N’Djamena Initiative on the Eradication of Statelessness in Central Africa
We, experts of the Member States (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea,
Republic of Congo and Chad) and Partner States (Democratic Republic of Congo and São Tomé and
Príncipe) of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), gathered on 11 and
12 December 2018 in N’Djamena, Chad, for the regional workshop on statelessness organised by
CEMAC with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in the
framework of the global campaign to end statelessness by 2024;
Considering that CEMAC’s main mission is to promote peace and harmonious development in
Member States;
Recognising that the right to a nationality is a fundamental right enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and in numerous other international and regional human rights
instruments;
Noting that failings in civil status systems, including with respect to birth notification and registration
as well as issuance of birth certificates, continue to present challenges in some countries in the
region and may expose people to statelessness;
Considering also that for certain displaced, minority, nomadic or cross-border communities and other
vulnerable groups, the absence of birth registration increases the risk of statelessness;
Noting the deplorable situation in which many people in our sub-region find themselves, deprived of
legal identity and even nationality, and prevented from exercising their fundamental rights;
Deeply concerned by the fact that stateless persons face violations of their human dignity, as well as
diverse barriers in accessing, among others, healthcare, education, social protection, formal
employment, freedom of movement, and civil participation;
Noting the lack of awareness of the phenomenon of statelessness among numerous governmental
and non-governmental actors, as well as among the general public;
Noting that nationality legislation does not always comply with international human rights
instruments, and may generate new cases of statelessness;
Noting the firm commitment of our States to guarantee the rights contained in the African Charter
on Human and Peoples’ Rights and, for those party, in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare
of the Child;