Cameroon

The main migration policy instruments in Cameroon:

Non-exhaustive list of key policy documents in the area of migration:

• 1961/1967: Ratification of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
• 1985: Ratification of the 1969 AU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa.
• 1997: Law n°97/012 of 10 January 1997 on the conditions of entry, residence and exit of foreigners.
• 2006: Ratification of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol and the 2000 Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants.
• 2011: Law n°2011/024 on the fight against trafficking in persons.
• 2011: Decree No. 2011/389 on the organization and functioning of refugee status management bodies (operational since 2016).
• 2013: Decree No. 2013/002 of 4 January 2013 laying down the conditions for issuing passports.
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The main ministries in charge of migration affairs in Cameroon:

• General Delegation for National Security: it is in charge of emigration and immigration; border management.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: it is the focal point for international cooperation on migration and refugee issues; is in charge of the relations with the Cameroonian diaspora; handles requests for legalisation from foreigners' associations present in Cameroon.
• Prime Minister's Office: is in charge of the Inter-ministerial Technical Platform for the Management of Labour Migration.

Sources:

• Le Comité contre la torture (2017): Observations finales concernant le cinquième rapport périodique du Cameroun. CAT/C/CMR/CO/5. https://www.ohchr.org/fr/countries/africaregion/pages/cmindex.aspx
• Organisation Internationale pour les migrations (2009): Migration au Cameroun: Profil National. http://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/cameroun_profile_2009.pdf
• United Nations DESA-Population Division and UNICEF (2014): Migration Profiles - Common Set of Indicators. https://esa.un.org/MigGMGProfiles/Indicators/indicators.HTM

Last updated: September 2018