and national level

Expected impact 5.1: Adequate and timely public and private financial resources are further mobilized and made available to affected country Parties, including through domestic resource mobilization.

Expected impact 5.2: International support is provided for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building and “on-the-ground interventions” in affected areas to support the implementation of the Convention, including through North–South, South– South and triangular cooperation.

Expected impact 5.3:  Extensive efforts are implemented to promote technology transfer, especially on favorable terms and including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed, and to mobilize other non-financial resources.

IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK

The Program will be implemented through actions at national or sub-regional levels with the support of partners in accordance with national priorities and in a spirit of international solidarity and partnership including public–private partnerships, and innovative agreements. This program (that activities will consist in advocacy, awareness raising, education, capacity building, research and studies) intents:

With respect to financial and non-financial resources:

1. Increase mobilization of financial and non-financial resources for the implementation of the Convention from international and domestic, public and private sources as well as from local communities, including non-traditional funding sources, and climate finance;
2. Take advantage of the opportunity to use land degradation neutrality as a framework to enhance the coherence, effectiveness and multiple benefits of investments;
3. To improve the use of existing and/or innovative financial processes and institutions;

With respect to policy and planning:

1. influence the Development, implementation, revision and regularly monitoring, as appropriate, national, sub regional and regional action programs and/or plans as effective tools to combat desertification/DLDD and mitigate the effects of drought;
2. influence the establishment of policies and enabling environments for promoting and implementing solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought, including prevention, relief and recovery;
3. contribute to lever synergies and integrate DLDD, while optimizing efficacy and eliminating duplication of efforts, into (i) national plans related to the other multilateral environmental agreements, in particular the other Rio conventions; and (ii) other international commitments as appropriate, within their respective mandates;
4. Mainstream DLDD as appropriate into economic, environmental and social policies, with a view to increasing the impact and effectiveness of the implementation of the UNCCD Convention;
5. influence the establishment of national policies, measures and governance for drought preparedness and management, including drought contingency plans, according to the mandate of the Convention;

With respect to actions on the ground:

1. To support the creation of enabling environments for promoting solutions to combat desertification/DLDD and mitigate the effects of drought.
2. Develop scientific and technical knowledge pertaining to DLDD and mitigation of the effects of drought
3. Identify and address capacity-building needs to prevent and reverse desertification/ DLDD and mitigate the effects of drought;
4. contribute to the development and Implementation of sustainable land management practices;
5. Implement restoration and rehabilitation practices in order to assist with the recovery of ecosystem functions and services;
6. Develop and operationalize drought risk management, monitoring and early warning systems and safety-net programs, as appropriate;
7. Promote alternative livelihoods;
8. Establish systems for sharing information and knowledge and facilitate networking on best practices and approaches to drought management.

Cameroon and many African countries have been facing gender, reproductive health and nutrition challenges for several years. The fertility rate is high in several countries such as Niger (about 7.6 children per woman). Despite partner investments and Governments’ efforts, several countries have a low rate of women and family controlling their births, a low rate of births attended by skilled health personnel and a low rate of children with nutritional advice. This result in significant maternal, neonatal and infant-juvenile deaths, child malnutrition and early pregnancy among young girls leading to dropping out of classes (for those attending) and endless trials between families. Many parents are unable to care for their children, who are mostly out-of-school and unemployed. Early childbirth increases the risk of dying among adolescent girls. Children of younger mothers (younger than 20) are generally more likely to die than those from older mothers. The early entry of girls into reproductive life in many country greatly reduces their opportunities, especially school and work.

To address these challenges that jeopardize the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals as they negatively impact human rights, the status of women and girls in these societies, African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development undertook to dwell on these problems with a view to finding solutions to improve the conditions of social life through the application of Coaching and results oriented management. Far North Cameroon, Chad and Niger have been chosen as pilot area not only because of the migratory flow of the refugees, but also because of their cultural similarities. There are many cultural barriers which render impossible to improve girls, women, and children health.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

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• Contribute to increase the number of families using family planning to control.
• Increase in the number of deliveries attended by skilled personnel.
• Increase the number of children and families receiving nutritional advice.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS AND STRATEGIES

• Setting down multidisciplinary teams which will develop coalition to make change and results possible;
• Designing a structured process in three levels: launching, midterm review and final review during which each team is brought to fix a result to reach.
• Putting in place coaches in Districts, health centers levels to support results;
• Strengthening the capacities of individuals identified as national coaches;
• Accompanying teams and coaches with tools to reach results;
• Providing methodological support and facilitation to political and strategic leaders and teams through coaches;
• Advocacies and sensitization towards communities and governments to improve girls, women health and children nutrition by overcoming cultural barriers.
• Reporting on obstacles and difficulties encountered by teams and coaches and find out strategies to overcome them in link with the Ministry of Health officials and teams.

CONTEXT

High rates of youth and women unemployment represent a wasted resource. Poor youth labor market participation limits the inputs available for urgently needed growth and makes it harder for Cameroon and others developing countries to realize the benefits of labor-intensive growth strategies. Cameroon like other African countries passes through a unique demographic “window” where the youth population is maximized before birth rates begin to fall toward a more “developed economy” pattern – their success or failure in realizing the economic potential of young people during this “low dependency ratio” period can make the difference between sustained and faltering long-term development. (Dhillon and Yousef, Inclusion: Meeting the 100 Million Youth Challenge, 2007).

African youths face a number of problems such as:

• Exposure to radicalization and extremism
• Inadequate access to basic education
• Lack of access to credit and micro-finance facilities.
• Inadequate entrepreneurship skills
• Inadequate training opportunities for school drop-outs and out of school youths.
• Low agricultural crop production and hence low earning from the agricultural sector.
• High prevalence of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.
• Early marriage resulting in teenage pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy and a high population growth rate.

It is widely contended that these problems can be attributed to lack of information, education, guidance and inappropriate training and counseling on related issues. This combination of factors have immensely contributed to the high rate of unemployment amongst youth in African countries thus rendering youth more vulnerable to poverty, rural exodus, emigrations and HIV/AIDS resulting in loss of life.

It is also important to note that a lot of efforts have been made by the governments towards addressing the above compounding problems. Despite these numerous interventions the gaps are still there which needs to be filled.

Program objectives

The objective of the program is to contribute to countries economic development by creating sustainable livelihoods for the youths and encouraging the emergence of youth and women’s MSMEs, especially in the agricultural and services value chains.

Its specific objective is to increase the opportunities for creating jobs and generating sustainable incomes for the youth and women. The program intends to create an environment that fosters the emergence, structuring and professionalization of entrepreneurship for rural and semi-urban youth and women, making it conducive to job and wealth creation.

PROGRAM MAIN COMPONENTS:

1. Promotion of youth and women’s entrepreneurship in rural and semi urban areas.

This component entails developing youth and women’s skills through training leading to specific qualifications, and skill upgrading and facilitation of  self-employment through projects with high valued-added. The main areas of activity are: project identification and selection; project formulation and capacity-building support; consolidation of agro pastoral vocational training through rehabilitation of training centres; construction and reinforcement of business incubators, thus increasing job and income creation opportunities and, lastly, technical and managerial capacity-building for entrepreneurs (coaching).

2. Technological infrastructure to support MSMEs 

This will entail creating technological and logistical environment in the project area that makes it possible to raise productivity in order to encourage the emergence and monitoring of MSMEs and create permanent jobs for the youth and women. This component will also contribute to setting up an employment information system and a market information system. Technological infrastructure contribute to vocational training and professional capacity-building for young project proponent

3. Financing mechanism accessible to the youth and women.

This mechanism aims at increasing beneficiaries’ access to financing from local financial institutions by essentially tackling the following major obstacles identified: exorbitant lending rates, difficulties in providing guarantees and mandatory personal contributions. It is expected that MSME will be financed through loans.

PROGRAM EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACTS

As part of our mission, we engage young people by building their capacities in the domain of job creation through entrepreneurship and business development while focusing in the most innovative approach. We strive to instill in them the spirit or culture of entrepreneurship hence change their mind-set from how do I get a job to how do I create decent jobs.

Promoting human resources as the engine of economic and social development will entail designing and implementing vocational training and entrepreneurship programs and also establishing business incubators and an adequate mechanism to provide financial support to youth and women entrepreneurs.

The expected results of the program are:

The development of the agriculture, poultry and aquaculture value chains in order to enhance the outputs and specific potential of the:

• elected areas, thus increasing employment and income creation opportunities.
• The agricultural/fishery value chain approach covers several aspects of pre-production (factors of production; animal, plant and fishery production) and post-production (processing of agricultural/fishery products, product labeling, marketing and market access).
• Handicrafts are also included through the creation of Incubation of green centres for wood and aluminum work, construction and public works, and mechanic work respectful of environment.