IHRC ANNOUNCES YAOUNDE SUMMIT TO MARK 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT (1986-2026) - TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT PAUL BIYA AS HISTORIC VOICE FOR THE DECLARATION2 - 4 DECEMBER, 2026 – YAOUNDE, REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
2 - 4 DECEMBER, 2026 – YAOUNDE, REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
The International Human Rights Commission – Relief Fund Trust (IHRC) Africa Headquarters is pleased to announce that plans to convene a historic international summit in Yaounde, Cameroon to mark the 40th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development have reached an advanced stage.
To convene the Yaounde Summit, the IHRC Africa HQ made concise representations and insightful submissions that called for encomium for His Excellency, Mr. Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon.
Our submissions to the Presidency and to the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) in Cameroon established with documented evidence that President Paul Biya not only participated in the UN Special Sessions that adopted the Declaration on 4th December 1986, but zealously and firmly provided the main voice which called for the adoption of the Declaration.
As one of the few remaining world leaders who was present at the birth of this landmark Declaration, President Biya's role is a legacy which the IHRC Africa HQ considers worthy to be immortalized.
The IHRC's proposal on this summit to the Office of the President of Cameroon has been deliberated upon and has earned acceptance and positive response.
In particular, the Cameroon Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) has confirmed that it has no objections to the roadmap design geared towards materializing the summit successfully in Yaounde, Cameroon. This is a major diplomatic endorsement for the summit.
The Summit is tagged as THE YAOUNDE SUMMIT: 40TH COMMEMORATION ANNIVERSARY OF THE UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT and is scheduled to hold between 2 - 4 December, 2026.
The main focus of the summit is:
To recall world leaders to see that the UN Declaration on the Right to Development is made alive. This document should not be one to be left on the shelf and forgotten about, in the interest of all the countries in the Global South and the developing world.
For 40 years, the Declaration has proclaimed that the Right to Development is an inalienable human right, that equality of opportunity for development is a prerogative of both nations and individuals, and that the human person is the central subject of development.
Yet, for the Global South, this right remains unfulfilled.
A major outcome of the summit will be the adoption of THE YAOUNDE DECLARATION 2026 – to be adopted as a support framework platform to reinvigorate world attention to the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.
The Summit is tagged as THE YAOUNDE SUMMIT: 40TH COMMEMORATION ANNIVERSARY OF THE UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT and is scheduled to hold between 2 - 4 December, 2026.
The main focus of the summit is:
To recall world leaders to see that the UN Declaration on the Right to Development is made alive. This document should not be one to be left on the shelf and forgotten about, in the interest of all the countries in the Global South and the developing world.
For 40 years, the Declaration has proclaimed that the Right to Development is an inalienable human right, that equality of opportunity for development is a prerogative of both nations and individuals, and that the human person is the central subject of development.
Yet, for the Global South, this right remains unfulfilled.
A major outcome of the summit will be the adoption of THE YAOUNDE DECLARATION 2026 – to be adopted as a support framework platform to reinvigorate world attention to the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.