Social Compliance of Projects : PM Lays Down Control Procedures

In order to ensure that the population in general and socially vulnerable groups in particular are protected from adverse human and social impacts caused directly or indirectly by private and public projects, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute on July 4, 2022 signed a decree to lay down procedures for the control of social compliance of projects. Comprised of 33 articles, the decree which places the control of social compliance of projects under the Minister in charge of Social Affairs, in conjunction with relevant ministries, outlines eight basic principles which shall guide the process. The eight guiding values are the principles of social progress, social justice, national solidarity, social participation, right of access to information, social subsidiarity, social precaution and social responsibility.  
According to the decree, the control of the social compliance of projects shall be carried out based on the respect of the aforementioned eight principles, consideration, elimination, mitigation or compensation, as the case may be for human and social risks, and inclusion in one of the social approaches to project management. Prior to the beginning of works, the decree specifies that any project must include a social and economic assistance plan for the local population and, where appropriate, a protection plan for vulnerable indigenous groups affected by the project. It must equally be subject to a preliminary social assessment or a social impact assessm...