60th CPA Conference: Welcome address to parliamentarians

Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, General Coordinator of the Committee and Vice President of the Cameroon National Assembly welcome parliamentarians.
A big Diplomatic victory for Cameroon
On behalf of the Speaker of this August House, Rt. Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, who is the Current President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), I am very delighted to welcome you here today, the 24th of day of September 2014 in this Parliament building that has been playing host to the National Assembly of Cameroon since 1965.
I also wish to recognize the presence of the Minister of Communication Mr. ISSA Tchiroma Bakary who is not only effectively present, but has been very instrumental in making this press conference possible. Mr. Minister, I thank you.
Permit me therefore to wish you all a warm welcome and a very pleasant stay within these premises of the People’s Representatives and to express our profound gratitude to you for your massive attendance.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Journalists,
I wish to take this opportunity given me, on behalf of the Parliament of Cameroon, to formally inform you and the Cameroonian people that, the Parliament of Cameroon will host the 60th Edition of the Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association from the 2nd to the 10th of October 2014.
This conference which is holding under the distinguish patronage of His Excellency Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon and Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association has as theme: Repositioning the Commonwealth for the post – 2015 Development Agenda.
Members of Parliament will also during this period discuss other issues that touch on the life of the people we all represent. This will be in workshops, for instance,
Workshop A: Unity in diversity: the role of parliament;
Workshop B: Joining hands for women’s rights: the role of parliamentarians in gender empowerment;
Workshop C: Evaluating the emergent content of the post – 2015 Development Agenda against the standards set out in the Commonwealth Charter;
Workshop D: Good governance for the 21st Century: transparency and accountability continue to be needs and requirements throughout the Commonwealth.
Workshop E: How can Parliament ensure that young people are placed at the centre of sustainable development. The role of education;
Workshop F: Financial oversight in Westminster style and Francophone parliaments: sharing good practice;
Workshop G: What is the role of Parliament in providing for the most vulnerable in society? Workshop H: Parliamentarians and Public Trust: Do codes of Conduct help?
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Journalists,
In keeping with CPA tradition of promoting the women, there also will be a Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) meeting which will be held on the 8th of September 2014, on the sidelines of the Conference.
It should be recalled that it was during the annual conference of July 2011 in London that the General Assembly unanimously adopted the request for Cameroon to be the 2014 host.
That decision by other Commonwealth parliaments is an eloquent testimony not only of the effectiveness of our parliamentary diplomacy, but also of its reputation, respect and honour that our country enjoys amongst its peers, within the African Region where we belong and the other eight regions that make up this big Commonwealth family.
This is also proof of the excellent relations that have been existing for close to 20 years between Cameroon and this great community of Nations dubbed “Commonwealth” (The gentleman’s club).
As a reminder, it was during the summit held in Auckland New Zealand from the 11th to the 13th of November 1995 in which President Paul Biya personally took part, that Cameroon was admitted into the Commonwealth of Nations, hereby becoming the 52nd member of this intergovernmental organization. Since then the relations between Cameroon and the Commonwealth have grown from strength to strength through a mutually beneficial cooperation.
The Parliament of Cameroon has since then been present in almost all CPA activities and several Socio-Economic projects submitted by Cameroon have been funded:
Over 500 scholarships have been granted to Cameroonian students and researchers.
Professionals from various sectors have benefitted from technical support.
Two investment forums organized in Cameroon by the Commonwealth Business Council have let to the building to bridges between the investors of the Commonwealth community and Cameroon.
Still in the area of cooperation, I must emphasize that the Commonwealth through its multifarious support and expertise, has been instrumental not only in the drafting of our Electoral Code or the putting in place of our Election body (ELECAM) but has always been present to supervise elections during each political consultation.
The Commonwealth also played a major role in the drafting of our Criminal Procedure Code. Its judges are providing technical advice in the Ministry of Justice.
Both instruments are very important in the political life of our country as they have certainly contributed in enhancing our Electoral and Judicial Systems. There is therefore no doubt that our harvest has been large and the future is bright.
The 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) is holding at a time when our country is having some security challenges not from our making but from external forces and also the problem of EBOLA which is more of an illusion than a reality in Cameroon.
We have assured and reassured our colleagues that the Head of State, President Paul Biya, has put in place everything it takes to keep Cameroon peaceful, as it is no secret that our country Cameroon is an island of peace.
Regarding Ebola, we assured our colleagues that, no case of EBOLA has been reported in Cameroon since the outbreak of the epidemic and with all the measures that have been taken by the Ministry of Public Health to cover our boarder areas including the Yaounde NSIMALEN AIRPORT, Cameroon is still an EBOLA-free country. However, to those our brotherly nations that have been affected by this virus, we wish to tell them that we share in their pain and we will always remember them in our prayers.
In a week’s time, our country will be in the spotlight. Within the framework of this leading international come together, we shall be playing host to 800 delegates from some 53 member countries of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
From the 2nd to the 10th of October 2014, the Commonwealth parliamentarians who will stay in our country will discuss issues related to international politics and the evolution of the parliamentary system amongst member states of the association.
During this meeting that will last 8 days, our country would have been given the opportunity to showcase its economic potentials, its cultural and tourism assets, its rich historic and socio-anthropological heritage, as well as its highly diversified political landscape.
This meeting will allow our country, whose creed is the promotion of the fundamental values of peace, social harmony, inter-cultural dialogue and solidarity amongst its people, to consolidate its accomplishments, as well as its legendary reputation of being a land of hospitality and the defender of major national and international issues in relation to the protection of persons and goods, the progress of nations and the wellbeing of the population, as echoed by H.E. Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon.
Distinguished Guests,
Dear Journalists,
The holding of the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cameroon is therefore an undeniable diplomatic victory, a victory for a people who are deeply attached to the promotion of the core values parliamentary democracy, human rights and good governance that the Commonwealth stands for but is also your own victory as media practitioners, (the 4th estate) as you always respect and keep to your republican commitment to build the image of this country at the national international levels.
I have no doubt of the professionalism and sense of responsibility that you will exhibit throughout this event, taking into consideration, the importance of the conference as we have a collective responsibility to uphold the cardinal values that our country stands for.
Thank you for your kind attention!