On 28 October 2026, in Geneva, during the 14th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, Prof. James MOUANGUE KOBILA, Chairperson of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission (CHRC) and of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), called for the right to development to become “a power effectively exercised” by the peoples concerned, particularly Indigenous Peoples. He highlighted the persistent challenges they face, including land appropriation, the exploitation of natural resources without equitable benefit-sharing, marginalisation, inadequate participation in decision-making and limited access to basic social services. He also drew attention to the emerging risks associated with the exploitation of traditional knowledge and Indigenous data by artificial intelligence systems, without the communities’ consent or compensation.

Emphasising that legal identity and education constitute genuine “Root Rights”, whose realisation determines access to and the exercise of many other Rights, he advocated stronger protection of Indigenous Peoples’ lands, territories, resources and traditional knowledge, as well as their effective participation in decisions affecting them. He further stressed the need to combat corruption, ensure transparency in resource management and strengthen oversight and redress mechanisms. Looking ahead to the next decade, he called for measurable progress in the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, insisting that “the right to development must cease to be merely a promise made to disadvantaged peoples” and “must become a power effectively exercised by them”.