Tche Irene Morikang
10 March 2008
interview
The Minister of External Relations, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, throws light on the theme of this year's Commonwealth Day, commemorated today.
The theme for this year's Commonwealth Day is "The Environment: Our Future". Why the Choice?
Each year, Commonwealth Day activities revolve around a chosen theme which draws the attention of Commonwealth citizens to an issue of primary importance to the Commonwealth in particular and to humanity in general. The environment is rapidly changing, amongst other things, as a result of the process of industrialisation especially in the advanced countries of the world as well as deforestation and desertification in developing countries. The combined effects of these phenomena have led to the depletion of the ozone layer. Whereas, the environment provides the resources on which humanity relies for its livelihood. The environment is in fact our lifewire. Destroying the environment is tantamount to collective suicide; it is like collectively taking slow poison. We must therefore take all necessary measures to foster better and sustainable environmental management within our country and equally convince other countries to do so at the international level.
What efforts are being made in Cameroon to ensure that the environment is sustainably managed?
Cameroon continues to play a key role in international discussions concerning the environment. The government has ratified most of the agreements on environmental protection. We also have a coordination unit to oversee programmes on climate change, an inter-ministerial committee on the protection of the ozone layer, as well as a national unit in charge of coordinating actions aimed at fulfilling obligations relating to the ozone layer. Most important of all, the Head of State has demonstrated his personal commitment on the issue on many occasions. Most recently, in his address to the 62 nd United Nations General Assembly in September 2007 and also during the presentation of New Year wishes by the diplomatic corps, he reiterated the imminent creation of the climate change observatory in Cameroon. In effect, since the 1970s, the government had recognised the importance of environemental protection as witnessed by the launching of Operation Green Sahel.
After the Commonwealth day, what effective follow up measures will be put in place to ensure a change in attitudes?
I can assure you that there has been mass mobilisation of all the stakeholders and competent institutions towards this end. The competent ministerial departments have ongoing and long-term programmes in this connection. Furthermore, we have been having discussions with national and international NGOs working in this area on how to ensure that the lessons learned and shared during this week lead to a change in attitudes towards the environment. Our concerns about the future of the environment, is motivated by the need to bequeath a healthy, productive and liveable environment to our children. I am confident that all necessary measures are being put in place especially with the imminent establishment of the climate change observatory announced by the Head of State, to ensure success in this endeavour.
What is the Commonwealth doing concretely in Cameroon in this domain?
You may wish to know that the Commonwealth is not an aid donor organisation per se; it does not duplicate the work of other technical agencies. It is rather a facilitator, which helps in leveraging financing in many areas. Its development philosophy is that of human resource development, capacity building and cost sharing. While the Commonwealth so far has not been directly involved in environmental issues in Cameroon, it has however, contributed immensely in strengthening capacity in many areas including tourism, our justice system, electoral reforms, decentralisation and Human Rights.
In particular, experts under the sponsorship of the Commonwealth have developed the still-to-be launched Cameroon Tourism Marketing Plan. There has also been an in-country training programme for fisheries superintendents, to mention but a few. Perhaps this theme offers the opportunity for Cameroon-Commonwealth cooperation to intensify efforts in the area of environmental protection after the above mentioned laudable achievements in other areas.
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