Le déploiement controversé de l’ODD 16 au Cameroun

Abstract

This paper investigates the logics of power that shape the implementation of the SDG 16 framework on peace and governance in the fragile state of Cameroon which has been affected by the “Anglophone” conflict. The article adopts a critical institutionalist perspective, drawing on data from diverse documentary sources, and thus seeks to uncover the underlying motives driving the state’s adherence to this policy framework, while also examining its role in resolving the anglophone conflict. The article suggests that despite the voluntarist rhetoric displayed in the consistent release of voluntary national reviews, the adoption of a new national development strategy, and the national dialogue initiative, SDG 16 is trapped in a double stranglehold: its use by Paul Biya’s regime for political ends and a dynamic of societal transformations with uncertain consequences for the restoration of peace and good governance in Cameroon.

Keywords

• SDG 16
• governance
• anglophone conflict
• Cameroon
• Cross-country evaluation
• epistemology of the South