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Cameroon

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

Updates

A national gender statistics assessment was completed and endorsed by several key government stakeholders, including NIS and MINPROFF.
A Network of Journalists has been established, composed of renowned journalists from credible major national media outlets. The Network will support advocacy and sensitization on gender statistics for communication and work closely with the NIS, other institutions of the NSS and MINPROFF. UN Women provided financial support for a national workshop with 25 media organizations and journalists and the communications departments of the NIS and MINPROFF, which resulted in a roadmap that will be introduced to the Government, with whom the Network will coordinate over the coming years.

Progress of the Women Count project in Cameroon

For detailed results go to the annual report

0-19% 20-39% 40-59% 60-79% 80-100%

Country Fact Sheet

How are we making women count in Cameroon?

Create an Enabling Environment

The challenges

Gender is not sufficiently integrated into Cameroon’s National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS). Within the National Statistical System (NSS), there are no specific laws or regulations governing the production of gender statistics, although general references have been made by many statistical regulations and legislations on gender. There is a weak framework to monitor gender mainstreaming in the production of gender statistics and none of the institutions in charge of statistics have a department or staff specifically dedicated to gender statistics.

The Women Count response includes

Supporting the NSS to conduct a gender-sensitive evaluation of the 2015-2020 NSDS and produce recommendations to strengthen it and future strategies;

Assisting the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) to formulate a framework for gender statistics in Cameroon, including adopting a Minimum Gender Indicator Set to be submitted to the National Council of Statistics for consideration and adoption;

Coordinating gender statistics across the NSS through the establishment of an Inter-agency Committee on Gender Statistics (IAC-GS), programme oversight, and management, quality assurance and technical support through a Women Count Project Steering Committee; and

Supporting the NIS to establish its own Gender Statistics Cell.

Increase Data Production

The challenges

In Cameroon, very few financial resources are allocated to gender statistics within the NSS. There is a lack of understanding of gender-related issues by national statisticians, and poor collaboration between the NIS and the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and the Family (MINPROFF).

The Women Count response includes

Gender mainstreaming and the production of a volume on gender and women’s empowerment in the General Census of Agriculture and Livestock, as well as in the General Population and Housing Census;

Supporting the training of NIS staff on gender mainstreaming in the production of statistics, including training and support for gender statistics focal points in key ministries.

Improve Data Accessibility & Use

The challenges

There is poor dissemination of gender statistics at both national and local levels, as a result of limited dialogue between users and producers of statistics, the absence of a mechanism to facilitate coordination, and an overall misunderstanding of gender statistics and their importance among users.

The Women Count response includes

Supporting MINPROFF in setting-up a gender information system, with the design of a central web-based database for storing and sharing gender-related SDG indicators developed and available online;

Establishing a network of journalists and parliamentarians who are regularly briefed on gender data, including new gender data analyses and releases;

Training parliamentarians, media, CSOs, academics, ministries, and the private sector to use and analyse gender statistics in decision-making;

Organizing bi-annual meetings for dialogue between statistics users and producers, at both national and local levels.

Highlights

Survey report

National population status report - Cameroon

13 Oct 2021

Assessment|Gender data

Cameroon Gender Equality Profile

27 Feb 2021

Brief|HIV and AIDS

Gender statistics in HIV monitoring in Cameroon: Importance and gaps

01 Jan 2019