A four-day campaign to collect signatures on the country's position to be presented in the Copenhagen Climate Change UN conference is ongoing in Yaounde.

Cameroon on Tuesday, September 22 was engaged in two fronts in the ongoing crusade to curb the emission of green house gases and pollution that result in climate change with devastating effects. President Paul Biya joined other world leaders in New York on the UN organised summit on climate change, while the campaign on the deal in Cameroon's position to be presented during the Copenhagen Climate Change conference slated for December 2009 was officially launched in the National Assembly.

Between, September 22 and 26, Cameroonians and citizens of other countries resident in the country, will flock into the Ngoa-Ekelle Glass Palace to sign the deal on the country's position. The event in Parliament coincides with the United Nations week on " Seal the Deal" campaign started Sunday, September 20 in which the " the United Nations is leading a powerful new campaign to encourage governments to seal the deal on a fair, balanced and effective climate change agreement when they meet in Copenhagen in December 2009". The campaign is mobilising political leaders, the business sector and civil society on the ambitious global scale to raise a strong call for urgent and united action on climate change.

The Senior Vice President at the National Assembly, Hon. Hilarion Etong presided at the launching ceremony of the campaign in the presence of the High Commissioners of South Africa to Cameroon, Nshadi M. Tsheole and of Nigeria, Philip Ali Dauda. He did not only chair the event but more importantly set the example for others by appending his signature on Cameroon's position on climate change. The campaign is organised by the Pan-African Parliamentarians' Network on Climate Change (PAPANCC), headed by Cameroon's parliamentarian Hon. Cyprian Awudu Mbaya. Justice Prudence Galega, Technical Adviser in the Ministry of the Environment and Nature Protection represented her ministry which is coordinating actions on Cameroon's position to be presented in Copenhagen.

In his opening speech, Hon. Hilarion Etong, borrowing from the Yaounde Declaration of PAPANCC on June 27, 2009, called on Heads of State to further promote the common African position on the comprehensive international climate change regime beyond 2012 and participate actively in the continuing international negotiations, bearing in mind that failure to reach a fair and equitable outcome will have dire consequences for Africa. He said it was the role of Parliament to mobilise all and sundry to support the efforts of world leaders. This was in line with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon’s declaration that “combating climate change is an investment with strong returns, today and for many generations to come”. He further disclosed that “by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increase of water stress due to global warming”.