A/HRC/25/56/Add.1 official language bilingualism. Experts suggest that more than 275 indigenous African languages are spoken in the country, making Cameroon one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. Many mother-tongue languages remain in common usage in different regions. Some languages are used by relatively few and have no written form to assist in their preservation, making them particularly vulnerable. 69. The UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger (www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/index.php) identifies 36 languages in Cameroon categorized as endangered to varying degrees, with three identified as extinct. Factors contributing to the serious decline of some languages include the prevalence of French and English as national languages and the lingua franca in most official interactions, including government, administration and services. The sheer extent of linguistic diversity in the country may also be a factor, since the high degree of interaction and intermarriage between those of different language groups results in the need for a common language, which is then transmitted to the children as their main language of communication. Young people increasingly prioritize French and English as most useful for their economic, social and physical mobility. 70. A significant proportion of the population conduct their daily interactions in mothertongue languages and are not fluent in the official languages. This fact can be a major barrier to the development of some minority communities, and poses challenges in their interaction with authorities. Cameroon does not have an official policy for the protection and promotion of native languages. A number of initiatives have however been taken to protect and promote national languages in accordance with the Constitution. These initiatives include projects that involve the recording of languages and a pilot bilingual education programme conducted in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, including Plan International. 71. Cameroon’s bilingual policy and its emphasis on French and English to the detriment of other languages have also been motivated by the desire to promote national unity; however, French remains the most commonly used and understood European language, spoken by more than 80 per cent of the population. Despite the bilingual policy, there is a distinct geographical demarcation between English- and French-speaking regions. The Independent Expert noted several positive elements of the bilingualism policy in practice, including in some television, radio and print media, in which English and French were clearly used alongside each other. Critics however suggest that the majority of media output is solely in French in most of the country. 72. In Bamenda, in the North-West (one of two regions where the majority are anglophones), the Independent Expert encountered a commonly voiced perception of general discrimination against anglophones, and specifically in such areas as access to public posts and political office. Some complained that, even within anglophone regions, francophones are commonly appointed to senior positions and public offices, decisions that some perceive as deliberate and politically motivated. Francophones have access to employment in the civil service without being bilingual, whereas this is rarely the case for anglophones. 73. The predominance of French as the language of Government and administration in most regions was highlighted. Numerous official documents, including certain laws and decrees, are unavailable in English. The Government has promoted bilingualism by creating bilingual secondary schools and through initiatives that include pilot linguistic centres. Francophones have, however, little incentive to learn English, while anglophones stated that they felt forced to learn French to have access to the status and opportunities that its knowledge affords. One commentator stated, “even in this anglophone region, we are served in French”. Others described their perception of relative general neglect of the anglophone region with regard to economic development. 18