The International day of the world’s indigenous people was celebrated the world over last August 9, 2009. InCameroon, the rights of this group of people uniquely distinguished by their way of life, their culture and tradition came to the spotlight.

Weeklong activities to commemorate this day were launched in Mandjou, a locality five kilometers from Bertoua, the regional headquarters of the East region of Cameroon, by the Minister of social affairs Catherine Bakang Mbock. During the ceremony that brought together thousands of indigenous groups from Baka and Bororo communities in the region, the minister called on all living forces to respect and promote the rights of indigenous people and to give them equal opportunity to realize their own potential.

Commonly referred to in Cameroon as marginalized persons, the indigenous people are mostly found in the forest regions of the East, Centre and South regions for the pygmies and in the mountainous North, East and North West regions for the Bororos. In the event of widespread discrimination against these groups, the United Nations through General Assembly Resolution 61/295 of 13 September 2007 adopted the Declaration on the Rights of indigenous people which sets out to ensure that these groups of people enjoy the same rights as all others. In stating that Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity (article 2), the general Assembly of the United Nations in other terms raised awareness on the fact that these groups were suffering from some degree of intolerance from mainstream tribes and ethnic groups in every given part of the world. Indigenous people are also bound by the same rights set forth by the UN charter and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

To lay more emphasis on the universality of human rights in this context of celebrating indigenous people, the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa took an active part by producing and distributing a hundred copies of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples, 50 copies of a question and answer document on the rights of indigenous people as well as other basic documents needed to adequately inform the participating officials and groups on the rights of indigenous peoples. In the same light, an information stand was set up during celebrations marking the day on August 9^th at the esplanade of the Yaounde city hall.

In a joint speech presented by the Centre and UNICEF, both UN agencies working on the rights of indigenous peoples, statistics pointed to indigenous people making up a significant percentage of the world’s poorest people. They also cited other texts that recognize the rights of indigenous people to include the ILO convention 169 on the rights of indigenous and tribal people, the convention on the rights of the child, the UNESCO declaration on cultural diversity as well as other accompanying conventions related to the safety of non material cultural patrimony and the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expression. They emphasized the need to take these conventions from word to practice in order to give indigenous people an equal place in their respective societies.