“When we protect human rights, we are in fact tackling many of the root causes of terrorism.”
These words of UN Secretary-General Guterres underlie UNODC’s commitment to support States in strengthening their capacities to uphold human rights while they respond to the threat of terrorism, in line with Pillar IV of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/RES/60/288). In that foundational resolution, the General Assembly solemnly and unanimously stated that respect for human rights and the rule of law are essential foundations in the fight against terrorism, and encouraged Member States to seek UNODC support.
In recognition of the importance of safeguarding human rights, Cameroon has established an Expert Group on Human Rights in the Counter-Terrorism Context. The Expert Group, chaired by a senior member of the Bar Association, is composed of representatives from the National Human Rights Commission, several ministries, law enforcement and criminal justice institutions, and the Cameroon Bar Association. The mandate of the Group is primarily to raise awareness about the importance of human rights in counter-terrorism and to provide human rights capacity building to institutions that play a role in counter-terrorism efforts in Cameroon.
Responding to a request from Cameroon’s Ministry of External Relations, on 3-4 December 2024, UNODC organized a national capacity-building workshop on human rights and counter-terrorism for the Expert Group members in Douala, Cameroon, which was joined also by the UN Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa.
The primary aim of the workshop, which was made possible thanks to the support of Sweden, was to enable the Expert Group members to exchange views on the challenges and opportunities for implementing the Group’s mandate. The workshop also provided an important opportunity for participants to discuss amongst themselves and with UN experts current key topics related to human rights and counter-terrorism, such as: the potential human rights impacts of measures to counter the financing of terrorist groups; use of force in ending hostage takings; ensuring accountability for sexual violence linked to terrorism; and reconciling the rights of victims of terrorism with policies that seek to incentivize members of terrorist group to defect and return to civilian life in their communities.
UNODC’s technical assistance to Cameroon is part of its broader engagement in the region in support of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery, and Resilience of the Boko Haram-affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin Region. To support Member States in the region and beyond in integrating human rights into their counter-terrorism efforts, UNODC has published modules on Counter-Terrorism in the International Law Context, Human Rights in Criminal Justice Responses to Terrorism and training modules tailored to the Nigerian context on Investigative Interviewing, the Right to Remain Silent and Prevention of Torture and Gender Dimensions of Criminal justice Responses to Terrorism.
