UN Day: Celebration organised with keen attention to refugees issues
Cameroon has joined the International Community to commemorate the 72nd United Nations Day under the theme “Preserve Peace and Promote Sustainable Development : A Collective Commitment for the Benefit of all Generations”.
In Yaounde a ceremony was organised at the Ministry of External Relations under the chairmanship of Lejeune Mbella Mbella.
In his address, he hailed Cameroon’s 57-year old relationship with the U.N.
The message of the Secretary General of the United Nations was read, it stated, “… When we achieve human rights and human dignity for all people – they will build a peaceful, sustainable and just world. On United Nations Day, let us, ‘We the Peoples’, make this vision a reality.”
The Resident Coordinator of the UN Systems in Cameroon, Allegra Baiocchi also took to the rostrum to discuss the work of the U.N. in Cameroon.
She outlined that the UN has been focused recently on providing aid to refugees and internally displaced persons in Cameroon in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country.
The Director of the U.N. and Decentralised Cooperation at the Ministry of External Relations, Anne Chantal Nama buttressed Allegra Baiocchi’s explanation.
She recounted that the UN that works with other partners assist these vulnerable people with food, water, reconstruction of schools and financial assistance.
Also on the occasion, winners of a UN supervised quiz received awards before the rich cultural heritage of Cameroon was put on display through traditional dances.
Activities to observe the Day started on 18th October 2017 with a televised discussion and quiz for secondary school students on the U.N. The quiz was carried out on a CRTV TV programme for the youth “Jeunesse Parlons-en”.
Next was a political dialogue involving the Civil Society organised at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC) on 19th October 2017.
A sportswalk followed on Saturday 21st October 2017, before the U.N. Open Day organised at the University of Yaounde 1 on 23rd October 2017.
The Charter creating the United Nations Organisation was instituted in 1948 and Cameroon became member on 20th September 1960.
The country has been receiving assistance from the UN in the domain of health, nutrition, education, food security, access to water and hygiene and sanitation.
Eleanor Ayuketah