A/HRC/25/56/Add.1 functions. Where any church was found to have been closed for functioning without proper legal authority, investigations should establish whether such authority was sought and whether any undue delay or obstruction was imposed to prevent the granting of such authority. 94. The decline and possible disappearance of some of the many mother-tongue languages spoken in Cameroon are cause for national and international concern. The Independent Expert welcomes initiatives to record and maintain these languages alongside French and English, and urges the Government to intensify such measures in collaboration with international actors and experts in this field, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 95. A pilot project for bilingual education for certain linguistic groups, including Baka Pygmy communities, has now begun in several schools using a model that has proved effective for improving education outcomes for minority children and for helping to maintain minority languages. Should the results be positive, the Government is urged to expand models of bilingual and multilingual education throughout the country, with adequate resources being provided for teacher training, the supply of text books and other appropriate teaching materials. 96. There are significant challenges to the achievement of the full and effective implementation of the State’s policy of official language bilingualism. Further steps are necessary, including in the fields of education, training and administration, to ensure that no discrimination or economic, social or cultural exclusion is experienced, in particular by minority English speakers in non-Anglophone majority regions, but also by minority francophones in English-speaking regions. The implementation of the policy should be closely monitored throughout the country, and stronger measures should be taken to ensure equality in practice, including in employment and in appointments to public office. 97. Serious allegations were brought to the attention of the Independent Expert regarding violations of the civil and political rights of individuals advocating for greater political autonomy for anglophone regions or for their secession from Cameroon. The Independent Expert emphasizes that, without any crime having been committed, actions to restrict the freedom of association and assembly or the freedom of expression of such individuals, as well as their arrest and detention, constitute violations of their civil and political rights and, as such, should be revoked immediately. 98. The National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms has a valuable role to play in the protection of minority rights, which could be further enhanced by a dedicated unit and the inclusion in its work of training on minority and indigenous rights for authorities, including for public officials, the police, gendarmes and judicial authorities. 22