Building Stronger Partnerships for Cameroon’s Development Priorities

* This Resident Coordinator performed functions in Cameroon from 2020-2023.

Upon his arrival in Cameroon in September 2020, the UN Resident Coordinator, Matthias Z. Naab, set out key priorities for the UN country team under the auspices of the UN development system reform including to strengthen the partnership with the Government of Cameroon, accelerate financing for the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthen synergies across development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding interventions.

• Thanks to the Resident Coordinator’s role in harnessing the collective interventions and resources of the 22 UN agencies in Cameroon, the UN country team has made significant progress in delivering on national priorities, including by providing targeted, cross-sectorial support to the Government. The Resident Coordinator convened a joint-planning session between the Government, UN agencies and other stakeholders to coordinate activities on Recovery and Resilience building in the far north of Cameroon; a region which has been affected by multiple crisis including violent extremism, internal displacement, disruption to health and education services and natural disasters such as flooding. 
   
• The Resident Coordinator and UN country team have also supported the Government in the development and implementation of a national SDG financing strategy, which includes various revenue mobilization strategies at local level to improve decentralization. In order to mobilize private sector financing, joint studies and investment mapping- funded by the joint SDG Fund- have been carried out to identify the key areas of investment in Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2030. 
   
• The improved coordination across the UN country team has helped advance the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. For example, UN agencies co-lead mechanisms called ‘results group’ with the Government to operationalize flagship programmes in the Cooperation Framework, including on climate change, education, durable solutions for forced displacement and water management. By establishing this results group mechanism, the Resident Coordinator has supported the UN country team build more synergies and mobilize financing and partnerships. 
   
• Under the direction of the Resident Coordinator, the UN country team have also strengthened joint efforts to consolidate peace in Cameroon by leveraging community participation in local governance for effective conflict prevention and resolution. For example, in the North West and South West neighboring communities of the Littoral and West regions of the country, impacted by the spill-over effects of the socio-political crisis, the UN country team is promoting women and youth participation in peace building and boosting social cohesion.
   
• The Resident Coordinator also played a key role in revitalizing the national dialogue platform between the government and development partners, the “Comité multi-partenaires.” This platform has helped improve development cooperation and benefits from the strong participation of International Financial Institutions.