Climate Change: Elysee Reception Sets Stage For Summit

 President Paul Biya and peers begin the day with a dinner offered by French President Emmanuel Macron.

All is set in Paris for the One Planet Summit opening today. President Paul Biya and First Lady Chantal Biya arrived yesterday evening at the Bourget Airport in Paris and were welcomed by the Cameroon Ambassador to France, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo and wife.

At the Hotel Meurice, the official residence of President Paul Biya and First Lady Chantal Biya, the decor and protocol arrangements emitted respect, hospitality and honour for the august guests.

The participation of the Head of State at this Summit is in line with his constant and resolute commitment to the protection of the environment, in general, and the fight against climate change, in particular. The effect of climate change on the Congo Basin and Lake Chad are constant reminders that solutions to this phenomena can only be found in a global framework.

Commitments
President Paul Biya has been an eloquent spokesperson for the fight against Climate Change. Considering it as an « emergency », the President has always seen the phenomena as a threat to the « survival of the human race ». In a speech delivered at COP 21 in 2015, President Paul Biya invited the international community to go beyond the debate on responsibility between the industrialised and developing countries, adding that the reduction of green house gas emissions remains conditional on the support of the international community. Mobilisation of funding therefore to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change is in line with Cameroon’s options to fight the threat.

The tragic situation of the Lake Chad whose dramatic shrinking endangers millions of lives in five countries that share this body of water is an eye opener. Although a weak emitter of green house gases, Cameroon intends to contribute to its reduction. The commitment of President Paul Biya to Climate Change remains a top priority. His participation in Climate Change Summits spells out clearly his desire to save the Congo Basin forests through financial compensation to affected countries.

Also, the President calls on his peers to «save Lake Chad » by reversing its drying up and the protection of its populations suffering from the effects of the deterioration of their environment. Cameroon was among the first twenty countries to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and President Paul Biya has constantly brought Cameroon’s voice with force and relevance o...